Stare Miasto, Poznań

Stare Miasto (Polish pronunciation: [ˈstarɛ ˈmjastɔ]) is a part of the city of Poznań in western Poland. It was one of the five governmental districts (dzielnicas) into which the city was divided prior to 1990, and which are retained for certain administrative purposes. For details, see Administrative division of Poznań.

The Polish name Stare Miasto means "Old Town". In discussing subdivisions of Poznań, the name is ambiguous; it may refer to:

• the whole area of the former dzielnica of Stare Miasto;
• the osiedle called Stare Miasto, covering most of the city centre; or
• the Poznań Old Town neighbourhood, covering only the area of the original walled city.

In this article, Stare Miasto will have the first of the above meanings. For the osiedles contained within this district, see Administrative division of Poznań.

The district of Stare Miasto includes Poznań Old Town and most of the remainder of the city centre, as well as the northern part of the city, including the modern residential areas of Winogrady and Piątkowo, and the less densely populated northernmost neighbourhoods of Morasko and Radojewo. It has an area of 47.1 square kilometres (18.2 sq mi) and a population of 161,200, making it the most populous of the city's five districts.

Stare Miasto borders the districts of

across the Warta (though without any direct crossing) to the east.

Geography

The southern part of Stare Miasto district is occupied by Poznań's city centre – the

cemeteries) on its southern edge.

North of the Cytadela is the old district of Winogrady, which contains mainly houses, and then the newer

.

East of Winogrady, close to the river, is the neighbourhood of Szeląg, and north of this the housing estate of Wilczy Młyn. North of this is the Naramowice neighbourhood, and then Umultowo. West of Umultowo is the estate called Osiedle Różany Potok, named after Różany Potok or Strumień Różany ("Rose Stream") which flows eastwards towards the Warta, also giving its name to the small neighbourhood of Różany Młyn ("Rose Mill"). North of Umultowo are two small neighbourhoods called Nowa Wieś Górna and Nowa Wieś Dolna ("Upper New Village" and "Lower New Village"), and then Radojewo, which has a palace and park complex and nature reserve. The main road continues northwards from there towards Biedrusko, passing through the adjacent military area.

Further west, north of Piątkowo, is a wide, mainly open area called

teaching.

Stare Miasto contains quite extensive areas of forest, including in the area between Piątkowo and Naramowice, along the river from Naramowice northwards, and in the area of the Morasko reserve.

Poznań's fast

Sobieskiego

on the northern edge of Piątkowo. There are also older tram lines serving the southern and eastern parts of Winogrady. The main railway line running east from Poznań passes through Stare Miasto, with a station called Poznań Garbary just south of the Cytadela. There is also a relief line passing through the district further north, used for freight transportation.

History

The Old Town neighbourhood – the medieval walled city – constituted the city of Poznań from its founding in 1253 until 1797, when (under Prussian rule) the city's borders were extended to take in areas to the west – the settlements of St. Martin (Święty Marcin) and St. Adalbert (Święty Wojciech). Chwaliszewo was among the areas added in the eastward expansion of 1800. During the first half of the 19th century the old city walls were taken down and the new western areas of the city (forming most of the modern city centre) were developed.

The fortifications on the

system of fortifications built around the city from the 1830s onwards. The left-bank fortifications all lay within today's Stare Miasto district, following roughly the line of Al. Niepodległości and ul. Krakowska. In the later 19th century an outer ring of forts was built, of which Forts IVa, V and Va now lie within Stare Miasto district.

The next northward expansion of the city's boundaries occurred in 1925, when the Cytadela and the area of

, Radojewo, Umultowo, Nowa Wieś Górna, Nowa Wieś Dolna) were brought within the city boundaries in 1987.

52°26′53″N 16°56′01″E / 52.448101°N 16.933490°E / 52.448101; 16.933490