I have worked with people from Białystok to Zakopane, from Rzesow to Gdansk to Swednica and they all seem to agree that the inhabitants of Poznan are snobs.
At first I thought this may be a rural prejudics against a cultural center but I now know people from Torun and Krakow who share the same, low opinion of the residents of Poznan.
I have never heard that. And people from Krakow think they are better than Warsaw but I think it is the same in every country? I went to Poznan twice, I did not really like it, there were beggars and it looked German (for obvious reasons).
i was born in poznań and i live here (plus im the local guide;) so my local patriotism seems to be obvious;) i agree poznan is not to fall in love from the first glance,however if u know what to see and where to go, if u try a bit harder and find the way to get to know it better - well, then it's fantastic...
it's not very well advertised, that's the other thing...
its not snoby (my opinion:) but yes, its the same in every country, this kind of "competition"... beggars - not many really,comparing to warszawa and krakow looking german - of course, but only certain places,esp. those being made to look german:)
well, I live in Warsaw and while I love the city I must say that it is surely the most hated city in Poland, it is liked only by the original Warsaw citizens (about 50% of Warsaw citizens), rest of Poland hates it as much as people from Warsaw
It seems in some quarters Poznań has the reputation of being a largely burgher-minded place with a stolid, non-nonsense somewhat Germanic "Ordnung muss sein" mentality and a certain mean streak. But for meanness, Kraków stands out. They are often referred to as "centusie" (penny-grabbers). There is even a joke: Who invented wire? Two Cracovians who were clutching a grosz in an iron grip and pulling it towards themselves. Cracovians tend to regard Warsaw as a city of upstart nouveau riches with an inflated view of themselves.
Im moving to Poznan from Norway in three weeks... I have never been to Poland, nor do I speak polish... I will stay there for 6 years to study medicine (In english of course)
My father and I arrived in Poznan off the train from London one day in 1986 and we had nowhere to stay. We got in a taxi and asked the driver to take us to a hotel, any hotel. But when we arrived there were no rooms, and the taxi driver heard this because he was bringing our luggage into reception, so he took everything back to the taxi and we drove from one hotel to another, all full up. Turned out there was a trade fair in town. By this time it was about 6pm and the taxi driver took us to his flat. He left us outside while he went in and asked his wife if we could stay. We sat in the kitchen while they rearranged all their rooms to provide my father and I with a whole room each. At their request we paid them two pounds a night bed and breakfast and stayed there a week.
Here's a funny thing: their 20-year-old blonde student daughter spoke fluent English, but there was something really strange about her accent: she sounded like an African, not a Pole. I puzzled over this for a few days, until she introduced me to her boyfriend ~ a big, black African student! He was a secret from her parents, who hated black people. But it explained her strange accent!
i spent one crazy new year's eve in Poznan and thought it was cool, but to be honest I didn't see much of the city. i have heard, like many of you, that warsaw is the most hated city in poland. but i'm not one to judge since I don't live in Poland, I just visit it often.
I'm from the US going to Poznan for school in a couple of weeks. Never been to Poznan. I haven't found a place to stay yet, I won't take the university housing because they require a roommate. Hopefully the people are easy to get along with even if you don't speak Polish? Seems like a town with everything a person would need.
Polish nation has been born in Great Poland (Poznań, Gniezno). Only one successful Polish up rise has been made in Poznań. Poznań won against power of whole German empire in trade war durring 19 century. we bought out Germans.
For me Poznan is the best, most charismatic and unforgettable of all Polish cities (though I may be biased ;) ). Only if you stay there just as a tourist for a couple of days, there is no way you are going to find it out.
If you are lucky enough to live there, got to know people and places, never visited by tourists, you must fall in love with Poznan.
I've never been to a town or city in Poland I didn't like, but Poznań is probably still my favourite. It was the first place over there I properly explored, with the help of my then-gf who is a Poznanianka herself so knew all the nice places to go a bit off the beaten track. Haven't been for a year now but intend to visit again before the end of '08.
I was talking to a guy in Katowice who wasn't as impressed with Poznań as I was, and for her part my ex was not fond of Katowice. Is there some kind of rivalry between those two cities, like Manchester and Liverpool in the UK?
