Poznań, << PAWZ nahn yuh >> (pop. 546,859), is a city that lies on the Warta River in west-central Poland. Products of Poznań include machinery, metals, and transportation equipment. The city has many historic buildings. It is home to Adam Mickiewicz University, one of the largest academic centers in Poland. Poznań, probably founded about A.D. 800, is one of Poland’s oldest cities. For some of its history, Poznań was part of Prussia and, later, Germany. In German, the city is called Posen.
Poznań saw heavy fighting between Nazi German and Soviet troops late in World War II (1939-1945). Much of the city was destroyed, but it was rebuilt after the war. In 1956, antigovernment riots in Poznań and other Polish cities resulted in reforms that gave the people more economic, educational, and religious freedom.
