Poznan

The beginnings of the Kórnik castle go back to the 15th century. Its current neo-Gothic form stems from the mid-19th century. Its interiors are filled with antique furniture from various styles and times, paintings and sculptures by Polish and European masters, antique coins, military accessories, and an ethnographic collection. A real gem is the library from 1828, with a unique collection of around 400 thousand volumes. Legend has it, that at night the castle is haunted by the ghost of Biała Dama - the White Lady.

The Palace was erected in 1866 in the English Gothic style. It is accompanied by a nine-hectare park with three ponds and a romantic grotto. Today, it houses the Mathematical Research and Conference Center of the Institute of Mathematics of the Polish Academy of Science. The historic buildings have been supplemented with a modern hotel facility.

The monastery was raised around 1250. Today, it is a late Baroque church of John the Baptist, and the monastery walls house the Educational Centre for Visually Impaired Children. In the nearby park there is the only Spacial Orientation Park in Europe, where the visually impaired children learn how to move about in an open space. The unique Typhlological Museum also resides here. The whole area can be visited via an outdoor game, “Wokół klasztoru w Owińskach” (“Around Owińska Monastery”), available for download at www.czerwonak.pl

Located East of Poznań, this landscape park is the perfect place for family leisure and recreation. The bicycle path network of "Puszcza Zielonka" and its surrounding areas, over 220 kilometers long, is one of the most interesting and richest in Wielkopolska. Many other paths have also been charted here – hiking, kayaking, horse-riding, and the unique Trail of Wooden Churches, where you can learn about the wooden religious architecture of these areas.

An unforgettable ride in a bicycle trolley on a closed train track from Puszczykówko to Osowa Góra. The ride takes place in alternation. It is an interesting, attractive and active way of spending free time with no age limits.

The museum operates since 1974, and is housed in the famous traveller and writer's historic family residence. Fiedler's travel souvenirs dominate among its exhibits, and nearby the vila the is a Garden of Tolerance - with the full-scale replica of Christopher Columbus' vessel "Santa maria", or a replica of the Hurricane - an aircraft used by Polish airmen during World War II.

Mysteries big and small, solved and still awaiting answers, are a vital part of the over 100 years of history of the Luboń factories. The adventure begins at a time when the Polish had to fight for their own country, and ends at the time of the ownership transformations related to the groundbreaking political changes taking place in Poland in the 1990's. For more information about the trail trips, go to: www.oklubon.pl, www.lubon.poznan.travel

This reserve is a part of the Wielkopolski National Park. It spreads over 38,14 hectares, including a largely overgrown and swampy Lake Trzcielińskie in the valley of the Samica river. It is the nesting site of over 60 species of birds, so a good pair of binoculars is a recommended item to take a long for the trip. Some of the bird species observed here include peewit, grey heron, mash harrier, common buzzard, red kite, crane and oriole.

A nature reserve founded for the purpose of protection of the few stands of the spring snowflake (a plant found in the Sudety mountains) in the Wielkopolska region. Tourists visit the reserve massively at the turn of February and March to watch the blooming snowflake, the harbinger of spring, creating beautiful flowery carpets.

Skoki and its surroundings abound in lakes. Big or small, they are an invitation to outdoor leisure close to nature, such as going for a walk or a bicycle ride. A good excuse to do just that is the nearby Cistercian Trail. What is noteworthy is that the Skoki lakes are teeming with fish, and so are a true fisherman’s paradise.

“Octopus” Aquapark was built in 2008 and is part of the Municipal Sports Center, which also owns the nearby modern sports hall. The modernist construction of the aquapark building matches in its style the nearby Cultural Center and Public Library. “Octopus” offers not only aquatic attractions, but also bowling, a restaurant and a modernly appointed conference hall.

Prof. Ryszard Kostecki Beekeeping Heritage Park and Museum is the largest outdoor ethnographic museum in Europe, with a unique collection of beehives, illustrating the history of apiculture and beekeeping on Polish soil. Among the exhibits there are figural hives (in the shape of a person or an animal), as well as architectural, basket, box hives, and bee gums (sections of hollow trees). The oldest hive is 600 years old. A big attraction is a special demonstrative hive, allowing for the close observation of the intimate lives of bees.