Where to Stay in Gniezno, Greater Poland Voivodeship

What is Gniezno known for?

Legend says the first Pole founded the town where he found a white eagle's nest, and here the earliest Polish kings were crowned in the great Gniezno Cathedral. Its famous bronze doors tell the tale of Saint Adalbert. History itself made the city's name.

What are the main landmarks in Gniezno?

Gniezno Cathedral crowns the old town. The Gothic Primatial Basilica rises where the first kings of Poland were crowned, the great sight of the city, above the lakes. Its bronze doors are a marvel.

The famous Gniezno Doors show the life of Saint Adalbert in cast bronze, while the Museum of the Polish State Origins gathers the story of the nation's birth.

What is the history of Gniezno?

Poland began in Gniezno. Legend tells that the chieftain Lech founded the town where he found the nest of a white eagle, which became the emblem of the nation, and here the first dukes of the Piast line built their stronghold among the lakes. The state was forged on this hill.

When Saint Adalbert was martyred spreading the faith, his body was brought to Gniezno, and his shrine made the town the spiritual heart of the young kingdom. Kings were crowned in the cathedral. In the year 1000 the emperor came to Gniezno to found an archbishopric and honour the shrine, and the first kings of Poland took their crowns before the altar.

The capital later moved away. Kraków and then Warsaw drew the court from the little lakeland town, but Gniezno kept its cathedral and its glory as the mother city of Poland. The bronze Gniezno Doors still tell the saint's story in the great church.

Gniezno guards the memory of where the nation began.

Where is Gniezno?

Gniezno lies among the lakes of Greater Poland. The old town rises on low hills between small lakes in the heart of the Polish lowlands, ringed by farm country and woods. Water and gentle hills surround the streets.

The lakeland spreads green on every side.

What is the climate of Gniezno?

Cool continental weather governs Gniezno. Cold, snowy winters settle over the lakeland, and the warm summers bring storms across the fields, with rain spread through the year. Mist rises off the lakes in autumn.

The seasons swing clear and wide.

How do you get to Gniezno?

Gniezno lies east of Poznań in Greater Poland. Trains and roads run to it from the great city in under an hour, and roads cross the lakeland toward Toruń and the north. Buses reach the villages of Wielkopolska.

Most arrive by rail from Poznań.