Poznań

Carol has been researching her family tree for quite a few years now, and one of her great uncles was born in 1888 in a village called Stawiszyn, which is located between Warsaw and Poznań, so we made a small detour to check it out. There’s not much remaining from all those years ago, but it was still good to visit the place.

Carol’s great uncle would most likely have seen this church, dated 1874

This morning we were up early and took a tram into Poznań old town (a one day travelcard cost a bargain €3.50). At the centre is a photogenic main square which, like so many places we’ve been to now, was flattened during WWII and subsequently rebuilt to look as it did pre-1939.

This former synagogue only survived WWII because the Nazis converted it to swimming baths

Bamber monument – this was a lot smaller than it looked in the tourist guide

We spent the morning wandering around the old town, and after lunch we walked to Park Citadela, where there’s a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery, alongside separate cemeteries for Polish, German and Russian soldiers.

Polish airmen buried in the Commonwealth cemetery

The 1963 film The Great Escape was based on a true story where 76 prisoners escaped from Stalag Luft III in Sagan (now Żagań). Only three of them made a home run, and 50 of those recaptured were executed. The bodies of many of these are buried at Poznań.

Grave of Squadron Leader Roger Bushell – the character of Roger Bartlett in the Great Escape (portrayed by Richard Attenborough) was said to be based on him

We spent the remainder of the day exploring the town and riding the trams.

Mike