It had been snowing throughout the night leaving a glistening white blanket covering everything as we ventured outdoors. After walking down to Wroclawska we caught Tram 5 to Park Wilsona so that we could visit the Palm House. This park is located in the Lazarz district and dates back to 1834 when the city’s first botanical garden was established there. After the Second World War the park was granted the patronage of U.S. President Thomas Woodrow Wilson as he contributed to Poland regaining its independence in 1919. Just inside the entrance gates we found a statue of him.
The park consists of two distinct parts to the north and south. The northern section presents the French style of geometrical patterns, low hedges and planting intermingled with paths whilst the southern part contrasts with its ponds, small alpines and gently rolling hills emphasising wild nature.
A palm house was added in 1910 as part of the Exhibition of East German Industry, Craft and Agriculture. This glass house is still the biggest in Poland and one of the largest in Europe as it contains more than 17,000 plants of 700 different species. Entrance to the Palm House is PLN12 (and discounted with the Poznan Card).
After enduring the sub-zero temperatures outdoors we soon felt warm and snug in the humid conditions of the palm house and could remove our hats and scarves. The glass house has one large, central section containing varieties of palms with numerous wings leading from it exhibiting Mediterranean, sub-tropical, tropical, savannah and desert plants.
We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the building is also home to a large aquarium as in 1922 Poland’s first public aquarium was established here. On display are fish species from all over the world, contained within 37 large tanks.
After exploring all parts of the impressive building we popped into its delightful little cafe for a hot drink. The Palm House cafe is an oasis of calm with its rattan tables and chairs set amongst lush vegetation. Glancing around, the cafe appeared to be a popular place for locals to meet up and it was easy to see why as we sipped our rich and creamy cups of hot chocolate.
Leaving the cosy heated greenhouses behind, we wandered back to the tram stop and after changing lines in the city centre we headed off to our next destination, Lake Malta. Like us, you might wonder why there is a lake of this name in Poland, so I researched it to find out. Apparently, the name of the lake comes from the Knights of Malta as the artificial lake was built on land owned by the Church of St. John of Jerusalem and given to the Order in 1187. The Poznan people referred to this area as Malta and it has lasted to this day.
The lake is 2.2 km in length and just a short walk from the tram stop. We followed a footpath around the water’s edge observing ducks gliding across the partially frozen lake. During the summer months the lake is home to numerous national and international rowing and kayaking competitions and it was interesting to stop and view a display of plaques along the shoreline highlighting medal winners in these sports from past to present.
Continuing on to the southern end of the lake we came across Malta Ski an all year round ski slope. With the recent snowfalls, this small ski area with its close proximity to the city centre was quite busy. It was fun to stand behind the wooden fence at the bottom of the slope to view the activity on its two slopes accessed via button and chair lifts. It seemed to be an ideal place for beginners and anyone not wishing to travel very far to enjoy an hour or two’s downhill ski-ing or snowboarding.
After enjoying this unexpected alpine treat we followed a path through the forest that led us to tram line 13 and within a few minutes a tram came along to whisk us back into the city centre.
It was approaching 4.00 p.m. by the time we got there and feeling quite hungry we headed to the Pyra Bar, as we’d read some glowing reviews about it. Pyra is the traditional name for a potato in this part of Poland and the pub gets its name because its menu focuses on regional potato dishes.
We both ordered creamy potato casseroles, one containing salmon, leeks and cheese and the other chicken, sausage and onion. The price difference between standard and large sized portions was negligible so we opted for the larger ones. These tasted absolutely delicious with the sliced potato and other ingredients coated in a thick, creamy sauce. It was the perfect comfort food for a freezing cold winter’s day and I’d definitely return to one of their restaurants again sometime as there are two in Poznan and another one in Gdansk.
On leaving the pub we did a little more Christmas shopping before returning to the hotel for a cup of tea and a short rest. A couple of hours later we felt ready to brave the cold again so we wrapped up warm for our nightly visit to the picturesque Bethlehem market.
As it was a Friday night, it was much busier than earlier in the week but this just added to the atmosphere and we didn’t have to wait very long at the little wooden cabins for our sausages and mugs of mulled wine. Soloists and choirs were performing throughout the evening on the Christmas Market stage and despite not being able to understand Polish we were of course familiar with classic festive hits such as ‘Frosty the Snowman’ which is popular the world over.
Feeling content, we sauntered back to the hotel and as there were still quite a few guests around we enjoyed one last drink in its attractive bar lounge before heading up to our room for bed.
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Lovely pictures Marion! That Christmas market just looks so inviting! I was just thinking the other day that I hadn’t seen any of your posts for awhile and I was worried…but then today I saw that I was not following you. I don’t know how that happened! So don’t mind me while I catch up on all your travels from the last little while. I hope all is well with you 🙂
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The Christmas Market in Poznan was lovely. I was so sad that you weren’t able to get over to Munich as planned.
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Another great post. I’m still catching up on all the places that you have visited and that I would like to visit.
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Thank you Paul for taking the time to read and comment, it’s much appreciated.
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Hey Marion I am unable to like any of your posts for some reason, amazing posts as always! ♥️
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Thank you. Unsure the reason you can’t like them but I can look into it.
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How pretty are the cups in the Palm House cafe? I’m not surprised it’s a popular spot. Polish winters are beautiful but I’m sure there comes a day when the greenery and warmth becomes very appealing!
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That cafe was so beautiful, green and peaceful Helen. Thanks so much for taking an interest in my series of posts on Poznan.
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Festive and historic. I love your opening photos, the different fronts of the buildings, very eastern European!
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Thank you s much for taking an interest in this post. Poznán is a charming city to visit.
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Great
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Thank you!
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I’ve been to Poznań once in the summertime, liked it a lot. I couldn’t make it to the Christmas market yet, but I think it can be similar to Wrocław’s market. Well written post! Great job! 🙂
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Thank you for taking an interest in this series of posts on Poznán. Its good to hear that you have also visited and I’m sure it looks equally nice, if not better in the summer.
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Love your snowy pictures! It almost looks like two different worlds when looking at the photo’s of the park and then of the luscious plants in the Palm House.
And Lake Malta … very interesting story on how this area became known as Malta. Your hot chocolate and creamy potato dish looks really tasty – like you said, perfect for a winter’s day!
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We were very surprised to discover a Lake Malta in Poland! The dusting of snow turned our short break into a winter wonderland and those potato based casseroles were so yummy that I wish they would open some branches over here! Thanks for your valued thoughts Corna. Marion
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Marion this is such a great outing.. never seen Lake Malta. Very interesting.
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So strange to have a ‘Malta’ in Poland! It was a day of contrasts with the hot palm house and cold snow but both really nice.
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I think you’d find me in the Palm House or the restaurant, Marion. Maybe I’d come out in Spring.
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Sounds a good plan Jo!
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It’s beautiful in the snow, though I bet the greenhouse and the hot drinks were welcome!!
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They were indeed, quite a contrast to sit in the palm house away from the icy cold outdoors but we were well wrapped up and just enjoyed it all. Thanks for your welcome thoughts Hannah and I hope the recent issues with your leg are now on the road to recovery. Marion
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What a fabulous contrast between the tropical glasshouse and the surrounding snow. I love those outdoor Polish markets with their mulled wine and madding crowds.
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Snow and a tropical palm house did make for a day of contrasts Shane and ending the day at the Christmas Market was lovely especially after having missed out on them the previous year! Thank you for your ever welcome thoughts. Marion
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Great capture and I like the winter with snow.
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Thank you, the snowy scenes do look so festive don’t they!
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Yeah they are attension catching
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Sounds like the perfect day! Your casseroles are making me hungry 🙂
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It was a lovely day and in fact a great weekend in Poznan. Pyra Bar served up some delicious food and it was very reasonably priced too! Thanks so much for commenting Lyssy and I hope you had a good weekend.
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Amazing photos! Thank you🙏🏼
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It’s my pleasure, I’m glad you enjoyed this post.
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Tropical palm trees and snow. Quite the contrast! As are the thriving Christmas markets such a contrast to Poland during the Communist era when religion was discouraged. I clearly remember living in the former Yugoslavia and watching children go to school on Christmas Day. It felt weird. Wonderful to see people celebrating again.
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It is indeed marvellous to witness the freedom of people from behind the iron curtain during our life tines. Snow and the Palm house were a good mix as it warmed us up nicely! Hope your weekend has gone well Gwen, thanks for reading.
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Another excellent report and as usual superb photos. I particularly liked the masthead photo with its interesting architecture and will return to study that photo again.
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Those reconstructed merchants houses in the old town square are wonderful replicas of those destroyed in the war. Thank you for you interested Ian and I hope you have enjoyed a pleasant start to the year.
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That looks like such a cool, wintry venue.
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It was a lovely winter weekend break and wrapped in our warm coats we were nice and cosy. Thanks so much for your comments.
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Poland looks beautiful and the Christmas Market there looks amazing too, wow!
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Poland is such an interesting country to visit and really pulls out all the stops at Christmas with its festive markets. It’s good to read that you are enjoying these posts and thank you for commenting.
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Woodrow Wilson in Poznan is indeed a curious and unexpected find. Love the wintry shots abound, especially of WW Park. Looks icy cold, but nothing a Christmas market and a salmon, potato and leek casserole can’t fix.
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When we were heading for Wilsona Park I did think that it didn’t sound particularly
Polish but didn’t realise the significance until we saw the bust of the former U.S.. President there. It was a cold day but we were wrapped up well and it didn’t feel so very different to home. Our creamy potato casserole at Pyro Bar and later our sausage and hot wine at the Christmas Market filled us with festive cheer and warmed us up nicely! Thanks for your welcome thoughts Leighton, as always they are much appreciated.
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Looks magical with all the snow. It must have been so nice to step inside the Palm House and forget about the weather outside. There’s no better way to warm-up than with a nice cup of hot chocolate.
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Exactly, hot chocolate is what a cold winter’s day is made for, and that Palm House was so beautiful. Thanks for commenting Linda, it’s much appreciated.
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How nice for a winter city to have a tropical palm house. And with an aquarium to boot. Looks like a good day’s exploring Marion. Thanks for sharing., Allan
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Yes, we were pleasantly surprised to find an aquarium there too. It’s little cafe was gorgeous.
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Every where looks beautiful with the white snow
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It was just like a winter wonderland Victoria. Thank you for your welcome thoughts.
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That looks cold but very festive Marion
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It was cold but was worth it as it did feel very festive Sheree!
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😎
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Beautifully written! Very evocative and picturesque! Kudos. More power to your pen!!
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Thank you for your kind words. I’m pleased you enjoyed this post on Poznán and my style of writing.
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The snow and cold are daunting to explore a city, but the stop in the warm greenhouse seems to have given you courage to face the next part. I guess it’s necessary to go through this to see Poznan in its typical winter look.
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It was cold but we were wrapped warmly and didn’t feel it too much. The Palm House was beautiful to explore.
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How magical, with the Christmas markets going on in town! The stroll in the park looks icy, but serene, and it’s a surprise to see a piece of the US (i.e. the bust of President Wilson) in Poland, of all places! Goes to show just how we’re all inter-connected in this vast world, across languages and cultures…another lovely day spent in Poznan, that’s for sure!
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We were also surprised to find the bust of Woodrow Wilson in Poland. The Wilsona Parkwith its beautiful Palm House was so very nice especially with the snow. Thanks for your welcome thoughts Rebeccca. Marion
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