Poznań is preparing for one of its most recognisable annual celebrations, as St Martin’s Day and Poland’s Independence Day bring a full programme of events to the city on Wednesday, 11th November. Alongside the traditional procession, the popular Imieninowe Miasteczko (Name Day Village) and the Independence Run, this year's arrangements include significant traffic restrictions and additional security measures following the recent tragedy in Kraków.
The celebrations will go ahead, but visitors should expect heightened security checks at event entrances and vehicle restrictions across several parts of the city centre.
St Martin’s Day celebrations return to the city centre
This year's Imieniny Ulicy Święty Marcin will once again bring the celebrations to the heart of Poznań, with the main event organised as an open festival area known as Imieninowe Miasteczko.
The event will occupy the central section of the junction of Święty Marcin and Aleja Niepodległości, extending across Plac Adama Mickiewicza and the open courtyard in front of Zamek Culture Centre. The festival area will also cover spaces stretching towards Fredry, Kościuszki, Składowa and Skośna.
Activities are scheduled between 11:00 and 21:00, with the main celebrations taking place at 14:00. This is when St Martin will receive the symbolic keys to the city from Poznań's mayor before leading the traditional procession.
The parade will set off from Plac Adama Mickiewicza, continuing along Święty Marcin and Aleja Niepodległości, before passing through Składowa and Towarowa and returning to the square.
The festival area will be free to enter, with five designated entrances. As a formally organised mass event, access will be subject to security checks. It is recommended not to bring big backpacks or suitcases.
Historic tram recalls Poznań's June 1956
One of the more distinctive attractions this year will be a historic tram displayed at the Zamek stop in front of the Culture Centre.
Organised through a collaboration between MPK Poznań and CK Zamek, the exhibition will feature two historic carriages: a Konstal N motor tram manufactured in 1949 and an ND trailer carriage dating from 1952.
The vehicles are particularly relevant to Poznań's history. Trams of this type were operating in the city during the Poznań June 1956 protests, when workers took to the streets in the first major mass protest against the communist authorities in post-war Poland.
MPK employees played an important part in those events, joining the demonstrations and bringing public transport to a halt in solidarity with the protesting workers. The Three Tramwomen, known in Polish as Trzy Tramwajarki, became an enduring symbol of the transport workers' involvement.
Marking the 70th anniversary of Poznań June 1956, the historic tram display invites visitors to revisit this part of the city's past.
Archival photographs will also be on display between 11:00 and 18:00. From 12:00 to 14:00, representatives of the Museum of the Poznań Uprising - June 1956 will be available to talk about the events. They will wear tramwomen's uniforms recreated in the style of those worn in 1956.
The museum, located inside the Zamek building, will also open specially for the occasion, between 11:00 and 16:00.
Additional security measures following Kraków tragedy
This year's celebrations will take place with increased security arrangements following the recent tragedy in Kraków.
The city has confirmed that the programme will go ahead in full, but that additional precautions will be introduced to protect participants and visitors.
Deputy Mayor Marcin Gołek stressed that the intention was to respond with sensible measures rather than panic.
"I know that the people of Poznań expect rational decisions from us, not panic. The St Martin's Day celebrations are centred around doing good. We need that very much, even more than usual since Saturday. That is why we are not cancelling the event, although not everything will be the same this year," he said.
The Imieninowe Miasteczko will operate under the mass-event framework, allowing organisers to introduce controlled entry and enhanced security procedures. All five entrances will be subject to security checks, with personal searches carried out to a stricter standard, similar to those at major festivals and concerts.
Visitors are being asked to arrive early and avoid bringing large backpacks. Free storage facilities will be available for prohibited items.
Security arrangements will also extend beyond the immediate festival area. Police officers, including both uniformed and plain-clothes personnel, will be present throughout the city from the morning.
Poznań Police spokesperson Sub-Inspector Łukasz Paterski said that officers had received no credible information suggesting a specific threat to the city on 11th November. He described the police presence as primarily preventive, aimed at maintaining public safety and residents' confidence.
Vehicle access to Święty Marcin and Plac Wolności will be restricted, with concrete barriers already installed around Plac Wolności to prevent vehicles from entering the area.
Independence Run and further road closures
The St Martin's Day festivities are not the only major event affecting the roads in the city on Wednesday. The annual Bieg Niepodległości (Independence Run) will also take place, bringing temporary road closures to Grunwald.
The 10-kilometre race will begin at 11:11 on Grunwaldzka Street, following the northern road towards the turnaround point at the junction of Cmentarna and Wieruszowska. Runners will then return along the southern road, finishing near the Poznań International Fair (MTP).
Vehicle traffic along the route will be suspended and gradually restored after the final runner has passed. Disruptions are expected between 10:30 and 14:00, with traffic lights switched off along the route during the event.
Preparations will also affect parking. The section of Grunwaldzka between Bukowska and Szylinga will be closed, including to parked vehicles, from 23:30 on Tuesday, 10th November. The restrictions will remain in place until the race has finished and normal traffic arrangements have been restored, no later than 15:30 on Wednesday.
Drivers should remove their vehicles from affected parking spaces before the restrictions begin.
Access to the emergency department (SOR) on Grunwaldzka will be maintained via Przybyszewskiego, approaching from Bukowska.
Drivers travelling towards the city centre are advised to use Bukowska or Głogowska as alternative routes and leave their cars in car parks before continuing by public transport.
Public transport changes across Poznań
The combination of the celebrations and the Independence Run will bring substantial changes to tram and bus services between 10th and 12th November.
The first restrictions begin at 20:00 on Tuesday, when Aleja Niepodległości will close to traffic between Taylora and Fredry. The Zamek stops on Aleja Niepodległości will be suspended.
Tram services along Święty Marcin, between Rondo Kaponiera and Gwarna, and along Towarowa will also be suspended. From 23:30, Grunwaldzka will close between Bukowska and Matejki.
Tram lines 2, 3, 5, 9, 13 and 17 will be diverted via Most Teatralny and Fredry. Bus lines 163, 168, 169 and 171 will also operate on alternative routes.
On Wednesday morning, further changes will affect tram lines 6, 13 and 15, following the closure of Grunwaldzka between Zeylanda and Matejki.
From 10:00, the road closure on Grunwaldzka will extend from Matejki to Cmentarna in Junikowo. This will affect tram lines 1, 6, 7, 13 and 15, as well as bus lines 145, 163, 164, 169, 182 and 191.
An additional bus service, line 113, will operate during the Independence Run, between approximately 11:00 and 13:00.
Services will gradually return to their usual routes after the race. From around 13:00, several tram and bus lines will resume their regular routes, with further changes expected around 14:30 when the section of Grunwaldzka between Bukowska and Matejki reopens.
Night services between Wednesday and Thursday will follow the arrangements introduced the previous night. Night bus line 202 will not operate.
The remaining restrictions will be lifted at 07:00 on Thursday, 12 November, when Aleja Niepodległości reopens between Taylora and Fredry and tram services return to Święty Marcin and Towarowa.
Residents are advised to check the latest information from ZTM and MPK before travelling, as temporary changes may be introduced if required.
Planning a visit on 11 November
With several events taking place simultaneously, travelling into the city centre by car is best avoided. Public transport is expected to be strengthened, although diversions and temporary suspensions will affect a number of routes.
Those planning to attend the main celebrations should allow extra time for security checks and use the designated festival entrances. Leaving large backpacks at home will also help make entry easier.
Despite the additional arrangements, Poznań's traditional 11th November celebrations will go ahead, combining the city's distinctive St Martin's Day traditions with Poland's national holiday and an opportunity to remember an important chapter in local history.
For residents and visitors alike, it will be a busy day across the city, with a little extra planning needed to enjoy the programme and get around safely.
Sources: poznan.pl, MPK, CK ZAMEK
