Rola i znaczenie Warty w dawnym Poznaniu

Abstract

In this article an attempt has been made to demonstrate the role and significance of the Warta river in the spatial organisation of Poznań, its defence system and its economic role. Water from the Warta and its tributaries was both one of the basic raw materials and an energy producer, via water mills, in the manufacturing processes of workshops or groups of craftsmen (tanners, shoe makers, wood workers, beer brewers) along its banks. While in the Middle Ages the river pattern of Poznań played an important role in the development of the city area, in the middle of the 17th century its significance began to gradually decline, ultimately disappearing. The Warta lost its significance as a water route. Its waters are polluted and it seems that the city has turned away from it.