Editing Gniezno

{{Short description|City in Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland}}
{{About|the city in Poland|the town in Belarus|Hniezna}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Gniezno
| official_name = Royal Capital City of Gniezno<br/>{{lang|pl|Stołeczne Królewskie Miasto Gniezno}}
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 270
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/2/2
| image1 = Catedral de Gniezno, Gniezno, Polonia, 2014-09-20, DD 40-42 HDR.jpg{{!}}Gniezno Cathedral and Lake Jelonek
| image2 = Gniezno 20180720 123212 (ubt).jpg{{!}}Market Square
| image3 = Franciscan church in Gniezno (2).jpg{{!}}Franciscan Church
| image4 = Figury na katedrze w Gnieźnie.jpg{{!}}Details of the Gniezno Cathedral
| image5 = MPPP Gniezno (2019 r.).jpg{{!}}Museum of the Origins of the Polish State
| caption1 = Lake Jelonek
| caption2 = Market Square
| caption3 = Franciscan Church
| caption4 = Details of the [[Gniezno Cathedral]]
| caption5 = Museum of the Origins of the Polish State}}
| image_shield = POL Gniezno COA.svg
| image_flag = POL Gniezno flag.svg
| image_blank_emblem = LOGO GNIEZNO 2025.svg
| blank_emblem_type = [[Wordmark]]
| pushpin_map = Poland
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Greater Poland Voivodeship|name=Greater Poland}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[Powiat|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Gniezno County|Gniezno]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Gmina]]
| subdivision_name3 = Gniezno <small>(urban gmina)</small>
| leader_party = [[Civic Platform|PO]]
| leader_title = City mayor
| leader_name = Michał Powałowski
| established_title = Established
| established_date = 8th-10th century
| established_title3 = City rights
| established_date3 = 1239
| area_total_km2 = 49
| population_as_of = 31 December 2021
| population_total = 66769 {{decrease}}<ref name="population">{{cite web|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/teryt/jednostka|title=Local Data Bank|access-date= 15 August 2022|publisher=Statistics Poland}} Data for territorial unit 3003011.</ref>
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| coordinates = {{coord|52|32|09|N|17|35|45|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 62–200 to 62–210
| area_code = +48 61
| blank_name = [[Polish car number plates|Car plates]]
| blank_info = PGN
| blank1_name = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank1_info = [[Cool-summer humid continental climate|Dfb]]
| blank_name_sec2 = [[Highways in Poland|Highways]]
| blank_info_sec2 = [[File:S5-PL.svg|32px|link=Expressway S5 (Poland)]]
| blank1_name_sec2 = [[National roads in Poland|National roads]]
| blank1_info_sec2 = [[File:DK5-PL.svg|32px|link=National road 5 (Poland)]] [[File:DK15-PL.svg|32px|link = National road 15 (Poland)]]
| website = http://www.Gniezno.eu
}}
'''Gniezno''' ({{IPAc-pl|AUD|Pl-Gniezno.ogg|'|g|ń|e1|z|n|o}}; {{langx|de|Gnesen}}; {{langx|la|Gnesna}}) is a [[city]] in central-western [[Poland]], about {{convert|50|km|mi|lk=out|abbr=off}} east of [[Poznań]].{{TERYT}} Its population in 2021 was 66,769,<ref name="population" /> making it the sixth-largest city in the [[Greater Poland Voivodeship]]. The city is the administrative seat of [[Gniezno County]] (''powiat'').

One of the [[Piast dynasty]]'s chief cities, it was the first historical capital of Poland in the 10th century and early 11th century,<ref name=pwn>{{cite web |url=https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/Gniezno;3906227.html |title=Gniezno |website=Encyklopedia PWN |access-date=28 February 2020 |language=pl}}</ref> and afterwards remained one of the main cities of the historic region of [[Greater Poland]]. Gniezno is the seat of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gniezno]], the country's oldest archdiocese, founded in 1000, and its archbishop is the [[primate (bishop)|primate]] of Poland, making the city the country's ecclesiastical capital. The [[Gniezno Cathedral]] is one of the historically most important churches in Poland, and as such is a designated [[Historic Monument (Poland)|Historic Monument of Poland]].<ref name=ph>{{Cite Polish law|title=Zarządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 8 września 1994 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii.|gazette=Monitor|year=1994|volume=50|number=416}}</ref> Other sights include the Old Town and the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State.

==Geography==
Gniezno is one of the historic centers of the [[Greater Poland]] region, the cradle of the Polish state. Like [[Rome]], Gniezno was founded on seven hills, including the {{ill|Lech Hill|pl|Wzgórze Lecha (Gniezno)}}, which is the location of the [[Gniezno Cathedral]], and the Panieńskie Hill, which is the location of the ''Rynek'' (Market Square). Five lakes are located within the city limits: Winiary, Jelonek, Świętokrzyskie, Koszyk, Zacisze.

==History==
There are archaeological traces of human settlement since the late [[Paleolithic]]. Early Slavonic settlements on Lech Hill and Maiden Hill are dated to the 8th century.<ref name="wilson">{{cite book |author1=Neil Wilson |author2=Tom Parkinson |author3=Richard Watkins |title=Poland |year=2005 |page=339 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=1-74059-522-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2LId4cLRMkoC&q=Gniezno+8th+century&pg=PA339 |format=[[Google Books]] |access-date=26 December 2010}} {{in lang|en}}</ref> At the beginning of the 10th century this was the site of several places sacred to the [[Slavic paganism|Slavic religion]]. The ducal stronghold was founded just before 940 on Lech Hill, and surrounded by some fortified suburbs and open settlements.

===Legend of Lech, Czech and Rus===
{{main|Lech, Czech, and Rus}}
According to the Polish version of a legend, three brothers went hunting together but each of them followed a different prey and eventually they all traveled in different directions. Rus went to the east, Čech headed to the west to settle on the [[Říp]] Mountain rising up from the Bohemian hilly countryside, while Lech traveled north. There, while hunting, he followed his arrow and suddenly found himself face-to-face with a fierce, white eagle guarding its nest from intruders. Seeing the eagle against the red of the setting sun, Lech took this as a good omen and decided to settle there. He named his [[Gord (Slavic settlement)|settlement]] Gniezno (from [[Polish language|Polish]] ''gniazdo'' – 'nest') in commemoration and adopted the [[Coat of Arms of Poland|White Eagle]] as his [[coat-of-arms]]. The white eagle remains a symbol of Poland to this day, and the colors of the eagle and the setting sun are depicted in Poland's coat of arms, as well as its flag, with a white stripe on top for the eagle, and a red stripe on the bottom for the sunset. According to ''[[Wielkopolska Chronicle]]'' (13th century), Slavs are descendants of [[Pan (prince)|Pan]], a [[Pannonia]]n prince. He had three sons – Lech (the youngest), Rus, and Čech (the oldest), who decided to settle west, north, and east.<ref>[[Czesław Łuczak]], Kazimierz Tymieniecki, ''Europa, Słowiańszczyzna, Polska.'' 1970. p. 296.</ref><ref>Brygida Kurbisówna, ''Studia nad Kroniką wielkopolską'', Poznańskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk, Poznań 1952.</ref><ref>Adam Fałowski, Bogdan Sendero, ''Biesiada słowiańska'', Universitas, Kraków 1992, p. 40.</ref><ref>''Kultura polski średniowiecznej XIV-XV w.'' pod red. B. Geremka, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Semper, Warszawa 1997, p. 651.</ref><ref>''Kronika wielkopolska'', wstęp i tłum. K. Abgarowicz, Warszawa 1965; UNIVERSITAS, Poznań 2010, {{ISBN|978-83-242-1275-0}}.</ref><ref>[http://www.litdok.de/cgi-bin/litdok?lang=pl&t_multi=x&v_0=PER&q_0=dalimil Kronika Dalimila] [in:] LitDok ''Europa Środkowo-Wschodnia'', Herder-Institut, Marburg.</ref>

===Cradle of the Polish state===
Around 940 Gniezno, being an important pagan cult center, became one of the main fortresses of the early Piast rulers, along with aforementioned fortresses at [[Giecz]], [[Kruszwica]], [[Poznań]], [[Kalisz]], [[Łęczyca]], [[Ostrów Lednicki]], [[Płock]], [[Włocławek]], and others. Archeological excavations on Lech Hill in 2010 discovered an 11th-century tomb by the foundations of St. George's church, near the remains of a pagan burial mound discovered earlier on the hill.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://moje-gniezno.pl/artykuly/czytaj/418/tajemnice-wzgorza-lecha.html |title=Tajemnice Wzgórza Lecha Gniezno - Moje Gniezno - Portal Informacyjny Gniezna |last=Szymański |first=Freelance Design - Marcin |website=moje-gniezno.pl |date=31 July 2010 |language=pl |access-date=2018-03-13}}</ref> Discoveries indicate that Lech Hill could have been the burial place of rulers even before the baptism of [[Mieszko I of Poland]]. After the adoption of Christianity by Mieszko I, his son [[Bolesław I the Brave]] deposited the remains of [[Saint Adalbert of Prague|Saint Adalbert]] in a church, newly built on the Hill, to underline Gniezno's importance as the religious centre and capital of his kingdom.

===Congress of Gniezno===
It is here that the [[Congress of Gniezno]] took place in the year 1000, during which [[Bolesław I of Poland|Bolesław I the Brave]], Duke of Poland, received [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto III]].<ref>Günther Stöckl: ''Die Geschichte der Slavenmission''. In: ''Die Kirche in ihrer Geschichte – Ein Handbuch'' (edited by Bernd Moeller). 2nd edition, vol. 2, Göttingen 1976, {{ISBN|3-525-52318-1}}, p. 91 (in German, [https://books.google.com/books?id=kdHPziYgqPoC&pg=PA91 limited online preview])</ref> The emperor and the Polish duke celebrated the foundation of the Polish ecclesiastical province (archbishopric) in Gniezno, along with newly established bishoprics in [[Kołobrzeg]] for [[Pomerania]]; [[Wrocław]] for [[Silesia]]; [[Kraków]] for [[Lesser Poland]]<ref name=gni>{{cite web |url=https://www.gniezno.eu/cms/20274/historia |title=Historia |website=Urząd Miejski w Gnieźnie |access-date=28 February 2020 |language=pl}}</ref> in addition to the bishopric in [[Poznań]] for western [[Greater Poland]], which was established in 968.

===Royal coronation site===
The 10th-century [[Gniezno Cathedral]] witnessed the royal coronations of Bolesław I in 1024 and his son [[Mieszko II Lambert]] in 1025.<ref name="wilson"/> The cities of Gniezno and nearby [[Poznań]] were captured, plundered and destroyed in 1038 by the [[Bohemia]]n duke [[Bretislav I]], which pushed the next Polish rulers to move the Polish capital to [[Kraków]].<ref name="wilson"/> The archepiscopal cathedral was reconstructed by the next ruler, [[Bolesław II the Generous]], who was crowned king here in 1076.

In the next centuries Gniezno evolved as a regional seat of the eastern part of Greater Poland, and in 1238 municipal autonomy was granted by the duke [[Władysław Odonic]]. Gniezno was again the coronation site in 1295 and 1300.

===Regional site of Greater Poland===
[[File:Gniezno old seal with CoA.jpg|upright|thumb|left|Medieval seal of Gniezno]]
After an administrative reform Gniezno, as a [[Royal city in Poland|royal city]], became a county seat within the [[Kalisz Voivodeship (1314–1793)|Kalisz Voivodeship]] (since the early 14th century till 1768). It was destroyed again by the [[Teutonic Knights]]' [[Polish-Teutonic War (1326–1332)|invasion in 1331]]. The city was soon rebuilt during the reign of King [[Casimir III the Great]], while during the reign of King [[Władysław II Jagiełło]], in 1419, the status of "the capital of Christianity in Poland" was confirmed after the archbishops of Gniezno were given the title of Primate of Poland.<ref name=gni/> Trade flourished in Gniezno, four large annual [[fair]]s took place, in which merchants from various Polish cities and European countries took part.<ref name=gni/> Crafts also developed, and Gniezno remained one of the major cities of Poland until the mid-17th century,<ref name=pwn/> even despite fires of 1515 and 1613.<ref name=gni/>

[[File:Wladyslaw IV zatwierdza poprzednie przywileje miasta Gniezna.jpg|thumb|King [[Władysław IV Vasa]] confirms the old [[privilege (law)|privileges]] of Gniezno, 1635]]
It was devastated during the [[Polish-Swedish wars|Swedish invasion wars]] of the 17th–18th centuries and by a plague in 1708–1710. All this caused depopulation and economic decline, but the city was soon revived during the 18th century to become the capital of the [[Gniezno Voivodeship]] within the larger [[Greater Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Greater Poland Province]] in 1768. Gniezno remained one of the main cultural centres of the Polish Kingdom.<ref name=gni/> The 11th Polish Infantry Regiment and 1st Polish National Cavalry Brigade were stationed there in 1790 and 1792, respectively.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gembarzewski|first=Bronisław|title=Rodowody pułków polskich i oddziałów równorzędnych od r. 1717 do r. 1831|year=1925|language=pl|publisher=Towarzystwo Wiedzy Wojskowej|location=Warszawa|pages=7, 29}}</ref>

===Late modern period===
[[File:Napoleon Orda, Gniezno. Kościół Franciszkanów.jpg|thumb|left|19th-century painting of Gniezno]]
Gniezno was annexed by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in the 1793 [[Second Partition of Poland]] and renamed ''Gnesen'', becoming part of the province of [[South Prussia]]. During the [[Kościuszko Uprising]], the Polish army under General [[Jan Henryk Dąbrowski]] liberated<ref>''25.9 wyzwolono Gniezno (on 25th 9 Gniezno was liberated)'' {{in lang|en}} {{cite book |author1=Marian B. Michalik |author2=Eugeniusz Duraczyński |title=Kronika powstań polskich 1794–1944 |year=1994 |page=44 |publisher="Kronika"-Marian B. Michalik |isbn=83-86079-02-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AAhpAAAAMAAJ&q=Gniezno}}</ref> the town on 22 August 1794 and defeated a [[Prussian Army]] north of Gnesen near Labischin ([[Łabiszyn]]) on 29 September 1794. But because of Kościuszko's defeat at the [[Battle of Maciejowice]] he gave up his plan to winter in Bromberg ([[Bydgoszcz]]) and moved through Thorn ([[Toruń]]) and retreated to central Poland. Thus, the Prussians retook it on 7 December 1794. During the [[Napoleonic Wars]] there was an [[Greater Poland Uprising (1806)|uprising]] against Prussian rule. The French appeared in Gnesen in November 1806, and following General Jan Henryk Dabrowski's order issued to all towns and cities and country property owners to provide recruits for the organizing Polish forces, Gnesen initially provided 60 recruits who participated in the battles of 1806–07.<ref>{{in lang|en}} {{cite book |author1=Marian B. Michalik |author2=Eugeniusz Duraczyński |title=Roczniki |year=1891 |page=44 |publisher=Poznańskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk ([[Poznań Society of Friends of Learning]]) |isbn=83-86079-02-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dFooAAAAYAAJ&q=Gniezno+60+rekrut%C3%B3w}}</ref> The 9th Polish Infantry Regiment was formed in Gniezno in 1806.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gembarzewski|first=Bronisław|title=Rodowody pułków polskich i oddziałów równorzędnych od r. 1717 do r. 1831|year=1925|language=pl|publisher=Towarzystwo Wiedzy Wojskowej|location=Warszawa|page=55}}</ref> Consequently, the town, once again as ''Gniezno'', was included within the [[Duchy of Warsaw]], but upon the defeat of Napoleon in Russia in 1812 it was occupied by the Russian army and was returned to Prussia in the 1815 [[Congress of Vienna]]. Gnesen was subsequently governed within [[Kreis Gnesen]] of the [[Grand Duchy of Posen]] and the later [[Province of Posen]]. It was an important centre of [[Resistance movements in partitioned Poland (1795–1918)|Polish resistance]] against [[Germanisation of Poles during the Partitions|Germanisation]] policies, various Polish organizations and publishing houses were located there.<ref name=pwn/> In 1857, Jews accounted for 27 percent of the population, which number decreased by emigration to more developed towns of Germany to 14.5 percent in 1871.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gniezno|series=The Yivo encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe|url=https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/gniezno|access-date=2023-10-23|website=yivoencyclopedia.org}}</ref>

In 1903, amid [[Września children strike|school strikes]] elsewhere in Prussian Poland, Prussian authorities arrested 50 Polish children and teachers in Gnesen on charges of high treason. They were accused of studying Polish culture and of "conspiring against the well-being of the Prussian State".<ref>{{Cite news |date=1903-08-30 |title=' ROUND ABOUT EUROPE |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/08/30/archives/-round-about-europe.html |access-date=2024-08-31 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Following the [[Greater Poland Uprising (1918–1919)]] and the [[Treaty of Versailles]] the town became part of the [[Second Polish Republic]] and reverted to its original name of Gniezno. 31 Polish insurgents from the city died in the Greater Poland Uprising.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Olszewski|first1=Wiesław|last2=Jastrząb|first2=Łukasz|year=2008|title=Lista strat Powstania Wielkopolskiego od 27.12.1918 r. do 8.03.1920 r.|language=pl|location=Koszalin|publisher=Wydawnictwo Uczelniane [[Koszalin University of Technology|Politechniki Koszalińskiej]]|page=62}}</ref> Its citizen-soldiers joined the Polish army fighting the Bolsheviks during the [[Polish–Soviet War]].<ref>{{in lang|en}} {{cite book |author=Marian Woźniak |title=Encyklopedia konspiracji wielkopolskiej: 1939–1945 (Encyclopedia of conspiracy in Greater Poland: 1939–1945) |year=1998 |publisher=Instytut Zachodni |isbn=83-85003-97-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nxFnAAAAMAAJ&q=Encyklopedia+konspiracji+Wielkopolskiej:+1939-1945}} multiple pages (individual biographies) e.g. p. 275</ref> The first Polish [[folk high school]] was established in the present-day district of [[Dalki, Gniezno|Dalki]] in 1921.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Maliszewski|first=Tomasz|year=2012|title=Dziewięćdziesięciolecie powstania uniwersytetu ludowego w Dalkach|magazine=Biuletyn Historii Wychowania|language=pl|publisher=[[Poznań Society of Friends of Learning|Poznańskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk]]|location=Poznań|issue=27|page=142|issn=1233-2224}}</ref>

===World War II===
[[File:Places murder of Poles by the Nazis, 11.1939, Gniezno, Dalki (2).JPG|thumb|Memorial at the site of a German execution of 24 Poles in November 1939 in the [[Dalki, Gniezno|Dalki]] district]]
During the [[invasion of Poland]], which started [[World War II]], Gniezno was captured by Germans troops on 11 September 1939. On 26 October 1939 it was annexed into [[Nazi Germany]] as part of [[Reichsgau Wartheland]]. During the [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|German occupation]], local Poles were subjected to arrests, [[Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany|expulsions]] and mass executions. The Germans murdered several hundred inhabitants, and more than 10,000 inhabitants of the city and county were expelled to the [[General Government]] in the more-eastern part of German-occupied Poland or imprisoned in [[Nazi concentration camps]].<ref name=pwn/> A transit camp for Poles expelled from the region was operated in the city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kostkiewicz|first=Janina|editor-last=Kostkiewicz|editor-first=Janina|year=2020|title=Zbrodnia bez kary... Eksterminacja i cierpienie polskich dzieci pod okupacją niemiecką (1939–1945)|language=pl|location=Kraków|publisher=[[Jagiellonian University|Uniwersytet Jagielloński]], [[Biblioteka Jagiellońska]]|page=60|chapter=Niemiecka polityka eksterminacji i germanizacji polskich dzieci w czasie II wojny światowej}}</ref> Kidnapped Polish 12-year-old children were enslaved as [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] in the city's vicinity.<ref>Kostkiewicz, p. 59</ref> In late 1940 at the [[Dziekanka]] (''Tiegenhof'' in German) psychiatric institute near Gniezno, 1172 patients were evacuated and then killed. Again in late 1940 hundreds of patients were gassed in [[Nazi gas van|gas van]] by the [[Rudolf Lange|Lange]] Commando, a sub-unit of [[Einsatzkommando|Einsatzkommando 2]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Friedlander |first=Henry |year=2000 |title=The Origins of Nazi Genocide: From Euthanasia to the Final Solution |publisher=Univ of North Carolina Press |isbn=080786160X |pages=137–9}}</ref> Despite this, Gniezno remained a center of [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish resistance]],<ref name=pwn/> including the ''Tajna Organizacja Narodowa'' (Secret National Organization), which was founded in the city itself.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Pietrowicz|first=Aleksandra|year=2011|title=Konspiracja wielkopolska 1939–1945|magazine=Biuletyn Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej|language=pl|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|issue=5–6 (126–127)|page=32|issn=1641-9561}}</ref> Its commander Maksymilian Sikorski was eventually imprisoned in concentration camps.<ref>Pietrowicz, p. 33</ref>

After the city was seized by the [[Red Army]] on January 21, 1945, the Soviets fought the Polish underground and [[Sybirak|deported]] its members deep into the [[Soviet Union]].<ref name=pwn/> The city itself was not seriously damaged during the war, however, in 1940, the Germans demolished the monument of King [[Bolesław I the Brave]], which was rebuilt after the war. The city was subsequently restored to Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the [[Fall of Communism]] in the 1980s.

===Post-war period===
[[File:Ioannes Paulus II, pilgrim to Poland, Gniezno, Tumska Street (1),1979.jpg|thumb|Gniezno during the visit of [[Pope John Paul II]] in 1979]]
In August 1980, employees of local factories joined the nationwide anti-communist strikes,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Zwiernik|first=Przemysław|year=2011|title=Opór społeczny i opozycja w epoce Gierka|magazine=Biuletyn Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej|language=pl|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|issue=5–6 (126–127)|page=131|issn=1641-9561}}</ref> which led to the foundation of the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] organization, which played a central role in the end of communist rule in Poland. In 1979 and 1997, [[Pope John Paul II]] visited Gniezno. During the second visit, celebrations took place on the millennial anniversary of the death of [[Adalbert of Prague|St. Adalbert]] with the participation of presidents of seven [[Central Europe]]an countries and 280,000 pilgrims from Poland and the world.<ref name=gni/> In 2000, the millennial anniversary of the [[Congress of Gniezno]] was celebrated and on this occasion the [[Sejm]] was held in Gniezno, the only one held outside of [[Warsaw]] in recent decades.

==Archbishops of Gniezno==
[[File:PL-Gnesen-Dom-4.jpg|thumb|right|View of [[Gniezno Cathedral|Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Adalbert]]. On the right side - church under the invocation of St. John the Baptist]]
{{main |archbishop of Gniezno}}

Gniezno's [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[archbishop]] is traditionally the [[Primate (bishop)|Primate]] of Poland (''Prymas Polski''). After the [[partitions of Poland]] the see was often combined with others, first with Poznań and then with [[Warsaw]]. In 1992 [[Pope John Paul II]] reorganized the Polish hierarchy and the city once again had a separate bishop. Cardinal [[Józef Glemp]], who had been archbishop of Gniezno and [[Archbishopric of Warsaw|Warsaw]] and retained Warsaw, was designated to remain Primate until his retirement, but afterward the Archbishop of Gniezno, at present [[Wojciech Polak]], would again be Primate of Poland.

==Royal coronations in Gniezno cathedral==
[[File:Widok Gniezna.jpg|thumb|right|Panorama of Gniezno. 19th century]]
* 25 December 1024 – [[Bolesław I of Poland|Bolesław I the Brave]]
* 25 December 1025 – [[Mieszko II of Poland|Mieszko II Lambert]] and his wife [[Richeza of Lotharingia]]
* 25 December 1076 – [[Bolesław II the Generous|Bolesław the Generous]] and his wife [[Wyszesława of Kiev]]
* 26 June 1295 – [[Przemysł II]] and his wife [[Margaret of Brandenburg]]
* August 1300 – [[Wenceslaus II of Bohemia]]

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations|align=left|1912|25339|1980|62400|1990|70400|1995|71000|2021|66769
}}
{{clear|left}}

==Sights==
[[File:Hnězdno, Tumska II.jpg|thumb|Gniezno Old Town]]
The landmarks of Gniezno include:
* [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[Gniezno Cathedral]], one of the historically most important Polish churches, designated a [[List of Historic Monuments (Poland)|Historic Monument]] of Poland;<ref name=ph/> the seat of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gniezno]], which is the oldest archdiocese of Poland, founded in 1000. It contains the [[Gniezno Doors]], one of the most important works of [[Romanesque art]] in Poland, as well as the coffin of [[Adalbert of Prague|Saint Adalbert of Prague]] 
* {{Interlanguage link|Gniezno Old Town|pl|Stare Miasto (Gniezno)}}, filled with historic townhouses, buildings and churches:
** Gothic-[[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] Holy Trinity church
** Gothic-Baroque Franciscan church and monastery
** Gothic Saint John the Baptist church
** Gothic Saint Lawrence church
** Baroque [[Church of St. George, Gniezno|Saint George church]]
** Gothic Saint Michael Archangel church
** Gothic Revival [[Church of Blessed Michał Kozal, Gniezno|Church of Blessed Michał Kozal]]
* Museum of the Origins of the Polish State (''[[:pl:Muzeum Początków Państwa Polskiego w Gnieźnie|Muzeum Początków Państwa Polskiego]]'')
* Museum of Archdiocese of Gniezno (''[[:pl:Muzeum Archidiecezjalne w Gnieźnie|Muzeum Archidiecezjalne w Gnieźnie]]'')
* Monument of King [[Bolesław I the Brave]]
* [[Gniezno locomotive depot]]

<gallery widths="135" heights="135">
File:Gniezno Cathedral door.jpg|[[Gniezno Doors]] in the [[Gniezno Cathedral|Cathedral]]
File:Catedral de Gniezno, Gniezno, Polonia, 2014-09-17, DD 25-27 HDR.jpg|Coffin of Adalbert of Prague in the Cathedral
File:Gniezno - rynek 03.JPG|Market Square (''[[:pl:Rynek w Gnieźnie|Rynek]]'')
File:Iglesia de la Sagrada Trinidad, Gniezno, Polonia, 2012-12-24, DD 01.jpg|Holy Trinity church
File:Kosciół Św Jana zima.jpg|Gothic Saint John the Baptist church in winter
File:Kościół św. Wawrzyńca I.jpg|Saint Lawrence church
File:Estatua de Boleslao I el Bravo, Gniezno, Polonia.jpg|Monument of King [[Bolesław I the Brave]] with the Cathedral in the background
File:Hnězdno, arcidiecézní archiv a muzeum.jpg|Museum of Archdiocese in Gniezno
File:Pałac Arcybiskupi w Gnieźnie.JPG|Episcopal palace of Primates of Poland
File:St George church in Gniezno.JPG|[[Church of St. George, Gniezno|Saint George's Church]]
</gallery>

==Education==
* [[Collegium Europaeum Gnesnense]] (part of [[Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań]])
* [[The Gniezno School of Humanism and Management - Millennium]] (''Gnieźnieńska Wyższa Szkoła Humanistyczno-Menedżerska Millennium'')
* [[The Primate's Major Seminary]] (''Prymasowskie Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne'')
* [[The State Vocational College in Gniezno]] (''Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa'')

==Arts and culture==
[[File:Theatre in Gniezno.April 2011.JPG|thumb|Aleksander Fredro Theatre]]
* [[Aleksander Fredro Theatre]] (Teatr im. A. Fredry)
* [[Museum of the Polish State Origins]] (Muzeum Początków Państwa Polskiego)
* [[Museum of Archdiocese in Gniezno|Museum of Archdiocese]] (Muzeum Archidiecezji Gnieźnieńskiej)

==Sports==
The city's most popular sports club is [[motorcycle speedway]] team [[Start Gniezno]]. The annual speedway [[Bolesław Chrobry Tournament]] is held in Gniezno. The city's main football club is [[Mieszko Gniezno]].
The [[E11 European long distance path]] for hikers passes through Gniezno.

==Notable people==
[[File:Buildings in Gniezno - sad rejonowy.JPG|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Regional Court (Poland)|Regional court]]]]
* [[Hermann Senator]] (1834–1911), German physician
* [[Jacob Caro]] (1836–1904), German historian
* [[Ludwik Ćwikliński]] (1853–1942), Polish classical philologist
* [[Felix Waldstein]] (1862–1943), German liberal politician
* [[Kurt Jahnke]] (1882–1950), German-American intelligence agent 
* [[Günther Pancke]] (1889–1973), German [[SS]] – General
* [[Heinz Reinefarth]] (1903–1979), German [[SS]] – General
* [[Alfons Flinik]] (1926–2003), Polish field hockey player
* [[Paweł Arndt]] (born 1954), Polish politician
* [[Arkadiusz Radomski]] (born 1977), Polish footballer
* [[Łukasz Cieślewicz]] (born 1987), Polish footballer
* [[Marika Popowicz-Drapała]] (born 1988), Polish Athlete
* [[Kacper Gomólski]] (born 1993), Polish speedway rider

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{see also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}
Gniezno is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref name=sister>{{cite web |title=International collaboration |url=http://gniezno.eu/strona32wqf435ge/content/view/1588/203/1/3/ |work=gmiezno.eu |publisher=Gniezno |access-date=3 May 2014}}</ref>

*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Anagni]], [[Italy]]
*{{flagicon|HUN}} [[Esztergom]], [[Hungary]]
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Falkenberg]], [[Sweden]]
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Saint-Malo]], [[France]]
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Speyer]], [[Germany]]
*{{flagicon|LTU}} [[Radviliškis]], [[Lithuania]]
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Uman]], [[Ukraine]]
*{{flagicon|NED}} [[Veendam]], [[Netherlands]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Zustersteden |url=http://www.veendam.nl/internet/zustersteden_3729/ |publisher=Veendam |access-date=3 May 2014 |archive-date=6 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906230207/https://www.veendam.nl/internet/zustersteden_3729/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Former twin towns:
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Sergiyev Posad]], [[Russia]]

In March 2022, Gniezno severed its ties with the Russian city of Sergiyev Posad as a response to the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.radioplus.pl/gniezno/gniezno-zrywa-umowe-partnerska-z-rosyjskim-miastem-siergijew-posad-aa-E8UF-gtyn-sP1Z.html |language=pl |title=Gniezno zrywa umowę partnerską z rosyjskim miastem Siergijev Posad |access-date =13 March 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Gniezno Cathedral]]
* [[History of Poland]]
* [[Adalbert of Prague]]
* [[Royal coronations in Poland|Royal coronations in Gniezno cathedral]]
* [[Gniezno Doors]]
* [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gniezno|Archdiocese of Gniezno]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gniezno}}
{{wikisourcecat|Gniezno}}
*{{wikivoyage inline|Gniezno}}
*[http://www.gniezno.home.pl/ Gniezno homepage] (English and German version also available), The official site of the Gniezno City's Administration, from which much of the above was taken and adapted.
*[http://www.powiat-gniezno.pl/ Gniezno Poviat] The official site of the [[Gniezno County]], (English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Russian version also available)
{{Clear}}
{{Historical capitals of Poland}}
{{Gniezno County}}
{{Gmina Gniezno}}
{{Cities of Poland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gniezno| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Cities and towns in Greater Poland Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Gniezno County]]
[[Category:Former capitals of Poland]]
[[Category:Populated lakeshore places in Poland]]
[[Category:Capitals of former nations]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Poland]]