Poznań City Hall’s archive, photo. K. Fryś

Green areas with a wedge-and-ring greenery system account for 27% of the Poznań area.

Greenery resources

In 2017, in Poznań there were:

47 public parks (1 more than in 2016) with a total area of 344 ha
121 green squares (2 fewer) with a total area of 89 ha
estate greenery
forest areas used for recreation
zoological and didactic gardens
Poznań Palm House.

The public green areas also include:

municipal lawns with a total area of 317 ha
22 cemeteries
85 allotment gardens (increasingly more often open to all residents during the growing season)
street greenery.

Rataje Park

The continuation of the construction of the Rataje Park with an area of 13.8 ha and an additional biologically active area of 10.5 ha in 2019 is one of the most important investments carried out by the City as regards greenery. The park is being arranged on a previously neglected and disordered area that was partially unused.

In 2017, 216 trees and 2.5 thousand shrubs were planted and the city gained 3,800 m2 of new park alleys and 2,000 m2 of new bicycle paths. A fountain was also built and 45 benches, 22 bins and 3 bicycle stands, as well as pergolas, protective barriers and wooden deck chairs were fixed.

Stare Koryto Warty Park

In 2017, the construction of the Stare Koryto Warty Park was completed. In the park there are, among other attractions, an innovative playground with a sensory labyrinth, a trampoline, a climbing frame, a climbing wall and a zip-line. The total cost of the project was PLN 7.4 million.
Ongoing maintenance of green areas

The City of Poznań spent PLN 2.5 million on the implementation of 44 tasks relating to ongoing maintenance of green areas and 41 investment tasks carried out by auxiliary units. As part of particular programmes, the following measures were implemented:

“Renovation of parks in the city centre” – the modernisation of the paths in the Cytadela Park was continued, the stairs on the Przemysł’s Hill were repaired, 1.3 thousand shrubs were planted in the Górczyński Park and the closing barrier at Czartoria Street was reconstructed.
“Renewal of the Sołacki Park” – 400 trees were subjected to stand improvement
“Programme to save old trees which are valuable from the environmental and social perspective, and to plant new ones in the Poznań agglomeration” – a documentation relating to the monitoring of the development of the horse-chestnut leaf miner, a chestnut tree pest, was developed, along with an assessment of the effects of control methods used on the health condition of chestnut trees in the city; 400 trees were also subjected to stand improvement and hydrogels were introduced through soil into the roots of 303 trees in Wielkopolska Alley and Reymonta Street.
“Safe spaces” – green areas along Lotnicza, Żmudzka, Piątkowska/Szydowska, Juraszów streets were organized

The city also participated in the implementation of 15 residents’ projects relating to greenery as part of the Poznań Participatory Budget.

Municipal forests

In 2017, the area of municipal forests was 2,564 ha (3 ha more than in 2016). Forest recreational infrastructure includes 17 forest car parks and 85 recreational and leisure facilities in which outdoor events are held – in 2017, there were 165 such events (40 ones more than a year earlier).

Green areas administered by the Board for Municipal Green Areas:
municipal green areas with no regulated legal status – 22%
parks – 61%
green squares – 17%

The 2017 award in “The Best Developed Public Space in Wielkopolska” competition organised by the Association of Polish Urban Planners was granted to the City of Poznań for the implementation of the “Development of the Southern Part of the Old Warta Riverbed in Poznań” project.

Sites of natural value

The number and area of legally protected sites of natural value in Poznań is systematically growing. In 2017, a new natural monument was set up – a pedunculate oak named “Krzysztof”, growing at the intersection of Garczyńskiego and Prądzyńskiego Streets. Currently, there are 35 natural monuments in Poznań. The city established also within its area:

9 sites of ecological interest
2 wildlife reserves
1 protected landscape site
3 Natura 2000 sites.

In 2017, research was conducted and natural renewal was carried out for areas located in the eastern green wedge along the Cybina River. Protective measures in this respect were also specified. Information panels regarding nature protection were provided in the area of the “Łęgi Potoku Różany” (Różany Brook water meadows) site of ecological interest. Furthermore, 10 educational panels were fixed next to the water reservoirs to inform about the harmfulness of feeding wild birds.

According to statistical data, in 2017 there were 10 m² of green areas administered by the Board for Municipal Green Areas per resident.

Projects regarding municipal green areas implemented in 2017:

completion of the construction of a park in the old Warta riverbed – the total cost of the project – PLN 7.4 million
construction of the Rataje Park – PLN 4.1 million
renovation of the Wodziczki Park – PLN 3.5 million
modernisation of the park on the Czecha/Rusa estates – PLN 2.8 million
development of the Glinianki (clay pits) area – PLN 2.2 million
completion of the construction of the park in Heweliusza Street – PLN 2.2 million
revitalization of the Górczyński Park – PLN 1.4 million
renewal of the Wśród Narodów Świata Square – PLN 2 million.

Zoological Garden and the Poznań Palm House

In 2017, there was an increase in the number of visitors to the Zoological Garden (by 3.5%) and the Poznań Palm House (by 11%). The two facilities were visited in total by 586 thousand people (33 thousand more than in 2016). The Zoological Garden and the Poznań Palm House carried out numerous activities to make their offers more attractive.

In the palm house and the Wilson Park, 37 exhibitions and artistic events were organized, and as many as 593 events were held in the zoological garden. The collection of plants in the palm house was made more attractive by the introduction of e.g. macrozamia moorei or dipsis lasteliana specimens, which are of great botanical and exhibition value. As a result of modernisation works, the coolest pavilion was turned into an educational and recreational facility, where visitors can relax on extra seats and take part in didactic activities.
In the New Zoo, a sanctuary for sloth bears was started to be built to provide shelter for bears used by people for illegal purposes. The ponds were reconstructed and a wolf pit and an exhibition area for colobus monkeys and Nubian ibexes were built. Modernisation works in the pavilions were also carried out. In the Old Zoo, the interior of the old monkey house was rebuilt.

The Zoological Garden in Poznań participates in international bawean deer conservation projects and coordinates the breeding of the pygmy small loris as part of the European Endangered Species Program. The Poznań Zoo continued also initiatives aimed at the protection of the red panda and the Komodo dragon and ran numerous breeding programmes.

Allotment Gardens

In 2017, there were 85 Allotment Gardens (AG) in Poznań, i.e. one fewer than a year earlier. The number of plots in the AGs was 17.8 thousand, and their total area was 782 ha (819 ha a year earlier). Besides their other purposes, these areas help improve the city’s ecosystem and the quality of life of its residents.

Municipal cemeteries

The public green areas include also 22 cemeteries with a total area of 252 ha. The largest municipal cemeteries include Junikowo and Miłostowo (with a total area of 191 ha), where 3.6 thousand people were buried in 2017, including 1.5 thousand people buried in funeral urns. At the end of 2017, the number of vacant burial plots was 3.6 thousand. In 2017, the City took over direct administration of Poznań municipal cemeteries following the cancellation of a public tender for the selection of an external operator.