Photos: Łukasz Kaliczak, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Łukasz Kaliczak, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Kaiser's castle
Your local guide
Michał Górski
View profile
Highlights
- A palace built for a German Kaiser
- Heavy early twentieth-century scale
- Halls that changed purpose repeatedly
- A building's story across one century
- A contrast with the older Royal Castle
About this tour
This session looks at the Imperial Castle, a heavy early twentieth-century palace built for the German Kaiser Wilhelm II. You see the facade's scale from outside and halls inside that have served several different purposes since. It is a building whose story says as much about the century as its architecture.
I start with a sound check outside the main facade, then move inside through a couple of the halls, explaining how the building's role has changed. Questions are welcome throughout, and I send a short note afterwards on its current use.
This suits anyone interested in twentieth-century political history or unusual architectural commissions. It also pairs well with the Royal Castle session for a contrast between two very different residences.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Poznan before heading out.
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The Imperial Facade 21 min
You see the heavy early twentieth-century facade the German Kaiser Wilhelm II commissioned, and I explain why it was built at this scale in a Polish city.
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A Building That Changed Purpose 21 min
Inside, the camera moves through halls that have served very different purposes since the Kaiser's time, and I explain how the building's role changed across the twentieth century.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Poznan: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: St Martin's croissant (rogal świętomarciński) and Ostrów Tumski, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Warsaw time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 8 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Poznan, showing you The Imperial Facade and A Building That Changed Purpose live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need any background in art?
No. The guide explains what matters as you go, whatever you already know or do not.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We connect on Google Meet and I send the link with your booking confirmation. I carry the phone through the halls myself, so you see them as I walk.
Times shown in Warsaw time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
Reviews
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Verified booking
Brilliant guide
Our guide knew every corner and the stories behind it. We learned more in two hours than in a week of reading.
How reviews work
Only travellers who booked and paid through Locals Guide and whose tour took place can leave a review, within 60 days of the tour. Every review is marked "Verified booking". We check reviews before they appear and publish positive and negative ones alike; we remove only reviews that break our rules (insults, personal data, unrelated content). Guides cannot pay for, edit or hide reviews, and ratings are the plain average of all published reviews.
Next: Tue 27 Oct · 8 seats left From 22,00 €
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