When we at Poland In Your Pocket  talk about travelling with children, we regularly acknowledge the difficulties in balancing adult sightseeing with something that will keep the kids happy. Within Poland, every big city has more than a few options to keep the peace. However, once your trip moves out into the countryside, your options can quickly become scarce and negotiations can quickly break down. Fortunately for you, Greater Poland is a place of tangible history - the kind that is just there and doesn't have to be explained by a fading placard! Entertainment is a big part of bringing early Polish history back to live, which is why sites like Pobiedziska Stronghold are populated with historic reenactors and medieval technology for the kids to get their hands on! Other important locations, such as the old Polish capital of Gniezno , may seem like a rather dry history lesson for children, but, in actual fact, you will find the streets populated with statues of kings and rabbits, all combined with a mobile phone app to turn history into a sort of treasure hunt. Greater Poland is also in possession of a number of great miniature parks, including  Pobiedziska Miniature Open Air Museum ,  Park Makiet Mikroskala  and  Makieta Borówiec , the latter of which is one of the largest railway models in the country. If it's a dose of straight-up recreation that's needed, we have a remedy for that too: DELI Park , Lake Malta  and it's wonderful aquatic/spa centre are feasible options for parents looking to reward their children for their patience. The voivodeship of Greater Poland is also an ideal location for getting outdoors and active. For more on this, read our article: Outdoor Activities in Greater Poland .  

THE PIAST TRAIL WITH CHILDREN

The dawn of the Polish state dates back to the 10th century, when duke Mieszko I established his rule right here in Greater Poland! As a result, many of the oldest sights in the country can be visited in day trips from Poznań (Being based in a regional centre is also highly recommended!) and the local cultural institutions have done a great job making this history accessible to children! The Piast Trail as it's known kicks off in Pobiedziska with  the Piast Route Museum of Miniatures , found on the way to  Gniezno from Poznań, consists of miniature recreations of key landmarks throughout Greater Poland with a particular focus on the Piast cribs. In total, are 37 miniatures at a scale of 1:20, including Gniezno Cathedral , Rogalin Palace , Poznań Rynek  any many more. If you and the family have already been travelling throughout the region, a visit here is a great time to prompt your children's memories and give them a Godzilla complex! The exhibition is also complemented by a gallery of sculptures of the gods of Slavic mythology, which is a fascinating subject for all ages and perfect for you children and young families.
While you're in the area, you should ensure you visit the  Pobiedziska Stronghold , a reconstructed wooden fortress dating back to the early days of the Polish state. An exhibition of medieval siege weapons on a lifesize scale, an armoury, a shooting range with siege weapons and an area where enthusiasts can organize medieval-themed games and competitions, are available to visitors within the walls of this wonderful place. This is not a museum where 'DO NOT TOUCH' signs are hung everywhere and over-bearing floor staff scowl at you just for showing any small amount of enthusiasm. On the contrary, children are very much encouraged to get their hands on everything! Furthermore, there's always a cast of fun-and-friendly reenactors to help bring the place to life!

Heading south-east from the regional capital, the historic city of Kalisz offers a slightly different angle on the Piast trail, and one that children will find welcoming in its quaint size and appearance. Baszta Dorotka (ENG: Dorotka Tower) was named after a local legend of a girl who fell in love with a shoemaker and was subsequently imprisoned here by her local-bigwig daddy. Despite this sinister parable of entrapment, this little drum tower has become the home of much friendlier-sounding Center of Kalisz Fairy Tales and Legends! Here, four children's tales of Poland's medieval period, later immortalised in the works of local poet and author Eligiusz Kor-Walczak, are on display for younger generations to discover. 'Silent Frogs', 'Curse of St. Wojciech', “King and Matt” and 'Dorotka', the latter of which we've already mentioned, will be of great intrigue your children, whilst your own adult understanding of these tales may send a shiver down your spine!

Your adventure on the Piast trail would not be complete without a visit to Gniezno, the dynasty's stronghold lying just 50km west of Poznań that many consider to be Poland's legendary capital. Young families browsing the list of sights in Poland's first capital may be dissuaded by the abundance of churches and archaeological museums that can test the patience of young children. However, there is more to Gniezno than just dry ecclesiastical tourism. The Museum of the Origins of the Polish State does a great job of making early Piast history more accessible to children of school age, with plenty of bits and pieces to push and pull, as well as guides donning a helmet, sword and shield to make the experience all the more whacky! Out on the picturesque cobblestone streets, there are many more landmarks that help bring the history of Gniezno to life. Trakt Królewski (ENG: The Royal Trail) refers to the various monuments of Polish kings, specifically the first 5 of the Piast monarchs who were coronated here. Accompanying these fantastic statues you will also find a band of rabbits scattered around the place, taking on other historical characters, and a bunch of 'development models' of Gniezno, showing the layout of the city as it was in times past. All these landmarks have been incorporated into a fun mobile app called Królika Goń (ENG: Rabbit Chase) which you can download from the iOS App Store or Google Play.  For more on this, read our article: Gniezno with Kids!

 

POZNAŃ FOR KIDS

Most of you heading to this end of Poland will no doubt spend at least some time in  Poznań , the region's capital city, and options for young families are no less ample than in any other major centre in the country!  While the fantastical cobblestone streets, mythical statues and colourful burgher houses of Poznań's Old Town are like something straight out of a picture book, you can easily up the wow factor for your children by attending the midday donging of the Poznań Town Hall clock. Here, a display of mechanical goats bucking it out with each other is a must-see for young families during their visit. Foreigners may not know that  Poznań is famous around Poland for rogale świętomarcińskie  (ENG: St. Martin's Croissants), which are a croissant-like pastry filled with poppy seed that you can find in the city bakeries on November 11th every year. For the other 364 days in the calendar, you can visit the