We have lived here 18 years and passed the building where the Raczynski Library is but have never been in it. Today, I remedied that.
Count Edward Raczyński, (April 2, 1786 in Poznan– died January 20, 1845) in Zaniemysl) was a Polish conservative politician, protector of arts, founder of the Raczyński Library and the first aqueduct in Poznan, who also contributed to nature conservation in Rogalin (Oaks of Rogalin).
His son, Edward Raczynski(1891-1993), was a Polish aristocrat, diplomat, politician and the President of Poland in exile.
During the Second World War, the building was demolished with explosives by the Nazi German troops, and nearly all of the library's books (90%) were destroyed in the resulting fire, except for the special collections looted earlier by Nazi Germany. In 1953, the library was rebuilt according to the project by Janina Czarnecka. In 1994, the library was in possession of around 252,000 books.
Between 2010 and 2013, a new wing of the library was constructed, which helped to better display the library's collections. It was officially opened on 1 July 2013 and covers an area of 11,000 square meters and was co-financed by European Union funds.
Now, the interior is very modern. Upon entering, you have the option of going up or down. Good news is, if you are disabled, there is a chair lift to each floor.
Going down takes you to the cloakroom to leave your coat or bags with an attendant. There is also a community hangout area.
If you decide to go up, you will find a huge collection of books on different topics as well as a floor with computers you may use.
After that, I passed by a large old house that, for many years, was neglected and falling apart. Someone of corparation bought it, and now it's been completely renovated. I had to take pictures.
This house sits across from the monument. God, Honor, Fatherland (Bog, Honoru, Ojczyna). It is the motto of the Polish Army. It is dedicated to many soldiers who died for their country.
