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What to see
Fragments of the pre-Romanesque and Romanesque cathedral: walls of rubble stone and pre-Romanesque column bases.
Remains of tombs, most probably of Poland's first rulers: Mieszko I and Bolesław the Brave.
The remains of a 10th-century basin, perhaps a baptismal font from which Mieszko I may have been baptised together with his subjects. According to another hypothesis the basin was used for mixing lime.
A lapidarium with fragments of tombstones, slabs and epitaphs, and the crypt in which the archbishops and auxiliary bishops of Poznań are buried.
At the entrance hang boards by Prof. Zofia Kurnatowska on the history of the cathedral and Ostrów Tumski, and a film is shown during the visit.
History of the discoveries
The main discoveries come from research carried out alongside the rebuilding of the cathedral (1946–1956). They revealed earlier phases of the church's construction, older than the Gothic.
Good to know
You buy a ticket at the tourist service point on the cathedral grounds or in the sacristy. The cathedral is a working church: it cannot be visited during Mass, services and concerts, and you are asked to dress modestly and keep quiet.
Besides the crypts you can climb the cathedral's viewing tower. More about the cathedral itself and Ostrów Tumski is on a separate page.
