Art Nouveau Architecture in Poznan, Poland, Poznan, Poland

Art Nouveau means “new art” in French and it was indeed new, novel and groundbreaking at the turn of the 20th century.

It dominated not only architecture, but also other aesthetic fields such as furniture design, interior design, painting, jewellery and graphic design.

Art Nouveau had some variations and different names in different regions of Europe, like Jugendstil in Germany, Secession in Austria, Glasgow School in Scotland, Stile Liberty in Italy and Nieuwe Kunst in the Netherlands.

Art Nouveau buildings are easy to spot, thanks to their decorations, mostly floral or other organic nature motifs, rounded corners and wavy, fluid lines.

The use of flowers, leaves and whiplash curves was a response or a rebellion against 19th century industrialism.

They would normally have elegantly decorated railings and banisters and sometimes stained glass windows and stucco decorations.

You may find that in Poznan the decorations on the buildings are somewhat more modest than in other European cities like Prague, Barcelona or Paris.

On many of the Art Nouveau buildings in Poznan you’ll find the word “Salve” inscribed, usually about the door. It means hello or welcome in Latin. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).