Puszczykowo is situated 15 km to the South of the city of Poznań, the capital of the Wielkopolska Province, on the left bank of the Warta river. It occupies an area of 16.6 square km, 46 % of which is covered by forest.
The location close to the A2 international road (Berlin-Warsaw- Moscow) and on the Poznan- Wrocław rail route makes Puszczykowo attractive for visitors and provides connection to the European transport network.
The location of Puszczykowo in the area of the Poznan metropolitan area, at the Warta river, surrounded with forests of the Wielkopolski National Park, makes the town interesting for its inhabitants as well as visitors. Puszczykowo was already famous in the early 1920s. It was known among the citizens of Poznan as a very attractive place in which one could spend summer holidays, and eventually as a perfect place to build a residence and settle down.
Puszczykowo arose from four independent settlements: Old Puszczykowo, Puszczykowo, Puszczykówko, and Niwka. The oldest historical mentions of that location go back to 1380, but the first available map dates from 1882. Still, Puszczykowo received municipal rights as late as 1962!
The name Puszczykowo probably derives from Poszczuk, the first owner of the land. Nevertheless, people tend to believe that it is connected with the Polish name of "tawny owl" a bird living in the neighboring forests. The image of a tawny owl together with those of pine trees, the sun and a river have become the four elements of the town crest and seem to adequately describe the character of the town.
Puszczykowo in numbers (2006)
The area: 16.7 km2
Population: 8,957 (in thousand)
- population growth: +7
- pre-working age population: 1,692
- working age population: 5,830
- post-working age population: 1,435
Number of households: 2,320
Twin town: Châteaugiron, France
Education:
- three kindergartens
- two primary schools
- two middle schools (gimnazjum)
- one secondary school (under the district administration)
Health and social care:
- one hospital (under administration of the county)
- “Wielspin”, a rehabilitation centre with 40 hotel beds (rehabilitation and medical staff contracted from outside)
- about 220 families supported with social aid
Culture institutions and NGOs:
- a public library – with 26,517 volumes
- The social and culture community centre with seniors’, chess and bridge clubs etc.
- 20 various NGOs (including seven sports associations)
Sports and recreation and tourist attractions:
- one sports stadium
- two sports halls
- four sports fields (with football, volleyball and basketball grounds)
- five tennis courts
- five tourist routes throughout the Wielkopolski National Park for hiking
- one bicycle trail along the Warta river (about 8 km within the town area)
- The Museum of Arkady Fiedler, a famous writer and traveler who lived in Puszczykowo
Hotels and restaurants:
- eight hotels/ recreation centres with over 400 beds
- seven restaurants
Number of companies registered: 1,270 (143 /thousand inhabitants)
The structure of companies:
- trade: 460
- building: 176
- different services: 165
- health care: 83
- tailoring/dressmaking: 59
- transport: 53
- account offices: 37
- gastronomy: 31
Unemployment rate: approximately 7%
The city budget revenues in 2006: PLN 18,704,801:
- Subsidies from the National and County Governments: PLN 4,301,547 (including the subsidies for education: PLN 2,902,805)
- Participation in national taxes: PLN 8,209,364
- Local taxes and other own city revenues: PLN 4,788,420
The city budget expenditures in 2006: PLN 18,137,528:
- The current city expenditures: PLN 15,467,528
- Property expenditures: PLN 2,670,000
- The general reserve in budget: PLN 567,273
The National Park of Wielkopolska
(Wielkopolski Park Narodowy)
There are many lakes in the neighbourhood of Puszczykowo, within the Wielkopolski National Park. The most beautiful one is the Góreckie lake with the reserve of unique water birds. The residence in the picture above, located directly at the lake, houses the head office of the Wielkopolski National Park and the base for the Museum of Nature, which was moved here from Puszczykowo.
