Old Market Square, Poznań

Poznań Old Town Stare Miasto
Neighbourhood
Eastern part of the Main Square in the Poznań Old Town
Coordinates: 52°24′30″N 16°56′4″E / 52.40833°N 16.93444°E / 52.40833; 16.93444Coordinates: 52°24′30″N 16°56′4″E / 52.40833°N 16.93444°E / 52.40833; 16.93444
Country	Poland
City	Poznań

Poznań Old Town is the centermost neighbourhood of the city of Poznań in western Poland, covering the area of the once walled medieval city of Poznań. It is called Stare Miasto in Polish, although that name may also refer to the wider administrative district of Stare Miasto, which extends to most of the city centre and northern parts of the city.

The Old Town is centred on Stary Rynek, the Old Market Square where the historic Poznań Town Hall (Ratusz) stands. It represents the glory of Poznań, from its foundation in 1253. One of Town Hall's towers hosts 2 small billy goats, which are butting their heads everyday at noon. At the western end of the Old Town is the Przemysł Hill (Góra Przemysła) on which the King's castle once stood. The medieval Royal Castle in Poznań has been reconstructed between 2011 and 2016.

The city walls were taken down when the city expanded in the early 19th century, but the street layout of the Old Town still corresponds closely to that of the former protected city, with a grid of narrow streets. Surviving fragments of the walls, some of which have been further reconstructed, can be seen on Stawna Street, Ludgardy Street, next to Chopin Park in the south of the Old Market Square and best parts are on Masztalarska street in the north.

Poznań Old Town is listed as one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments (Pomnik historii), as designated November 28, 2008, along with other portions of the city's historic core. Its listing is maintained by the National Heritage Board of Poland.

The original settlement of Poznań was on the river island of Ostrów Tumski, and dates from at least the 9th century. The Old Town neighbourhood, however, corresponds to the city on the left bank of the Warta, to the west of Ostrów Tumski, which received its charter in 1253 (work on the Royal Castle, which would be at the western side of the ring of walls, began several years earlier).