Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game
The capital of the western Polish region of Wielkopolska created city rivals Lech, Warta and, of course, the Poznań. Lech are regular European competitors, their fans spreading the tradition of backward-facing communal bouncing as far afield as Manchester. Warta were founder members of the Polish league in 1927 but have spent most of the post-war era in the lower divisions.
Thanks to Warta’s recent four-season stint in the Ekstraklasa that ended in 2024, the Derby Poznania was briefly revived but the record books show only ten previous league meetings with the Railwaymen of Lech, in the late 1940s and early 1990s.
Created in 1920 in the southern suburb of Dębiec, Lech came under the patronage of the Railway Military Training authority in 1930. As Kolejowy Klub Sportowy Lech Poznań, they were later linked to the Railway Sports Club – an old locomotive bearing the club badge is a popular selfie spot outside the Stadion Poznań, completely rebuilt to co-host Euro 2012.
By then, Lech had picked up six of their current eight titles and taken on the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona and Juventus in Europe. The contrast with Warta – soon to sink to the fourth tier – couldn’t have been more stark.
This imbalance has meant that locals might watch both clubs in action, not something you would imagine happening in Kraków. Then again, this major metropolis of half a million people is proudly independent, after rising up against German rule to help establish Polish nationhood in the aftermath of World War I.
Halfway between Berlin and Warsaw, Poznań was an industrial hub built up by the Prussians, overlords of Wielkopolska in the 1800s and beyond. This dovetailed with the early development of football, also overseen by the German authorities.
Initially, in the early 1900s, while Poles were not encouraged to organise sport, German residents formed teams. Just as the local Polish Theatre flourished in opposition to Prussian repression, so in 1912 Poles expressed their national sentiment by setting up their own football team, Warta, named after the river that delineates the eastern edge of the historic centre.
The Germans had their own league, the Posen (‘Poznań’) division of the South Eastern German Football Association, featuring FC Britannia Posen, Deutscher SV Posen, Viktoria Posen and Union Posen. With key Polish players soon jumping ship to join Warta Poznań, so two more teams were formed to take part in the first Wielkopolska league of 1913.
Posnania and Warta met again in the subsequent edition, by which time social gatherings were extremely restricted, although occasional games did take place during World War I. With national independence in 1918, German forces were beaten back and, for the first time in over a century, the majority of residents could openly express Polish sentiments.
Football teams sprang up and a first country-wide tournament organised, Poznań flagship Warta taking on the top teams from Kraków, Warsaw, Łódź and Lwów, today Lviv in modern-day Ukraine, the cradle of the Polish game.
With goals from former Posnania striker, local hero Wawrzyniec Staliński, Warta pushed Pogoń Lwów close for the first full championship of 1922, going down 4-3 in play-off decider in Lviv. After a streamlined national league was organised in 1927, Staliński helped Warta win their solitary pre-war title of 1929, having just finished his international career with nearly as many goals as caps.
The foundations laid by brave Polish pioneers a decade before, football in the region swiftly grew in popularity, and talk soon turned to the need for a stadium. The first came about through coincidence and generosity, the Countess Franciszka Żółtowska donating land in Grodzisk Wielkopolski.
Other nobles followed suit, guided by patriotic intention to provide wood and materials for the multi-sports complex to be ready for opening on the anniversary of Polish independence, November 11, 1925.
Located 45km south-west of Poznań, this is where Warta now play their home games, sponsors Respect Energy happy to be associated with top-flight football when the stadium was renamed in 2023. Warta currently groundshare with a local bedfellow: phoenix club, Nasza Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski, in the sixth-tier Wielkopolski regional league.
By adding the first word ‘Our’ to the name of their revered if besmirched club, supporters are carrying on a heritage dating back to 1922. The original Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski spent decades in the lower divisions before gaining promotion to the top tier in 1999. The rise coincided with the club’s takeover by Zbigniew Drzymała, head of car-part manufacturer Groclin.
In the free-for-all economy of 1990s’ Poland, Drzymała poured money into the club. While attracting talent such as Sebastian Mila, whose angled free-kick helped knock Manchester City out of the UEFA Cup in 2003, Dyskobolia were surrounded by rumours of corruption.
Stripped of the Polish Cup in 2005, Grodzisk had also miraculously survived relegation following a strange string of results five years earlier. Forever attempting mergers with bigger clubs according to the whims of Drzymała’s business schemes, Dyskobolia folded in 2015-16, dropping out of the regional league.
On the plus side, Drzymała’s złotys financed the stadium’s modernisation in the later 1990s so that top clubs, as well as the national side, could set up training camps. Poland even played a full international here in 2005, although the crowd for the 1-1 draw with Belarus was even smaller than the 4,000 gathered for Grodzisk’s goalless second leg with Manchester City.
Before the modern era, international games in Poznań took place at the Stadion Edmunda Szyca, named after one of Warta’s original founders. Like in Grodzisk Wielkopolski, its construction was a high-level affair – in fact, a state occasion. Created to stage Poland’s National Exhibition of 1929, this multisports facility was opened in the presence of President Ignacy Mościcki but, structurally unsound, it had to be rebuilt a decade later.
Used as a place of execution during World War II, Warta’s home was further developed and expanded in the late 1950s, after which Lech also used it for key fixtures. A regular venue for Poland, too, it welcomed between 50,000-60,000 spectators for games against Hungary and Ireland. Scotland were the last foreign XI to play here, in 1980, the same year that Lech moved into their own stadium later rebuilt for Euro 2012.
Until then, the Railwaymen had been playing most games by the railway lines in their old stomping ground of Dębiec, south of Poznań. Today, both the former Lech stadium and Warta’s old home are overgrown relics, although an information board details the history of the Dębiec site in English and Polish. You’ll find it near the Wspólna tram stop.
Much as Lech had long left Warta in their wake, winning their first league crown in 1983, their new municipal ground, the Stadion Miejski soon overshadowed the Stadion Edmunda Szyca. Poland chose it to host vital qualifying games – England were visitors in 1991, Holland in 1993 – and Liverpool, Barcelona and Marseille all made European appearances at the stadium out towards the airport west of town.
Red Bull Salzburg provided the opposition when the arena reopened in September 2010, prior to witnessing Ireland’s defeats to Croatia and Italy at Euro 2012. Now going by the sponsored name of the ENEA Stadion until 2027, it holds nearly 43,000, the highest in the Ekstraklasa.
Closed in 1998, the Edmunda Szyca has lain fallow ever since, while cash-strapped Warta and the municipality debated what to do with it. The Greens moved over to the Droga Dębińska next door, a fenced-off tunnel behind it allowing a peek at its overgrown predecessor.
Initially just an adjacent training pitch, this modest ground gained banks of seating and a nickname, Ogródek, ‘Little Garden’. Despite its charm, it proved too little when Warta gained promotion the Ekstraklasa in 2020, hence the move to Grodzisk Wielkopolski. After relegation in 2024, despite talk of a return to the Droga Dębińska – the name refers to the street the 2,800-capacity Little Garden sits on – for the time being Warta remain 45km from Poznań.
Trains leave around every 1-2hrs from Poznań Główny main station for Grodzisk Wielkopolski (25zł/€6), journey time 1hr. The stadium is a 15min walk from the station, crossing under the tracks away from town and heading down Sienkiewicza.
For Warta’s Little Garden in Poznań, take one of several trams to AWF and walk 7-8mins down Droga Dębińska. Less frequent buses run to Bielniki closer to the ground.
The Derby Poznania has not only involved Lech and Warta. Another local team enjoyed a very brief spell in the limelight just as Communism fell in 1989: Olimpia. Established as a military sports club in 1945, the Blues played under the name of Gwardia (‘Guards’) until 1957. Ironically, the club reached its peak just as state support was about to collapse, though not before Olimpia finished a record fifth in the top division in 1990 and reached the cup semi-final a year later.
Soon drifting into regional football after a brief merger with Lechia Gdańsk, Olimpia folded in 2005. The Stadion Olimpii, aka Stadion Golęcin, at Warmińska 1 by Lake Rusałka north-west of town, also hosted the other great sporting passion in Poznań, speedway. The pitch alongside is where you might see junior teams in action, in the colours of Poznaniak Poznań, a football school formed in 2007.
Getting Around
Arriving in town and local transport
Poznań Ławica Airport is 5km (three miles) west of town, 3km (1.25 miles) north-west of the Stadion Poznań.
From outside Arrivals, bus 159 runs every 20mins to transport hub Rondo Kaponiera in town, then to Poznań Główny main train station, journey time 20-25mins. Tickets (6zł/€1.40, valid for 45mins) are sold from machines (cash/cards occasionally accepted) by stops (validate on board) and on most vehicles. There are also tickets for 15 mins (4zł/€0.90) and 24hrs (15zł/€3.40)
The PEKA travel app uses the tPurse system, allowing you to pay per stop. Trams run on the same ZTM network.
Poznań Główny is south-west of the city centre a 10min walk away. You’ll need public transport or a taxi to reach the Stadion Poznań way west of town. If Warta return to their little ground south of the city centre, it’s walkable.
You can pay by card with Taxi Poznań (+48 618 519 519) or has its own app – it should be 35zł/€8.25 from the airport to town, about half that to the stadium.
Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans
Tourist-friendly terrace spots on the pretty main square, Stary Rynek, include pub/steakhouse Whiskey in the Jar, contrasting with the idiosyncratic Columbus Pub and stylish brewpub/restaurant Brovaria.
Younger locals prefer places on and off Święty Marcin, such as the wonderful Cooliozum, a student-friendly drinkery which delivers its promise of being the best sports bar in Poznań, and Dřevný Kocůr, a contemporary Czech beerhouse featuring a garden and TV football.
Further along, within the Imperial Castle, The Dubliner operates evening-only as a long-established Irish pub with live music and occasional TV sport. There’s more focus on big-screen action at nine-screen SomePlace Else, just the other side of Rondo Kaponiera.
North of Stary Rynek on Wroniecka, the cosy Tanner’s Irish Pub schedules matches aplenty, and you’ll find craft beer galore at the Ministerstwo Browaru, as well as at the PRL PUB Poznań on Mokra and the 16-tap Piwna Stopa on Szewska.
Alongside, Rock Garaż throws in a few riffs and TV sport with its plentiful beer choice. Close by on Wożna, Deja Vu broadcasts match action on a huge screen in the bare-brick main bar, around which a complex of rooms provides a different kind of atmosphere in each. Pleasant terrace, too, and even nicer staff.
For something a little more alternative, Kultowa on Wrocławska gets very lively indeed once the shots and alt-rock tunes start kicking in.
Where to stay
The best hotels for the stadium and city centre
Visit Poznan* has tourist information but no details of hotels.
The nearest lodging to the Stadion Poznań five minutes away, the conference hotel IOR on ulica Węgorka comprises 68 standard rooms from 200zł/€47 a night. Across Grunwaldzka and almost as close, the Gromada on Babimojska is similar in scope and price.
To stay near the station, the Sheraton Poznan offers a heated pool and 24-hour gym along with five-star rooms. Close by on Roosevelta, the prominent Mercure Poznan Centrum has a sauna, gym and 228 rooms, while on Gajowa, the homely Gaja is an affordable mid-range option a short walk from the tram stop for the stadium.
Heading towards town on Święty Marcin, classy Spanish chain NH has its own spa and gym, diagonally opposite the towering three-star Altus Poznań Old Town, which provides its guests with a gym and panoramic views.
Close to the main square, the Palazzo Rosso dates back to 1453, more than half a millennium before the building was converted into a stylish boutique hotel. Round the corner on plac Kolegiacki, the namesake mid-range lodging echoes its heritage as a well-to-do merchant’s property from the Napoleonic era.
Distinctly modern, the prominent Novotel Poznań Centrum appeals to the business clientele with its meeting rooms, room service and car parking. Completely contemporary, the four-star PURO on Stawna combines comfort with creative design five minutes from the main square.
Where to SHOP
Shirts, gifts, souvenirs and merchandise
Get your Poland football tops and scarves at Pod Dwunastką (closed Sun) at Półwiejska 12, a suitably old-school shop in business since 1988. There are several official and not-so-official stores around the city centre solely purveying blue-and-white merchandise – see Lech Poznań for details.