St Martin’s Croissant Museum in Poznan – taste urban history

The sweet cake of characteristic shape and aromatic white poppy seed filling has been the symbol of the capital of Wielkopolska for 150 years. Poznanians decided to honour their famed local delicacy, and create a museum, which will tell the story of the St. Martin’s Croissant and its significance for the culture of the region. The museum is also about keeping the most interesting and important of Poznan traditions alive. The education it offers will be of the best kind – fun and sweet. Families can bake cakes together and learn about the most important aspects of urban heritage: the history, the specificity, the symbolism. The Museum is another sweet cultural institution to open in Poland, after the Gingerbread Museum in Torun. 

During the visit to the museum you will be taking part in the process of baking the sweet symbol of Poznan – the St. Martin’s Croissant, which has been reigning over the city’s bakeries for over 150 years and has been granted the status of Protected Geographical Indication. It can only be made in Wielkopolska, according to a strict recipe. A visit in the Museum offers the possibility of discovering the history of the cake and listening to the legends connected with it. The Master Baker will reveal Poznan’s biggest secret of – the recipe and the ingredients that make the St. Martin’s Croissant. Using the traditional baking utensils, you will be able to make your own famous cake, and then eat as many as you like. The sweet lesson is accompanied by Wuj Biniu’s tales about the Poznan dialect: find out what are „młodzie”, „szplin”, or „mieć fifa”.  You can also read the Internet site of the museum translated into the Poznan dialect. The visit to the museum also includes an animated history of Poznan and a multimedia presentation about what the city prides on. The screenings last 45 minutes and take place several times a day. Up to 25 people can take part. Apprentice’s certificates have been prepared for organised groups.

The 500-year-old tenement house where the museum is located is an attraction in itself. It is one of the oldest preserved buildings on the city’s Old Square. The Renaissance interior retained its original wooden ceilings with a polyhromies, its wall paintings and a curious find: a tiny Renaissance shoe. The windows offer one of the best views of Poznan Goats. During special goat and croissant presentations you can also find out about the goats and see them in action at noon. You get binoculars at your disposal to make sure you don’t miss anything. The presentations start at 11.10 and last 50 minutes.

A normal ticket to the croissant presentations costs PLN 14, a reduced one for children aged form 3 to 16 is PLN 12. The croissant and goat presentation costs respectively PLN 16 and PLN 14. You can get the tickets 10 minutes before the presentation. There is a promotion on to celebrate the opening until the end of April: every ticket costs PLN 10. The museum is located on the first floor of a tenement house on Stary Rynek 41, entrance from Klasztorna 23. A living centre of Poznan traditions, customs and culture, the museum allows the visitors to discover the city’s specificity, its inhabitants as well as the history, the symbols and the dialect.