This elegant town serves as a gateway to the Wielkopolska National Park Long before the park was created, visitors from Poznań escaped to Puszczykowo for warm summer weekends, travelling by train or boat along the Warta River. Today, it is a model garden town, filled with stately villas, many of which date from the early 20th century.
Puszczykowo may lack spectacular attractions such as castles or churches lavishly adorned with gold and marble, yet it can captivate visitors for hours. Stroll along its shaded streets and avenues to admire numerous villas, many of them over 100 years old, featuring beautifully carved decorations, wrought-iron balconies, and wooden gables. One of these, Villa Mimoza, houses a tourist information centre. In the early 20th century, Swiss and Tyrolean architectural styles were very fashionable, influencing not only houses but also guesthouses. Two railway stations were also built in these styles. Still in operation, Puszczykowo railway station now houses a charming restaurant.
A particularly fascinating attraction is the Arkady Fiedler Literary Workshop Museum. The legendary travel writer lived in Puszczykowo, and his family home – still inhabited by successive generations of the Fiedler family – has been transformed into a museum filled with artefacts from his expeditions. It is surrounded by the Garden of Tolerance, featuring copies of statues from Easter Island and Aztec sculptures. Visitors can also see a full-scale replica of Columbus’s ship and a Hurricane fighter aircraft – the same type flown by Polish pilots described by Fiedler in his book Squadron 303.
