Brama Poznania

Brama Poznania is a modern interactive heritage centre that explains Ostrow Tumski, the river island where the Polish state and its church began in the 10th century. It opened in 2014 as Poland's first interpretation centre of its kind. Instead of display cases of objects, it uses film, sound and multimedia to walk you through a thousand years of history. The main building is a plain concrete cube on the Srodka bank, linked by a footbridge over the Cybina towards the island.

It gives context to everything else on Ostrow Tumski. See the exhibition first and the cathedral, the island and the old town read differently afterwards. It suits anyone who wants the story behind the stones, and it works well with children because the displays are interactive rather than static.

The permanent exhibition covers the beginnings of Poznan, the arrival of Christianity in 966, and the growth of the cathedral island. It is built from projections, models and soundscapes rather than original artefacts. The architecture is part of the visit. The concrete block is cut by a diagonal glass slit that frames a view towards Poznan Cathedral, and the footbridge across the Cybina joins the new building to the 19th century Cathedral Lock beside it.

Allow about ninety minutes for the full exhibition, more if you follow every film. Combined with a walk across the footbridge to the island and a look at the cathedral, it makes an easy half day.

The centre sits in the Srodka district, just east of Ostrow Tumski across the Cybina. Trams stop nearby, and it is a walk of roughly twenty minutes from the Stary Rynek through the cathedral island. For orientation across the city, see the Poznan guide.

Most of old Poznan is within a short walk:

• Poznan Cathedral and Ostrow Tumski, straight across the footbridge.
• Stary Rynek, the old market square, about twenty minutes west.
• The Srodka murals and cafes on the near side of the river.

Not in the usual sense. It is a heritage interpretation centre. It tells the story of Ostrow Tumski through multimedia rather than a collection of original objects, so expect film, models and sound rather than exhibits behind glass.

A footbridge over the Cybina connects the concrete building on the Srodka side to the Cathedral Lock beside Ostrow Tumski, so you can cross straight to the island after your visit.