Posen
Posen names 2 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Posen a province in eastern Europe which prior to the
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a province in eastern Europe which prior to the World War belonged to the German Empire, but which by the treaty of Versailles in 1919 Germany ceded to the new Polish state. Its area is 11,184 square miles and its estimated population is over two millions. Even before its cession to Poland the majority of its inhabitants were Poles and spoke the Polish language, in spite of the vigorous repressive measures adopted by the German Government. Almost seventy-five per cent. of the population belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Posen until 1793 formed a part of Poland; the treaty of Versailles merely restored it to its rightful owner. The population is engaged chiefly in agriculture, less than twenty-five per cent. being employed in the factories. The chief products are the grains, rye, wheat, oats, and barley. The principal industry is the manufacture of spirituous liquors.
Posen a fortified town formerly belonging to Prussia
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a fortified town formerly belonging to Prussia, now to Poland, capicap tal of the province of the same name and an archbishop's see, stands on the Warthe, 149 miles E. by S. of Berlin. It is surrounded by two lines of forts, is built with considerable regularity, has generally fine wide streets, and numerous squares or open spaces. The most noteworthy public buildings are the cathedral, in the Gothic style (1775), the town parish church, a fine building in the Italian style, both Roman Catholic; the town house (1508), with a lofty tower; the Raczynski Library; the municipal archive building, etc. The manufac tures consist chiefly of agricultural ma chines, manures, woolen and linen tis sues, carriages, leather, lacquerware, etc. There are also breweries and distilleries. Pop. about 175,000.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's wrote in 1921 with the ink barely dry on the Treaty of Versailles, and the German name Posen has since given way entirely to the Polish Poznań. The city was seized by Germany again in 1939 and made capital of the Reichsgau Wartheland; it was wrecked in a month-long siege in early 1945, after which the remaining German population left or was expelled. In June 1956 Poznań workers rose against the communist government and were put down by the army with dozens of deaths, an event now commemorated by a monument in the city. The town of "about 175,000" is now a city of roughly half a million, and the Gothic cathedral Collier's dated to 1775 is understood as a much older foundation, rebuilt after 1945 in Romanesque-Gothic form.
Written for this edition, 2026.