Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 kilometres (31
miles) east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piast
dynasty's chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources,
including the Dagome Iudex, as the capital of Piast Poland. Its Roman Catholic
archbishop, the Archbishop of Gniezno, is the Primate of Poland. These
historical facts make its position in Polish history similar to Esztergom, Canterbury
or Rheims.
Gniezno is located in the Greater Poland
Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Poznań Voivodeship. The city is the
