In Poznan at noon, a crowd of tourists gathers at the Old Market Square who want to enjoy the Poznan goats show. Precisely at 12:00 two metal goat figurines emerge from above the clock on the town hall tower and butt their horns 12 times.
The history of the Poznan goats dates back to the sixteenth century, when a new clock was ordered during the renovation of the town hall, which was equipped with a mechanism of goats. It was installed in 1551 and operated until 1675 when lightning struck the tower and damaged the mechanism. The goats returned to life in 1913, underwent some upgrades over the years, and the current mechanism has been working for 23 years.
Where does the tradition come from?
According to legend, when the Town Hall was rebuilt after the great fire of Poznan authorities decided to throw a big party. The cook was very busy, so he asked one of guards to look after one of the dishes. His name was Pietrek. The meat was heating very slowly, and the young man was very curious about the clock tower. He left the food over the fire for a while, and when he returned, he saw that the meat fell into the fire and was charred. The terrified boy ran to the meadow where the inhabitants’ animals were grazing. He grabbed two goats and took them to the kitchen, but the goats ran away to the town hall tower. They jumped on the ledge at the clock and began to butt horns, which greatly amused all guests. The story ends with the young man being forgiven for his culinary blunder and the stolen goats, and a clockmaker was commissioned to create a mechanism of butting goats as a memento.
Interesting fact – Golden Oldies radio announced a competition to name the goats, and so they were named: Pyrek and Tyrek (from pyr – potatoes and tyranny – hard work).
If you really want to pet a goat – especially kids, in Poznan there is such opportunity on Kolegiacki Square (located next to the Old Market Square). There are statues of goats – a symbol of Poznan.
The group of tourists accumulated in front of City Hall also attracted people who wanted to earn money from tourists. For example, one guy was dressed as a monk or beggar. Just after the goats show, another guy started the Super Tom show – a boy was showing off tricks with a basketball.
After seeing the goats we went to Poznan stories “Blubry 6D” – a place that tells stories about Poznan in an interesting way. Blubry word in Poznan’s dialect means: stories. Visiting will transport us back in time and challenge us with a three-dimensional maze. During the tour we will learn the legends of Poznan. Children got there glowing wristbands to be visible in darkness 🙂
