Wielkopolska (Great Poland) lies in the western part of the country embracing nearly the whole of the Great Poland Lowland. The Warta river flows through the centre of the region and the Notec river through its northern part. The greatest assets of the region - well developed industry and agriculture are based on the work ethos of its inhabitants. The Wielkopolskie voivodship evokes the origins of the Polish state, starting with the tribal state of Polanie up to the period of the district disintegration of Poland. Apart from the city of Poznan, well known historical Wielkopolskie towns include: Kalisz - universally held to be Poland's oldest recorded town (Calisia - an ancient trading settlement on the amber route between the Baltic and Adriatic); and Gniezno, the first capital of Poland. Poznan has an important national airport servicing also international flights. A segment of the international route linking Berlin, Warsaw and Moscow runs through the central part of the voivodship. Poznan has a very convenient train connections with Berlin and Warsaw. Capital of the region is also a crossing point for national routes to Pila, Bydgoszcz, Konin, Kalisz, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Wroclaw, Zielona Gora and Gorzow Wielkopolski.
 
 
ECONOMY
 
      Well developed agriculture in the region was based on favourable climatic conditions, good soils and, first of all, on a very high level of farming culture. Wielkopolskie, called sometimes the granary of Poland, produces a considerable surplus of food, which is directed to the less developed areas of the country or exported. The voivodship is also leading in animal husbandry. Mineral assets of Wielkopolska include brown coal (Turek, Konin) and rock-salt deposits (Klodawa). High productivity of agriculture has been decisive in predominant position of food processing, in particular sugar and milling industries. Other main industries include power, metal-working, engineering, wood and furniture (Swarzedz, Jarocin, Wolsztyn). The region's most profitable companies are two firms with German capital - the major tobacco firm Reemtsma Polska S.A. in Jankowice (PLN 2.1 billion in revenue in 1997) and the car manufacturer Volkswagen Poznan Ltd in Poznan (PLN 1.8 billion in revenue in 1997). There are 227,000, mostly small and medium sized, businesses registered in the Wielkopolskie voivodship employing the total of 1,180,000 people. Out of this number, 6,000 companies (410,000 employees) belong to the public sector. The Wielkopolskie voivodship is one of the leading regions in terms of attractiveness for investors. In the 1990's, foreign experts decided that Poznan was one of the most attractive Central and East European cities for business people (ranked the fifth).
 
 
UNIVERSITIES
 
      The region's biggest university - the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan - has almost 30,000 students. The most important state run universities in the voivodship also include the Economic Academy (13,000 students), the Poznan Technical University (10,000) and the Agricultural Academy (9,000). Poznan students can also attend the Medical Academy, the Fine Arts Academy, the Musical Academy, the Physical Education Academy, the Papal Theological Faculty and the Stefan Czarniecki Military Academy. As far as private schools are concerned, there are eight of them in Poznan, one in Leszno and one in Pila.
 
 
TOURISM
 
      Wielkopolskie celebrates its past - it is here that the Polish state was born The Piast Trail is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the region. Besides, the voivodship offers numerous sites of historical interest from the less remote past: town halls, beautiful churches, charming old towns and museums. Apart from Poznan, the Kornik arboretum, the palace in Rogalin and the museum of miniature buildings in Pobiedziska are important tourist assets. The region enriches one's knowledge of Polish history and culture, providing an opportunity to enjoy its picturesque landscape.