Parthemores in Poland

There was plenty of excitement in Poznań on Saturday evening.  It was national Museum Night, when all of the museums are open until 1 a.m., as well as being free.  Since Poznań has a ton of different museums, this is a good chance to check them out.  It is always crowded, with lots of museum-goers as well as several historical re-enactors.  Here I am with two soldiers at the Wielkopolska Uprising Museum:

You may notice the scarf…this year Museum Night happened to coincide with the final game of the Polish Soccer League season.  With a 1-point lead going into the game (the rules are weird, just trust me), Lech Poznań clinched the Polish League Cup after defeating whatever non-important team they were playing. 

This photo (from one of the local newspapers) was taken at the game, which was fortunately at home.  When we went to a game last year, we noticed that everyone got patted down before entering the stadium.  I’m assuming they were checking for weapons, but maybe it was for beer.  Apparently flares are OK though. 

We enjoyed watching the game at a local bar and then we headed to the square to see what was going on.

Even a few minutes after the finish, people were already gathering en masse and climbing on the fountains. 

This photo (again from the newspaper) is from the main drag into town.  I think everybody from the stadium walked to the square, which is over three miles away.  Other fans converged as well.  The result?

(Not my photo – I left my 200ft tripod at home that night.)

A jam packed Rynek!

The team arrived on a double-decker bus, which was covered in banners from the stadium. 

Amazingly, amidst all the craziness, we were able to link up with our friends Teresa and Sławek. 

The crowd was unbelievable and the square was completely filled with blue and white clad people in varying degrees of sobriety.  The team’s official store made a small fortune selling their official T-shirts and scarves that said “2009/2010 Mistrz Polski.”  The last time Lech Poznań won the championship was 1993, so you can imagine the fervor. 

We’re not sure if the soccer fans soaked up any culture at Museum Night, but here’s hoping. 

(photos of stadium, street, and town hall from Głos Wielkopolski)