Poznan University of Medical Sciences (Polish: Uniwersytet Medyczny im. Karola Marcinkowskiego w Poznaniu) is a prominent Polish medical university, located in the city of Poznań in western Poland. It traces its beginnings to the foundation of Poznań University in 1919, and was formed as a separate institution in 1950. It gained the status of university in 2007. Overview Poznan, the fifth largest city in Poland, is situated in the western part of the country on the Warta River. The region is called Wielkopolska (Great Poland). It is rich in lakes, woods and fields adorned with monuments uncovering over 1000 years of Polish history. 

Located at a crossroads for both road and railway networks, Poznan is halfway between Berlin and Warsaw. Both these capitals can be reached by a EuroCity train within three hours. With a population of over 600 000 inhabitants, not only is it a vital centre of Polish trade, culture, industry and agriculture, but also an exciting spot to visit for its own sake, fully deserving to be included in tourist itineraries. Economically, Poznan and the surrounding region is, by any standard, one of the best developed parts of the country. It is now undergoing fast economic growth, which can be attributed to the character of the local people, generally described as being hard-working and industrious. 

The city is proud of its International Fair, a major business venture, first launched in 1921. After Warsaw and Cracow, Poznan is the country's third academic centre with twelve institutions of higher learning and over 56 600 students. The city has several theatres, an opera house, an internationally recognized ballet company, a symphony orchestra and superb choirs. The centre of the city is very compact and within a short walk one can find all the most important institutions and places of interest. Of particular interest are the Old Market Square with its Renaissance Town Hall and the Ostrow Tumski island with its Gothic Cathedral. 

From the large number of museums, especially worth seeing are the Museum of Musical Instruments - one of the largest of its kind in Europe, the Museum of Decorative Arts and the National Museum with its gallery of painting. Although pollution is a growing problem, Poznan is very committed to a healthy environment and maintains green areas that cover more than one-fifth of the city. The region's moderate climate with low rainfall, favours outdoor recreation. On the very outskirts of the city there are four lakes (Kierskie, Strzeszyńskie, Malta and Rusalka) with adequate sporting and other facilities. 

The number of tennis courts, fitness clubs and horse riding centres is growing steadily. A large zoological garden is located in a beautiful park not far from the centre of the city. The region of Wielkopolska has many attractions for tourists - a national park, varied landscapes with forests and lakes, architectural monuments ranging from magnificent palaces and castles to humble village churches and windmills History The first Poznan academic school, known as the Lubransky Academy _was created in 1519. Four hundred years later, a university in Poznan, called the Piast University, was founded. Its name derived from the first Polish royal dynasty. The Pharmaceutical Department was formed in 1919 and a year later the Faculty of Medicine was founded within it. The Chair of Dentistry was created in 1929. The first Dean of the Faculty of Medicine was Professor Adam Wrzosek, a brilliant scholar and organizer of academic institutions. In the time between the two world wars, the level of instruction in medicine, pharmacy and dentistry at Poznan University was very high. 

With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 Poznan University was closed and remained so for the duration of the war. However, its professors did not cease teaching. In 1940 an underground University of Western Poland was formed in Warsaw. It comprised the Faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry. In 1941, the Polish School of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh was founded. Its first Dean was Professor Antoni Jurasz of Poznan University, an eminent surgeon. In the final months of the war, during the last battles for the city of Poznan, preparations were being made for the reopening of the University and teaching was resumed in April 1945. In 1950, the Medical Faculty with the division of Dentistry and the Faculty of Pharmacy were detached to form an independent school - the University of Medical Sciences in Poznan. 

In 1975, a new Faculty of Nursing and in 1979, the Division of Laboratory Medicine were founded. In 1984, The Polish Parliament (Sejm) conferred upon the University its name KAROL MARCINKOWSKI UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES in Poznan in memory of Doctor Marcinkowski (1800-1846), a distinguished Polish physician and patriot of the first half of the 19th century who became a symbol of the highest professional and moral values in medicine. In 1992, the Faculty of Medicine was divided, with Faculty I being responsible for the 6-year Polish M.D. Programme and Faculty II comprising the Divisions of Dentistry, Post Graduate Medical Education and Medicine and Dentistry with English as the teaching language.