POZNAN, Poland – Every November 11, Poland celebrates its liberation from Prussian, Russian, and Austrian occupation. But in Poznan, home to U.S. Army Garrison Poland and V Corps, the Feast of St. Martin takes center stage, with its namesake boulevard, Święty Marcin, becoming the heart of parades, festivities, and croissants.
Not just any croissant, though—the Rogale Świętomarciński, or St. Martin’s Croissant. Unlike its light, flaky French cousin, the Poznanian rogalik is a confectionary heavyweight. The average croissant weighs between a third to just over a half a pound, its puff pastry folded over 81 times and stuffed to the brim with a white poppy seed, raisin, and almond paste. It packs just over 1,000 calories—for those who care to count. In 2008, the EU designated the St. Martin’s Croissant as a geographically protected food, with a strict recipe that places it in the same category as French Bordeaux wine, Greek feta, and the Bavarian pretzel.
“The St. Martin’s Croissant makes the people of Poznan proud,” said Szymon Walter, co-founder of the Poznan Croissant Museum, who has shared the history of the pastry since 2014. “At least 300 tons of croissants are eaten every year.”
According to legend, in 1891, the priest at St. Martin’s Church asked his congregation to do something for the poor—just as the church’s saintly namesake had once donated half his Roman legion cloak to a beggar. A local baker named Józef Melzer then dreamt that Martin of Tours had ridden into Poznan on a white steed, but the horse had lost one of its golden horseshoes. Inspired, Melzer baked horseshoe-shaped croissants and donated them to the church and the poor. Another story places the croissant’s origin at least 30 years earlier, citing a mention in a local newspaper. Regardless, by the turn of the 20th century, it had become a Poznanian staple and tradition.
In Walter’s museum, located in a tenement building overlooking Poznan’s historic center, he uses the croissant as an edible vessel to share the city’s unique heritage. Patrons not only get hands-on experience with the pastry, but also a humorous lesson on the local dialect and front-row seats to watch the mechanical goats that butt heads every noon atop the Renaissance-style town hall.
Walter explained that while much of the country celebrates Independence Day, Poznan celebrates “croissant, not war.” He said that St. Martin’s Day is more about Poznan and Greater Poland’s regional and multicultural spirit than about Poland’s national identity. The annual parade is led by St. Martin in Roman garb, mounted on the same white horse seen in Melzer’s dream. Following him is an assortment of groups, including participants dressed as Bambergians—German 18th-century immigrants to Poznan and Walter’s own ancestors.
The croissant has survived two World Wars and even the renaming of Saint Martin’s Street during Poland’s communist era. Walter said this resilience speaks to the Poznanian spirit.
“On St. Martin’s Day, we’re out on the streets with family, buying croissants—it’s a day off for everyone,” Walter said.
And for those wondering, is there a special way to eat the St. Martin’s Croissant?
“Share it with a friend,” said Walter. “The St. Martin’s Day croissant was created out of charity for one another.”
| Date Taken: | 11.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.03.2025 07:13 |
| Story ID: | 488525 |
| Location: | PL |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Croissant, Not War: Poznan Celebrates Nov. 11 with Colorful Parades and Culinary Treats, by Marcus Fichtl, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
