Święty Marcin Street has a very long history. Its origins date back to the 12th century. The area around St. Martin's Church was once a separate settlement located outside the medieval walled city of Poznań. The settlement was incorporated into Poznań in 1797, at the beginning of the Prussian rule. The street began to take shape soon after that and was named St. Martin Strasse in German.
The most significant changes took place at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Germans decided to create representative buildings along the so-called Berlin Road. At that time, the Imperial Castle, the Directorate of the Post Office, and the Credit Association building were constructed. These structures remain among the most important landmarks of Poznań today.
Later, during the Nazi occupation, the street was renamed Martin-Strasse. In the communist period, it became Ulica Armii Czerwonej, meaning "Red Army Street."
Święty Marcin Street is home to many significant sites, such as St. Martin's Church, the Academy of Music, Collegium Minus with the University Assembly Hall, Collegium Iuridicum, Collegium Historicum, the Poznań Crosses Monument, and the Muza cinema, which has been operating continuously since 1908.
Święty Marcin Street is also considered the very heart of Poznań.
