Later, lengthy wars, epidemics and natural catastrophes caused Śrem to decline, like many other towns in the Greater Poland region.

[2] During the German occupation, the Polish population was subjected to mass arrests, imprisonment, executions, expulsions, and deportations to Nazi concentration camps.

[3] The Einsatzgruppe VI carried out public executions of Poles from Śrem and nearby villages on 20 September and 20 October 1939, killing 20 and 19 people respectively, including former Polish insurgents of 1918–1919, local administration and court officials, merchants, and landowners.

[8] After the end of German occupation, the town was restored to Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the Fall of Communism in the 1980s.

In August 1980, employees of local factories joined the nationwide anti-communist strikes,[9] which led to the foundation of the Solidarity organization, which played a central role in the end of communist rule in Poland.

For attractions, promoters cite the scenery, palaces and manors with surrounding parks, domestic and religious architecture, as well as nature sanctuaries.

There are also monuments to notable people connected with Śrem, including Józef Wybicki and Piotr Wawrzyniak, and memorials to the Greater Poland uprising (1918–19) participants and the victims of World War II.

There are multiple sports facilities in Śrem: pitches, a stadium, a swimming pool, bowling alleys, gyms, and a yacht club with a landing stage on Lake Grzymisławskie.