| Wroclaw Wrocław | ||
 | ||
Coat of arms and flag   | ||
| State | Poland | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Silesia | |
| Altitude | 111 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 293 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 643.782 (census 2020) | |
| Prefix tel | 48 71 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 50-041 - 54-612 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Wroclaw (Wrocław) is a city of the Poland, located in the historical region of Silesia.
To know
Wroclaw is one of the largest cultural and intellectual centers in Poland, with centuries of tradition. There are numerous theaters, museums, cinemas and art galleries. The city offers its residents and tourists a wide range of cultural activities - from classical music to projects in the field of modern art.
Wroclaw is the historical capital of Silesia and has changed domination several times over the centuries. The city was incorporated into the kingdoms of Poland, Bohemia, Prussia, and the Austrian and German empires. From 1945 the city became part of Poland once again.
The courses at the University of Wroclaw are attended by over 130,000 students, which makes it probably one of the Polish cities most geared towards satisfying youth trends and lifestyles. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the University of Wroclaw has produced as many as 9 Nobel Prize winners and is renowned for its high quality teaching.
In 2016 it was the European Capital of Culture and hosted the 2017 World Games.
When to go
Wroclaw is located in the temperate climate zone, furthermore it is subject to the influence of the oceanic climate and the continental climate. The city for much of the year is under the influence of polar air masses, coming from the Baltic Sea, and the continental polar ones. The annual average temperature is 9 ° C, the coldest month is January with an average of -4 ° C, while the hottest month is July with an average of 25 ° C.
Background
Wrocław was originally founded on the Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski). The first registered Polish ruler, Duke Mieszko I, brought the city, along with most of Silesia, to the Polish state. At the beginning of the first millennium it must have been a fairly large settlement, as it was chosen, together with Krakow and Kołobrzeg, as one of the three bishoprics of Piast Poland.
Between the 12th and 13th centuries, Wrocław was the capital of one of the Silesian Piast principalities. Like most of the settlements in southern Poland, Wroclaw was destroyed by the Tartars. The city center was rebuilt but on the opposite bank of the river.
Breslau prospered under the Bohemian administration (1335-1526).
The Habsburgs, who ruled the city for the next two centuries, showed little tolerance towards the Slavic communities and began a process of Germanization that continued under the Prussians, who took over the city in 1741.
Wroclaw took on a key role in defending the eastern borders of the 2nd and 3rd Reichs and was transformed into a military fortress. Besieged by the Red Army in February 1945, the Nazis managed to resist for more than two months. At the end of the conflict, 75% of the city was razed to the ground.
The post-war reconstruction was long and only in the 1980s did the urban population reach pre-war levels.
How to orient yourself
Wroclaw: full screen map.- 1 Market Square (Rynek). It forms the heart of the old city. It is one of the largest squares in Europe overlooked by interesting buildings from various eras but mostly in Gothic and Renaissance style. In the rooms on the ground floor, passing tourists gather.
How to get
By plane
- 2 Wroclaw-Nicolaus Copernicus Airport. The following airlines operate there:
- LOT - From Warsaw
- Lufthansa - From Frankfurt am Main, Munich
- Scandinavian Airlines - From Copenhagen
- Ryanair - From Brussels-Charleroi, Cork, Dublin, Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Leeds-Bradford, Liverpool, London-Stansted, Malta, Nottingham / East Midlands, Rome-Ciampino, Shannon, Treviso
- Wizz Air - From Doncaster / Sheffield, Dortmund, Eindhoven, London-Luton
The airport is served by two bus lines of the local transport company MPK Wrocław:
- Lines 106 (daytime) and 206 (nighttime) terminate at the main railway station
- Line 129 passes through the districts of Strachowice, Żerniki, Kuźniki, Gądów Mały, Popowice, Różanka, Karłowice, Poświętne and the northern part of the Psie Pole district. The journey takes approximately one hour.
- In December 2017, the Polbus-PKS bus lines inaugurated an express bus line called WRO Airport Express with terminus at the long-distance bus station. By 2021 this line was suspended.
- Also the Flixbus buses that operate on the route Szczecin-Zakopane they make stops at the airport.
- A taxi to the city center or the train station cost around 45-60 zł in 2016 when taken during the day.
By car
Wroclaw has a very well developed road network.
To the south runs the highway 
(part of the European road 
) which runs from the Polish-German border to the Polish-Ukrainian one, crossing all of southern Poland. The highway is 672 kilometers long and touches, among others, the cities of Opole, Krakow, Tarnów and Rzeszów. It also provides an easy connection to the German cities of Dresden, Leipzig, Magdeburg and, via the A18 motorway, with Berlin is Hamburg.
The freeway 
leads to Poznań, Bydgoszcz;
The freeway 
touches the cities of Oleśnica, Łódź, Warsaw, Białystok.
The state road 
provides a quick connection with Prague is Brno.
These arteries are connected to each other by the A8 ring road which forms a hemicycle around the city.
On the train
_Travelarz.jpg/220px-WK14_Wrocław_Główny_hol_kasowy_(6)_Travelarz.jpg)
- 3 Wroclaw Central Station (Wrocław Główny). it is the largest railway station in Poland for passenger traffic (21.2 million per year). Various types of trains pass through it, give it Intercity ai Polregio, come on Koleje Dolnośląskie ai Leo Express.
- In addition to direct connections with the Polish cities of Szczecin, Poznań and for Warsaw via the station Łódź-Fabryczna, you can avail regular international services with Berlin, Vienna, Prague is Budapest-Nyugati.
By bus
Adjacent to the train station is the long distance bus station. The terminus is located in the basement of the "Wroclavia" shopping center. Among the bus lines present PKS, Neobus, Flixbus, Sindbad and others.
How to get around
By public transport
Wroclaw's public bus transport system consists of 86 daily lines and 13 night lines. Most of the buses are operated by MPK Wrocław, with 759 vehicles on 89 city lines. There are also private operators such as: DLA Wrocław, which operates on urban and interurban routes, Polbus PKS Wrocław on interurban routes and Sevibus Wrocław.
What see
- 1 Town Hall. The town hall was built between 1327 and 1504. The tower, 66 m high, dates from the following century.
- The palace has a Gothic style on the eastern side while the opposite side reveals a Renaissance style.
- The central structure dates back to the 16th century and is surmounted by a triangular roof with pinnacles. The astronomical clock, which also shows the phases of the moon, was made in 1580.
- The southern side, dating from the early 16th century, is decorated with statues.
- The western side where the entrance to the civic art museum (Muzeum Sztuki Mieszczańskiej) is located is instead more austere, but refined by a baroque portal from 1615.
- The Gothic interior of the town hall is magnificent, especially the Great Hall (Wielka Room) on the 1st floor, with carved decorations from the second half of the 15th century. Adjacent is the Hall of Princes (Sala Książęca), built as a chapel in the mid-14th century. The halls house numerous exhibitions, including the Wrocławski Skarb Treasury with gold and silver pieces from the 16th to 19th centuries.
- In the basement of the building, there is Piwnica Świdnicka, one of the oldest restaurants in Europe.
- Hänsel and Gretel (Jaś and Małgosia).
- 2 Cathedral of Santa Maria Maddalena (Kościół Św. Magdaleny), Szewska and Laciarska. It is a 13th century Gothic church, currently dedicated to Catholic worship but on 21 October 1523 the first Lutheran mass in Wroclaw was held in the temple.
- During the Second World War the church was almost completely destroyed along with the famous sinner's bell, one of the largest in Silesia.
- The most valuable architectural feature is the 12th century Romanesque portal from a Benedictine monastery in Ołbin, which was demolished in the 16th century.
- The archway between the two towers is called Mostek Czarownic (Witches Bridge). Legend has it that the shadows visible on the bridge are the souls of girls who seduced men without wanting to marry, fearing the difficulties that married life entailed.
- 3 Church of Sant'Elisabetta (Bazylika św. Elżbiety Węgierskiej we Wrocławiu). Catholic church of the Franciscan order. It was built at the beginning of the 13th century and consecrated on November 19, 1257 to Sant'Elisabetta of Hungary.
- In the 14th century it was rebuilt in the Gothic style. The bell tower and its 130.5 meter high spire were last finished in 1457.
- The high spire of the tower was destroyed by lightning but was rebuilt between 1531 and 1535 in the Renaissance style, since then it has a height of 91.46 meters
- The interior, with three naves, has large dimensions.
- The baroque organ is from 1750.
- 4 Monument to the anonymous passerby (Przejście). a monument inaugurated on the night of 12-13 December 2005, consisting of fourteen life-size cast bronze human figures standing on either side of Świdnicka Street, at the point where it intersects with Piłsudskiego Street.
- It was created in 1977 for the needs of the television program "Vox Populi". Shortly after it was dismantled and for 28 years it remained in the National Museum of Wroclaw. The plaster figures became the model for the new bronze monument.
- 5 Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista.
- 6 University building and museum.
- 7 Panorama of Racławice.
- 8 Collegiate Church of Santa Croce.
- 9 Church of Our Lady on the Sand.
- 10 Church of the Holy Name of Jesus. The Jesuit church, considered a Baroque-Rococo masterpiece. It was built in 1690 on land donated to the order by Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg. The project of the church was entrusted to the Italian architect Teodoro Moretti who was inspired by the church of the Gesù in Rome. The much admired frescoes in the vaults were made between 1703 and 1706 and are the work of the Austrian painter Johann Michael Rottmayr.
- The chapel of San Francesco Saverio was decorated by Franz Joseph Mangold, former author of the university's Aula Leopoldina.
- 11 Synagogue of the White Stork (Synagoga Pod Białym Bocianem). From the 19th century, it is the only synagogue in Wroclaw to have survived the Holocaust. : The temple was rededicated in 2010 after several decades of renovation, and today is the religious and cultural center of the local Jewish community.
- 12 Botanical Garden.
- 13 Szczytnicki Park.
- 14 Italian military cemetery.
- 15 Zoo (Ogród Zoologiczny we Wrocławiu). The Wroclaw Zoo is the oldest in the Poland, having been founded in 1865. It is also the third largest zoo in the world in terms of the number of animal species on display.
- Inside there are the Africarium and the Oceanarium, spaces dedicated exclusively to African fauna.
- The gnomes of Wroclaw. For some years now, statuettes of gnomes have sprung up and continue to appear around the city. There are now more than 160 scattered throughout the center, impersonating trades and activities: there is the gnome who goes to the ATM, the one who washes clothes in the river, the one absorbed in reading in the university area, the one who sleeps outside a hotel. There is the chimney sweep, the prisoner and the one who drinks outside a tavern. They are nice and curious. It can be fun to organize a race to see who sees the most. For the lazy, the map is also on sale.
Museums
- 16 National Museum of Wroclaw (Muzeum Narodowe we Wrocławiu).
- 17 Municipal Museum of Wroclaw (Muzeum Miejskie Wrocławia).
- 18 Museum of the Lubomirski Princes (Muzeum Książąt Lubomirskich we Wrocławiu).
- 19 Natural History Museum of Wroclaw (Muzeum Przyrodnicze we Wrocławiu).
- 20 Wroclaw Geological Museum (Muzeum Geologiczne we Wrocławiu).
- 21 Wroclaw Mineralogy Museum (Muzeum Mineralogiczne we Wrocławiu).
- 22 Wroclaw Pharmaceutical Museum (Muzeum Farmacji we Wrocławiu).
- 23 Wrocław Post and Telecommunication Museum (Muzeum Poczty i Telekomunikacji we Wrocławiu).
- 24 Wroclaw Archbishopric Museum (Muzeum Archidiecezjalne we Wrocławiu).
- 25 Wroclaw University Museum (Muzeum Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego).
Events and parties
- Polonic Nova Music. Polish contemporary music festival, the first edition of which dates back to 1968.
- The festival program is mainly based on previews of works by Polish composers, presented by Polish and foreign artists. The festival is held every two years and includes, in addition to concerts, theatrical performances and the setting up of workshops for young musicians.
- Wrocław Non Stop.
What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Shows
- 1 Wroclaw Opera House (Opera Wrocławska), 35 Świdnicka.
- 2 Doll Theater (Teatr Lalek).
- 3 Polish Theater (Teatr Polski).
- 4 Contemporary Theater (Teatr Współczesny).
- 5 Room of the Centenary (Hala Stulecia or Hala Ludowa).
Where to eat
Moderate prices
- 1 Spiż - Microbrewery and Restaurant, Ratusz 2, ☎ 48 71 344 72 25.
Mon-Sun 12: 00-22: 00.
Mon-Sun 12: 00-22: 00.Average prices
- 2 Le Bistrot Parisien, ul. Nozownicza 1D (5 minutes walk from Rynek), ☎ 48 71 3410565. French kitchen.
- Pierożek, Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego 20.
- Amalfi, Więzienna Street.. Italian pizzeria.
High prices
- 3 Pod Papugami, Sukiennice 9a, ☎ 48 695 102 939. Mon-Sun 12: 00-19: 00.
Where stay
Moderate prices
- Hostel.pl. A low cost hosting chain in Poland. An offer for Wroclaw: University Residence located 15 minutes walk from the Market Square (Rynek Glowny) and 5 minutes walk from Ostrow Tumski Island. Single, double or triple rooms, toilets and showers. Ideal for small budgets.
Average prices
High prices
- Dzierżoniowska Gorge Castle, Gola Dzierżoniowska 21, 58-240 Niemcza, Lower Silesia (Uroczysko Siedmiu Stawów), ☎ 48 22 8434847. 50 km south of Wroclaw.
Safety
Wroclaw, like most of Poland, is a very safe city, but one should exercise the usual caution and keep guard of valuables especially around crowded places or places popular with tourists, such as the main train station or city square. (Rynek).
How to keep in touch
Around
- North
- 1 Trzebnica (25 km north) - Town famous for its ancient Cistercian abbey (opactwo cysterskie).
- 2 Lubiąż (52 km northwest of the center) - Village in whose immediate surroundings there is a Cistercian monastery (klasztor cysterskie) among the largest in Europe.
- southwest
- 3 Landscape Park of Mount Ślęża
- 4 Świdnica
- 5 Krzyżowa
- 26 Książ Castle.
