Wrocław
This is a city with a particularly enticing storyline: through the course of history it has gone under five names, been passed between four countries and seen the naughty end of both fascism and communism. You may know Wrocław under its old German name, Breslau, especially if you are one of the German nostalgia tourists who has come to seek their roots. The Polish name Wrocław actually predates the German name, and is thought to have been derived from the name of the Czech sovereign Vratislav. Only sixty years ago the city was a smoking ruin, flattened during one of the most savage sieges in modern history. Yet the local government have shown an aggressive desire to return the city to its pre-war heyday, and an extensive program of restoration and regeneration have seen the town emerge as Poland’s most exciting city. Now Wrocław is one of the most engaging towns in Central Europe, and it’s not rare to find it compared to a condensed version of Prague. Now Gothic spires soar into the skyline and only three other European cities can boast more bridges. Dominated by canals and twisting cobbled streets Wrocław stands out as one of the undisputed highlights of Poland. Having absorbed Bohemian, Austrian and Prussian influences, the city has a unique architectural and cultural make-up, best seen in its magnificent market square. Wrocław’s location on the Odra River, with its 12 islands, 130 bridges and riverside parks, is idyllic, and the beautifully preserved ecclesiastical district is a treat for lovers of Gothic architecture.Fans of Wrocław are in good company. Pablo Picasso said he found the postwar reconstruction of the city a powerful inspiration on a visit in 1948, and the British historians Norman Davies and Roger Moorhouse used Wrocław as the model for their highly readable Microcosm: A Portrait of a Central European City (2003).
This is primarily a university town, and some 10% of the population pretend to study at some institute or other. The student body add a defiantly youthful streak to the city, and the blooming cultural scene and nightlife are direct results. The city also has an Eastern flavour. With the German population expelled in 1945, and Poland’s borders shifted westwards, post-war Wrocław was repopulated with citizens from what is now the Ukrainian city of Lviv (formally Polish Lwów). The tens of thousands of migrants who arrived from the east not only changed the ethnic make-up of the city, but also its cultural life. Treasures taken from Lwów and moved to Wrocław include the Fredro statue in the main square, the library collection from the Ossolinski Institute, and the epic painting the Racławice Panorama.
But Wrocław is not just a pretty face. It is Poland’s fourth-largest city and the major industrial, commercial and educational centre for the region; virtually everything in southwestern Poland starts, finishes or is taking place in Wrocław.
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Facts&Figures about Wrocław Voivodeship : Lower Silesian Established : 12th century City rights : 1262 Area Code : 071 Time zone : GMT/UTC + 1 ATMs : Widespread Population : 689,280 Website : www.wroclaw.pl Famous for : Ostrów Tumski with Wrocław Cathedral ( Cathedral Island ) , Racławice Panorama, Wrocław University, Piast brewery |
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