WROCŁAW , POLAND

Firstly, the city is not pronounced as we would in English "Row-claw".

Instead, it is properly pronounced as "Vrotz-wav" ... a bit of a tongue twister but there you go. The Czechs and Germans who had control of the city in the past called it Vratislav and Breslau respectively.

Wrocław is a city in the southwestern part of Poland, located on the Odra River in the Silesian Lowlands and has a population of about 630,000, i.e. fourth largest in Poland. Its size is about 29,300 hectares compared to the Polish capital city, Warsaw's 51,700 hectares, and Prague's 49,300 hectares.

The Slavs settled here over a millennium ago and probably had a permanent settlement by the 10th century. It came under the rule of the Bohemia kingdom for much of the 10th century and is thought to have acquired it's name from the Bohemian duke, Vratislav I (i.e. father to Saint Wenceslas). However, the name could also have originated from a Polish ruler.

At the end of the 10th century, a Polish kingdom took over the city and thereafter there were many changes of hands - Polish (10th to 13th centuries), Silesian, Bohemian again (14th - 16th centuries), Hapsburgs (16th to 18th centuries), Prussian and German (18th century to 1945) and finally back to Polish rule after the end of World War II in 1945. In the 13th century, the city came under attacks by the Mongol hordes and the city was even completely abandoned during one of these attacks.

It is interesting to know that during the 200 years of Prussian-German rule, the city was effectively a German one, with very few Polish people. Towards the end of the second world war (WWII), it became a refuge for Germans fleeing from other areas in Germany - and in spite of largely avoiding widespread destruction for the most part of WWII, the city was the site of brutal fighting (Battle of Breslau) which ended in tremendous bloodshed and destruction of the city. 

Today, it is a bustling city (yes there is quite a lot of traffic congestion!), is an important commercial and cultural hub and also a centre of higher education that is teeming with students during the academic semesters.

My guide mentioned that I had picked a good period to visit the city as students had not yet returned from the semester break (July - September) but were about to - and the traffic would be considerably worse when they did. I had all of 4 hours to spend in this historic city, which allowed me to just barely scratch the surface, essentially its historic centre - but it was a washout two thirds of the time as it poured heavily. 

There are a few key areas of the city centre to visit if only on a short half or full day tour - the Old Town (Stare Miasto), University Quarter, Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski) and some distance away the Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia).

The first landmark I passed (but did not enter) was the Panorama Racławicka. Within the rotunda is a panoramic painting from the end of 19th century called "Panorama of the Battle of Racławice" and measures 15x114 metres. It seems to attract quite a tourist crowd.  Painting can be seen here. 

Old Town
The walking tour starts in Old Town at Świętego Mikołaja (street) or thereabouts. Before heading to the Market Square, a slight detour north of the square to meet several small ones and to see an unusual memorial. One quirky aspect of Wrocław is that you are liable to stumble on little bronze gnomes at about 300 locations (as at mid September 2014) across the city. Gnomes have long been in European folklore and, were also a symbol of protest against Communism in the 1980s. Those currently all over the city are not very old. The first and largest of the gnomes (Papa Krasnal, which I did not encounter) were introduced in 2001 - and the gnome population continues to grow. Below are the first few to spot on this detour.

Who is this fella? New gnome on the scene?

Mikołaj Ziółko (Herbie Nicholas) - at Świętego Mikołaja (street)

Chrapek (Snorer) - In front of Patio Hotel, Kiełbaśnicza street

Arcik Podróżnik (Explorer) - In front of Art Hotel, Kiełbaśnicza street

Nearby the Art Hotel turn into a picturesque lane called Jatki that now has souvenir and art stores. It used to have butchers' stalls where various types of meat were sold. Needless to say, this lane was once the scene of quite a bit of blood and gore. We would see a "Memorial" to these animals at the other end of the lane.  

ul.Jatki

Rzeźnik (Butcher) at ul. Jatki - second gnome introduced

Memorial to Slaughtered Animals


Right in front of the Memorial is a souvenir store - good place to pick uo postcards (no postage stamps available here), fridge magnets, a snowglobe and a hardcover book on the gnomes.

 

From the nesting places of gnomes and a memorial to farm animals, head back south to the Market Square (Rynek We Wrocławiu).

One of the largest markets in Europe, it has been around for 800 years. A very picturesque square, it has a block of buildings in the center, including the old town hall, which are surrounded by other buildings on all four sides, making it 60 buildings in all. At the turn of the 20th century, many of the buildings had been reconstructed in then contemporary architecture. However, suffering destruction or heavy damage during WWII, it was decided to rebuild them in the image of late 18th century Baroque or Classicist architecture, leaving us with the very pretty rows of buildings that we see today.

The standout building in the centre block on the square, and indeed in all of Old Town, is the Old Town Hall (Stary Ratusz). It took 250 years from the 13th to 16th centuries to complete this Gothic structure. Fortunately, the building escaped with only minor damage in WWII. 

The back or eastern side of the Old Town Hall is very distinctive with its colour scheme and many spires on the facade. Gothic structures in Poland are also distinctive in their use of red bricks rather than stone blocks.

 




It truly is a test of one's faculties trying to snap a decent photo, and holding an umbrella while the rain is pouring down buckets ...  

Today the Old Town Hall hosts music concerts, art exhibitions and other cultural events. In the basement is a restaurant Piwnica Świdnicka which has a cute pair of statues over the entrance.

There is a post office on the square and another gnome can be found within, and, there are others on the square including this trio in front of the Old Town Hall. 

 Trio of disabled gnomes - Głuchak (Deafie), Niewidomek (Blindie) and W-Skers

The above 3 gnomes were the last I would spot in the city. It would have been nice to see some of the female ones - Miss Delicious, Marcy, Clara, Bavarian ..... and the others such as warrior Olbinus (with sword), gnome holding fork with dumpling, a biker gnome and a pair of lovey-dovey gnomes.

Before leaving the square, we take a look at the 10 metre high structure in front of the eastern wing of the Old Town Hall, called a Pillory (Pręgierz in Polish) - a structure where various forms of punishment, including public execution, were meted to offenders/criminals in days gone by. This one is a replica of the 15th century original destroyed in the final days of WWII. It is now a favoured meeting place of residents of the city.

We move northwards along the street Więzienna, which means prison, and indeed there was a prison here, a Gothic building built in the 14th century and served its purpose until early in the 19th century. The building still exists and is a corner red brick building at the intersection of Nożownicza and Więzienna. Along Więzienna is yet another gnome, a forlorn looking one with a ball and chain. 

University Quarter

Directly north of the Old Town is the University Quarter, the location of the city's top university - University of Wrocław (Uniwersytet Wrocławski). 

It started out as a hush hush Jesuit academy in 1638 apparently with just 12 pupils (the town was Protestant at the time). By end of the 1600s, the student population had grown and shortly after in 1702, Leopold I the Hapsburg emperor, signed the foundation act thus the university was formed. Much of the University (70%) and Wrocław were badly damaged or destroyed during WWII. However, immediately after the war, a group of Polish scholars got together to organise a rebuilding of the university including these halls.

Since the early 20th century, the university has produced nine nobel prize winners. Its student population is over 40,000 and the entire student population in Wrocław is 130,000. We are obviously not here for the courses (somewhat limited choices for courses in English but very affordable tuition fees) but to have a look at the interior of several of the halls. 

The Aula Leopoldina named after Leopold I, founder of the university, is the main hall and was built in the second quarter of the 1700s. The ornate Baroque interior is covered with statues, stuccoes, frescoes and portraits - and the emperor is depicted as the central statue, above the podium. Unlike the rest of the university buildings, it miraculously suffered relatively little damage during WWII. This hall is functional and its use includes student inaugurations and graduation ceremonies and concert performances.

There is another hall/chamber in the university, which was destroyed in WWII but since reconstructed, worth visiting - the Oratory Marianum. It was reconstructed post war and is now used for functions and music performances. 

Also look out for a professor gnome and a naked swordsman on a fountain, on university grounds.

Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski)

The Odra river flows right through the heart of the city and not far from it lies the first permanent settlement, established over a millennium ago. In other words, Wrocław was born right here. This settlement is now the location of Cathedral Island which was an island but only until the early 19th century when land was reclaimed to link it with the mainland. 

The first church was built around 1000 by Boleslav I Chrabrý, who was the first Polish king and was for several years the ruler (duke) of Bohemia under the title Boleslav IV (he was linked on his maternal side to the first Bohemian dynasty the Přemyslids). Since that year, Cathedral Island has been the hub of religious activity in the city.

Given the name we would expect to see a large cluster of churches here, but in fact there are only seven. 

This part of tour was a complete washout!

The main one is Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (Archikatedra św. Jana Chrzciciela), also known as Wrocław Cathedral, which dominates the surrounding skyline with its over 90 metre twin towers. The cathedral is on the site of the first church built in 1000 under Bohemian rule. Since that first church, three others have been built at this site - the Wrocław cathedral being the fourth in the 13th century. Much of the cathedral was destroyed at the end of WWII but gradually rebuilt over the following decades. It is combination of Gothic and neo-Gothic style. A claim to fame is the 151 pipe organ built in 1913, once the largest in the world but now largest in Poland. Aesthetically, the cathedral is far more attractive illuminated at night than its daytime appearance. 

Apart from the churches, there are neat and well maintained secular buildings on Cathedral Island. It seems, the streets here are lit solely by gas lamps at night - a human lamplighter comes around each evening to give them 'life' and extinguishes them the next morning. Quaint. 

The other churches are also worth visiting - I had no chance owing to the heavy downpour and thus decided to end the trip here by returning to a meeting point for a ride to the only site in Wrocław to be included on the UNESCO list - the Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia). 

Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia)

The Centennial Hall lies about 3km east of Wrocław Cathedral. A concrete dome structure, it was built in 1913 when the city was under German rule to commemorate the centennial of the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig. It served as a multi-purpose recreational hall. UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 2006 and it is today used for sports events and concerts. There are other attractions nearby the Hala Stulecia including a fountain and Japanese garden. My photo of the hall (and indeed of the entire city) does not do it justice - see here for a good photo.  

The city of Wrocław deserves a full three to four days to explore all the main sights and for gnome hunting. A few hours is barely scratching the surface. The city also has numerous haunted spots - perhaps if you can find a tour guide who specialises in this side of the city, it may be worth going on such a tour for a few hours of suspense.

Polish appetisers and snacks

For sweet snacks, try the rolls and sweet dumplings. For savouries:  Golabki (cabbage roll), Pierogi (dumpling) and Krokiet (bread-crumbed and fried roll).