Wroclaw

Wroclaw is one of these little towns in Europe with an architecture that impresses by its beauty and with a story even more incredible to tell. Situated beside the River Odra, it’s not far from cities like Prague, Krakow and Vienna and holds some similarities with them. In Wroclaw, you will find more bridges than anywhere in Central Europe (which made the city earn the title of “Venice of Poland”), a market square that only second in size to Krakow and a quite imposing cathedral. The history of Wroclaw has many tumultuous and dramatic events. Everything started in the 10th century on Ostrow Tumski (Cathedral Island) where Czechs founded the first town. Wroclaw then came under Polish rule. In 1000 it was already a quite large stronghold and the seat of a bishopric. After the Tatars invaded Poland, the town was moved to the left bank of the Odra River and rebuilt on a pattern that has survived to the present day. As it has already been part of the Polish, Czech, Austrian and German states, Wroclaw is the result of a unique cultural and historical heritage. After World War II, the communist authorities of Poland tried to ban the German past of the city in all its manifestations and promoted a historical view that Wrocław and the whole region of Silesia have always been part of Poland. After the Cold War and, as a result of better relationships between Germany and Poland, the current inhabitants of Wroclaw are discovering the history of their city and making contact with the former German inhabitants, who currently also visit the city for tourism purposes. Wroclaw is also an important cultural and academic centre of the region, with a large student community that animates the city’s nightlife. More and more people are discovering that Wrocław is one of the most exciting destinations in Poland with its upcoming coronation as 2016’s ‘European Capital of Culture’ and the fact that the city has successfully stewarded the Euro 2012 football championships. With a calendar full of cultural and sporting events, there are many reasons to visit the city!

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