Tour Overview
Visit the Old Town of Wroclaw and its fabulous Cathedral Island throughout a slow-paced stroll, expose yourself to the coherent urban planning of this marvellous medieval city. Discover the fascinating history of Wroclaw, whose multicultural heritage is a mix of Czech, Polish, Prussian-German, Silesian and Jewish influences, as represented by the picturesque variety of Gothic, Renainssance and Baroque components of Wroclaw urban fabric. Sip your coffee while people (or dwarf-) watching around one of the largest market squares of Europe.
Wroclaw is a city that used to be
known under a couple of names throughout its long history as an urban centre, with its establishment taking place in 1214. Be it
Breslau,
Brassel or
Vratislav (currently -
the promo name of "Wroclove"), it is still the same city at the bank of Odra river that is slowly regaining the fame it deserves as
an important tourist destination. This city in western Poland has recently been placed as one of
the 10 recommended places for a visit by prestigious Guardian and served as
one of the host cities during EURO 2012 tournament. In order to explore the old quarter of Wroclaw, at least 3 hours of spare time are needed for you to have.
During your trip, you will visit the historical core of Wroclaw, with
the Main Market Square as the very heart of the old part of the city. Occupying the space of 213 x 178 sq. metres, it is recognised as
one of the largest market squares of Europe. A number of cafes, artisan shops, galleries and museums operate at the ground floors of its coherent ring of
sumptuously decorated residential houses.
The Old Town Hall of Wroclaw is the hallmark of the square. Erected between the 13th and 16th centuries, it represents the trend of bourgeois Gothic architecture, adjoined by the 19th-century
New Town Hall, built under the Prussian administration. You will discover that
Plac Solny was highly popular with the merchants of Wroclaw and a prestigious place to have one's residential building erected at, seeing
St. Elizabeth's Church – a massive Gothic shrine of the 14th century - as still overwhelming the Old Town with its soaring bell tower. Once you walk westwards, you will come across a piece of Jewish heritage in the epicentre of Wroclaw:
the Jewish quarter and its
mystical White Stork Synagogue. With the route northwards adopted, you will find out where
the vibrant student culture of Wroclaw stems from:
Wroclaw University,
the alma mater to 10 Nobel Prize holders. The 18th-century building, stretching at the bank of the Oder, houses the inspirational Baroque masterpiece of
Aula Leopoldina. The quarter opens the gate to
most Wroclaw islets and islands. As you cross Tumski Bridge, you will enter
the Cathedral Island. The former
mysterious residence of old-Polish Piast dynasty now allows you to sightsee the marvellous
shrines of St. Giles (built ca. 1220),
Wroclaw Cathedral (1272) or
the Archbishop's Palace at one time.
Except for the most iconic landmarks of the Old Town of Wroclaw, visiting
the National Museum of Wroclaw or the one-of-its-kind
Panorama Raclawicka masterpiece of 360°panorama painting, sightseeing the Jatki arcade,
Slodowa Island, the Arsenal building or
Wroclaw Opera House, is still more than recommended. A lot of Wroclaw fabric was
left in ruins after
the Siege of Breslau of WWII. While the Polish city's administration managed to
meticulously restore the core part of the Old Town, pre-war Wroclaw is still endowed with a lot of nostalgia. The phenomenon is exemplified by the popularity of novels with
Eberhard Mock as a detective-protagonist solving the mysteries of Breslau in the interwar period.The Old Town of Wroclaw is also where
the famous "Orange Alternative" anti-communist movement would paint or place dwarves around to show how nonsense-filled the commie regime was. It is still possible to come across the remnants of the movement's activity there.
Interested in exploring the vast space of the Old Town of Wroclaw? Contact us to have your trip to the capital of Lower Silesia organised!
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