When citizens of beautiful Kraków enthusiastically encourage you to visit Wrocław (vrots-wahf), you know you're onto something good. The city's gracious Old Town is a mix of Gothic and baroque styles, and its large student population ensures a healthy number of restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
Wrocław has been traded back and forth between various domains over the centuries, but began life around 1000 AD. History buffs may know the city better as Breslau, the name it had as part of Germany until the end of WWII. When the city went over to Polish hands after the war, Wrocław was a shell of its former self. Sensitive restoration has returned the historic centre to its old beauty.
The main draw is the city's magnificent market square, the Rynek, dotted at the centre by the old Town Hall (Stary Ratusz). Note the dignified red-brick Gothic churches that are sprinkled around the centre in all directions. These statuesque beauties survived the bombardment during WWII and wear their blackened, chipped facades with pride.
Museum of Bourgeois ArtMUSEUM
The unusual name here hides the main attraction: the Gothic interiors of the Old Town Hall. Look for the Great Hall (Sala Wielka) on the 1st floor, with carved decorations from the second half of the 15th century. Adjoining it is the Princes’ Room (Sala Książęca), which was built as a chapel in the mid-14th century.
Church of St ElizabethCHURCH
Just north of the Hansel and Gretel houses is this monumental Gothic brick church, with an 83m-high tower. You can climb the narrow stairwell with 300-plus steps to the top for a great view of Wrocław.
Church of St Mary MagdaleneCHURCH
One block east of the Rynek is this mighty Gothic red-brick building dating from the 14th century. Its showpiece is a copy of a Romanesque portal from around 1280 on the south wall, which originally adorned the Benedictine Abbey in Ołbin, but was moved here in 1546 after the abbey was demolished. You can climb the 72m-high tower and cross the so-called Penance Footbridge.
The original tympanum is on display in Wrocław’s National Museum.
Panorama of RacławiceMUSEUM
Wrocław’s pride and joy is this giant painting of the battle for Polish independence fought at Racławice on 4 April 1794 between the Polish army led by Tadeusz Kościuszko and Russian troops under General Alexander Tormasov. The Poles won but it was all for naught: months later the nationwide insurrection was crushed by the tsarist army. The canvas measures 15m by 114m, and is wrapped around the internal walls of a rotunda.
National MuseumMUSEUM
This treasure trove of fine art is 200m east of the Panorama of Racławice. Medieval stone sculpture is displayed on the ground floor; exhibits include the Romanesque tympanum from the portal of the Church of St Mary Magdalene, depicting the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and 14th-century sarcophagi from the Church of SS Vincent and James. There are also collections of Silesian paintings, ceramics, silverware and furnishings from the 16th to 19th centuries.
Cathedral of St John the BaptistCHURCH
The centrepiece of Cathedral Island, this three-aisled Gothic basilica was built between 1244 and 1590. Seriously damaged during WWII, it was reconstructed in its previous Gothic form, complete with dragon guttering. For once you don’t need strong legs to climb the 91m-high tower as there is a lift (elevator).
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