Old Town
more
The Opera in Wroclaw has a tradition dating back to the first half of 17th century. An impressive neoclassical portico adorns the front of Wroclaw's Opera House, which is a testament to the city's cultural importance both today and in its previous incarnation as the German town of Breslau. Indeed it was under German jurisdiction that Carl Ferdinand Langhans drew up the blueprints of this bastion of the arts, completed in 1841.[Old Town]
more
Measuring in at a whopping 1000m squared, Awangarda is the biggest of the BWA galleries, a triumvirate of spaces dedicated to contemporary art (the other three being the Glass and Ceramics Gallery, Studio BWA and the Design Gallery).[Old Town]
more
The Four Temples District proves that Wroclaw is a truly multi-religious city. Within the radius of only a few hundred meters, you will find here churches that belong to four religious communities: Roman-Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical-Augsburg and Jewish.[Old Town]
more
The massive Gothic affair located just south of the Old Town is the Franciscan Church of SS Stanislaw, Wenceslas and Dorothy, founded in 1351 to commemorate the meeting between Polish King Kazimierz III Wielki (Casimir III the Great) and his Bohemian counterpart, Charles IV, at which they agreed to leave Silesia in Bohemia’s hands.[Old Town]
more
Royal Palace (The Wroclaw Palace), formerly the Palace of Prussian kings is currently the Wroclaw City Museum. The baroque building of The City Museum of Wroclaw was built in 1719. In those days it used to be lords and magnates residence. Over the centuries it was rebuilt many times. There were added some extensions such as south-west (later destroyed) and south.[Old Town]
more
A 16th-century former Bernardine church and monastery contains the Museum of Architecture. The inherent problem with any museum of architecture is that you can't really exhibit architecture. Anyway this is a decent enough place with a permanent collection of stained glass windows and stoves, and temporary exhibitions in both architecture and photography, which are more often than not worth popping in for.[Old Town]
more
The Kameleon Store (Dom Handlowy Kameleon) is an unusual building on the corner of Szewska Street and Olawska Street. It's semicircular bay, formed of rows of windows, just out dramatically. It was built by the German architect Erich Mendelsohn as a retail store for Rudolf Petersdorf in 1927-1928.[Old Town]
more
Maria Konopnicka, Polish writer for children and youth, was right when she wrote: “Whether you wish it or not, there are dwarfs in the world.” Take a stroll down the old city and you will notice, here and there, these strange little inhabitants straight from the world of fairy tales. Wroclaw residents are proud that it is there city where human-shy dwarfs have finally decided to come out from underground and show themselves to our human reality.[Old Town]
more
The great Gothic Cathedral of St Mary Magdalene (Katedra Sw. Marii Magdaleny) was erected between about 1330 and the mid-15th century, incorporating the walls of a 13th-century church that had previously stood in the site. Cathedral of St Mary Magdalene is located between Szewska and Laciarska street, close to the central market square.[Old Town]
more
The Salt Square (Plac Solny) dates back to the 13th century and its name comes from the salt stalls that used to to line the northern side of the square. Altogether there were 12 wooden sheds. Such formerly luxurious articles as honey, furs, caviar or tea were also traded there. The salt stalls ceased to operate altogether in 1815. Nowadays, the Salt Square is famous for its romantic atmosphere with flower girls trading till late night and lovers walking holding hands or sharing a long-embrace at the fountain.[Old Town]
more
Wroclaw's Main Market Square is the second-largest in Poland, after that in Krakow. It is a medieval market square, now the heart of a pedestrian zone. The square is rectangular with the dimensions 205 x 175m. In the centre stand the town hall and a group of buildings separated by alleys. The buildings around the square are built according to different styles: the middle part of the ring is occupied by a block of buildings consisting of the Town Hall, the New City Hall as well as numerous citizens' houses.[Old Town]
more
The Church of St Elizabeth is one of two Gothic churches that are found near Market Square in the center of Wroclaw, the other being St. Mary Magdalenes Church. There has been a church on this same position since the 1100's, however due to a number of unfortunate events, the church has been destroyed and rebuilt or renovated a number of times.[Old Town]
more
The emergence of the first Town Hall was associated with the site of Wroclaw in 1261 on the Magdeburg Law. Arose in the late thirteenth century Town Hall was the one-story building with cellars. Held annual meetings townspeople here, where the chosen eleven jurors and eight councilors. Benches and limited powers of the Council made the building every day was used for commercial purposes.[Old Town]
