25 best sights of Wroclaw – photo with description, map of what to see in Wroclaw
Wroclaw, the capital of Silesia and the fourth most populous city in Poland, used to have the Russian name Breslau, which sounds like Breslau in German. The city is famous for a large number of bridges (Odra and 4 of its tributaries flow through it) and numerous places associated with its historical, cultural and religious past. Let's talk about the most interesting sights of Wroclaw.
city hall
On the main square of Wroclaw is one of the most striking sights – the town hall, built in the early Gothic style in the 13th century. The extraordinary beauty of the architecture of the town hall attracts crowds of tourists admiring the pointed domes, towers and tracery of metal decorations on the central facade. In 1945, the town hall was almost completely destroyed, but the Poles restored the original appearance, preserving a wonderful monument of majestic antiquity.
An astronomical clock is installed on the south side of the façade under the triangle of the pediment; it is also the subject of visitors' attention. On the eastern wall, on a high domed tower, there are other striking mechanical clocks. Everyone who comes to Wroclaw comes to the Town Hall.
Royal Palace
Despite the relatively young age of the palace (built in 1717), the building has undergone many reconstructions in its history, reflecting the ambitions and demands of several owners of the palace. The Prussian king, who originally owned the idea of building, ordered the palace in the Venetian style, very fashionable in the 18th century. The new owner, the Prussian King Friedrich, having bought it out, instructed the chief court architect Bumann to improve the building, expanding it and adding elements of the Baroque style from the outside – and elements of the Rococo inside.
As a result, the royal halls of receptions and celebrations and the private chambers of the royal majesty were decorated with magnificent splendor. The palace began to look more majestic and outwardly. But the descendant of Frederick the Great wanted to give the palace the features of classicism, which was entrusted to the architect Langhans, who in 1795 added a new staircase, several outbuildings and utility rooms.
However, in 1846, transformations were still made in the spirit of the fashion trends of the Florentine Renaissance: a building was added on the south side, wings inside the courtyard were expanded.
In 1926, when the palace became the property of the city, the Palace Museum was opened in it, with an exposition dedicated to Frederick the Great. The royal splendor of the interiors was removed, and the main exhibits of the museum were objects of artistic and applied art of Silesia.
After a serious destruction in 1945, the palace was partially dismantled, and the Archaeological and Ethnographic Museums were placed in the remaining premises. In order to pay tribute to the historical past, in 2004 a large reconstruction of the palace began, which lasted 4 years, and in 2008 the Royal Palace was opened in it, which became a museum of the entire history of Wroclaw.
The majestic buildings of the palace symbolize the power and inviolability of the power of the Polish kings, the strong foundations of modern Wroclaw.
Its architecture embodies the majestic severity of classicism, the pomp of baroque and rococo, the grace and irresistible beauty of modernity. The inner courtyard of the palace is a real masterpiece of street design art: the curly greenery of the lawns borders the fountain, surrounded by statues depicting representatives of the royal dynasties of Poland.
Thousands of tourists strive to get here, on one of the most interesting excursions in Wroclaw.
Wroclaw Cathedral
Two high 98-meter Gothic spiers of the unique cathedral are visible from afar, representing examples of Gothic architecture of the 13th century. The cathedral is unique in its age: it is considered the very first Gothic cathedral in Poland, built in 1272. Otherwise, it is called the Cathedral of the patron and defender of Wroclaw – St. John the Baptist, which deservedly has the status of the most important church not only in the city, but in the whole of Lower Silesia.
Like many other historical objects, the cathedral was badly damaged during the Second World War, but was carefully restored: the best restorers painstakingly recreated the interiors in the Baroque style, made beautiful stained-glass windows, which are truly artistic masterpieces.
Inside the church there are chapels built in the 14th-16th centuries, the wall panels and decorations of which represent centuries-old spiritual art. Unusually beautiful is the central hall with an altar made of white marble, with magnificent statues of saints, with elegant gilding of details.
The organ, installed in 1913, was for several years the largest church organ in Poland and around the world. The reverently careful attitude to the instrument allows it to sound powerfully during solemn ceremonies and various events. Here, on Cathedral Street, people come to listen to spiritually uplifting music, climb the towers of the cathedral and see the amazingly beautiful perspective of the ancient Polish city-monument below.
Zoo
One of the oldest zoos in Poland was opened at the time when the city was called Breslau and belonged to Prussia (1865). Then it had the status of a zoological garden, because its entire territory was literally buried in the greenery of trees and shrubs. Against the backdrop of charming natural landscapes, enclosures with animals and birds were placed. For a long “life” the zoo has undergone many reconstructions and improvements and is now the most beautiful and favorite place for visitors to entertain and observe the “little brothers”.
More than 7000 representatives of tetrapods, birds, amphibians, sea creatures and other individuals (850 species) live on an area of 33 hectares. Sharks, rays, whales live in a huge aquarium. In different types of ecosystems, rare specimens of animals and birds live, which not everyone can see in their natural environment. A visit to the Wroclaw Zoo is an unforgettable journey into the richest world of the fauna of our planet.
Address: st. Wrobiewskieqo, 1-5.
Open: every day, 09.00-16.00; Africarium: Mon. – 10.30-18.00, closed. and holidays. – 09.00-19.00.
Entrance fee (in PLN): adult. – thirty; stud. up to 26 l. – 25 (on Wednesdays – 10); family (2 adults and 3 children) – 50; pension, inv. – 10 (Thursday).
Centenary Hall
This grandiose architectural monument commemorates the centenary of the liberation battle of the Poles against the Germans near Leipzig in 1813. In honor of this significant event in 1907, the authorities organized an exhibition with projects of architectural masterpieces presented at it, designed to capture the 100th anniversary of the liberation of the city from Prussia in a monumental building. A large-scale expensive project by the Wroclaw architect Max Berg was chosen.
As a result, a real architectural colossus of reinforced concrete and glass of the original design of a round shape, height. 42 m., with an upper dome – the national pride of Poland. The floors are built in the form of a spiral tapering upwards. The huge front hall can accommodate 6000 people, it is surrounded by spacious corridors, 56 rooms for exhibitions. For the grand opening of the Hall, the world's largest, majestic organ was installed in it, which served until 1946.
Address: Szczytnicky park, Wrocław, Wystawowa, 1.
Working hours:
Racławice panorama
In fact, this monumental art canvas is unique not only for its impressive dimensions (114 m x 15 m), high visual qualities, but also for its historical significance. The Racławice panorama is an artistic history of an episode of the liberation movement of the Poles led by T. Kosciuszko – the battle of Racławice against the Russians on 04.04.1794. The majestic panorama was created in honor of the 100th anniversary of this victorious battle: the talented artists Styk and Kossak worked on it for almost a year. They painted on a special canvas ordered from Belgium, using 750 kg of paint.
The finished work was placed in the rotunda of Austrian design in Lvov in 1894, for the opening of the General Exhibition. The panoramic canvas was damaged by bombing in 1944, and in 1946 it was transferred to Wroclaw, where it was stored folded for a long time. In 1985, after a thorough restoration, the panorama was put on display in a specially erected round building, which became a place of pilgrimage for tourists and local residents.
Address: st. Jan Purkiniego, 11, Entrance ticket – PLN 25, it includes a visit to the National and Ethnographic Museums.
Synagogue “Under the white stork”
Just as the name of a religious institution is unusual, so is its history. Built in the 19th century, it managed to withstand the cruel times of the Holocaust like the mythical Phoenix bird, as a symbol of the victory of good over evil. The synagogue received its “name”, unusual for its status, from the tavern of the same name, which once stood here.
In Poland, which was occupied by the Nazis, it was cynically used by the Nazis as a warehouse for looted property, and its courtyard served as the starting point for Jews in concentration camps and crematoria. After the end of the war, the Jewish church became the center of the new Jewish community, where people came to pray and communicate. But in Soviet Wroclaw, the synagogue was subjected to repeated cases of vandalism, and during the anti-Semitic campaign, it generally lost the status of a church.
For 20 years, there was a library and a music academy within its walls, only in 1995 a private company bought the building from the municipality and returned it to the Jewish community. From the former luxurious decoration, only skillful wooden carvings on the arches remained in it. Restoration work was completed in 2010. Now prayers, musical concerts, lectures, exhibitions, theater performances are held in the synagogue.
Address: st. Vlodkovitsa, 7, next to the Krupnitsky bridge.
The entrance is free.
Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene
The church, built in a strict Gothic style in the 14th century, is not the first Catholic church on this site. Before that, two cathedrals managed to stand here, one of which was built in the 11th century, and the second – in the 13th. The first was barbarously destroyed by the Mongols, the second burned down in 1342. The current church of St. Mary Magdalene has been pleasing parishioners for the 7th century, although during this time it was also affected by destruction.
The painstaking restoration work that went on in the 20th century not only restored the shrine to its former appearance, but added new elements. The 12th century Romanesque portal of the Church of St. Mary and Vincent was delivered from the Benedictine monastery in Olba. The holy entrance has become a real gem of the cathedral: relief images of griffins, roses, scenes from the childhood life of Christ are a priceless relic.
The interiors of the central hall of the cathedral are majestic and solemn, devoid of lush pretentiousness, but full of light tranquility. It is this situation that corresponds to the modest appearance of St. Mary.
Address: st. Olovska, 19.
Entrance is free, the cost of climbing the cathedral towers is PLN 5.
old city jail
It is easy to imagine the amazement of an uninitiated visitor to the basement beer hall, located in the corner building at the intersection of Prison and Nozhovnichy streets, when he finds out that he is drinking beer in the former torture room. This is true, because the building with the pub is a former old prison, built back in the 14th century. At first, a relatively small square building became rectangular by the 17th century due to outbuildings, in which the need arose.
The prison accommodated 100 prisoners, prisoners of the lower classes, the most dangerous criminals, sentenced to death, were kept in underground rooms. The high-ranking, noble inhabitants of this gloomy institution were located on the first floor. In the 20th century, the building was restored 2 times, and after the war of 41-45. it lost the status of a prison: the Institute of Archeology and Ethnology was opened in it. The old name was assigned to a summer cafe opened in the former prison yard. Only the inscriptions of former prisoners carved on the walls remind of the prison. Traditional Wroclaw attractions – funny gnomes – look cute and harmless against their background.
Address: st. Prison, 9, next to the Market Square.
Sculptural group “Transition 1977-2005”
Initially, until 1981, this composition was located in the center of Warsaw, but then it was dismantled, and it was restored only 24 years later, but not in the capital of Poland, but in Wroclaw. This is a monument to the victims of martial law. The sculptural composition consists of two elements, each of which includes 7 figures of people, some of which go underground, and the other part, on the contrary, comes out of the ground. The first part symbolizes citizens who went missing during martial law, the second – people who decided to fight and eventually defeated the military regime in the country. The composition was installed in a place where during the difficult political situation in the country the most active demonstrations and rallies took place.
Church of St. Elizabeth
The Church of St. Elizabeth, located on the market square, was built in the 14th century. During its centuries-old history, the building suffered several fires, because of which the tower and spire suffered the most, by the way, they have not been restored even now and stand out from the general appearance of the church. In addition to fires, the church of St. Elizabeth was destroyed due to a powerful hurricane in the first half of the 16th century, which destroyed its tower.
The church is made in the Gothic style and is considered one of its best representatives in Europe. On the bell tower of the church, which is 90 meters high, there is a small observation deck, which offers a magnificent view of the city, and in good, clear weather, you can see mountains on the horizon. A narrow spiral staircase inside the tower leads to the observation deck. The interiors of the Church of St. Elizabeth are decorated with beautiful elegant stained-glass windows.
Houses of Yas and Malgos
Not far from the Church of St. Elizabeth there are 2 houses that got their names from the names of the heroes of a folk tale, a better-known analogue of which is the German fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm about Hansel and Grettel. The houses of Yas and Malgos are all that remains of the medieval quarter, where artisans, bell ringers and merchants lived. The two houses, set at an angle to each other, are done in similar sober colors: one is painted creamy white, the other is painted pink and white. The buildings are interconnected by an arch, which forms a passage to the church of St. Elizabeth. Today, the houses of Jas and Malgos are one of the most popular tourist places in Wroclaw, which is in all guidebooks.
Wroclaw Opera
The Wroclaw Opera House was built in the 19th century by Carl Ferdinand Langgans. The building, made in the classical style, is recognized as a historical architectural monument. The opera was damaged by floods at the end of the 20th century, but was soon completely restored. Her repertoire is very wide and offers the viewer works of opera and ballet of different styles and eras, including works by Mozart and Prokofiev. Sometimes the Wrocław Opera gives its performances not in the theater building, but on city venues: in parks, on squares, in the National Museum. Opera tickets cost between PLN 20 and PLN 300.
National Music Forum
The National Music Forum is a modern cultural institution, built several years ago, which is one of the largest European musical centers. The NFM building houses a recording studio, conference rooms, a library, offices, rehearsal rooms, as well as 4 concert halls with a total capacity of more than 2,500 people. NFM organizes the activities of 11 musical groups of the city. The building of the National Forum of Music hosts major international festivals, tickets for which, as well as for regular concerts, can be bought at the box office or on the official website, where you can also get acquainted with the full repertoire of the NFM.
National Museum
The National Museum is one of the most famous and popular museums in the city. It was built in the 19th century and is similar to traditional German art museums. The exposition of the national museum mainly consists of paintings and sculptures, mostly from the creations of local masters. The first floor is devoted to religious themes, while the second and third floors contain statues, paintings, some dating from the 13th to 17th centuries, jewellery, sarcophagi and furniture decorated with handmade carvings. The museum building itself looks very unusual: it is almost completely covered with climbing plants, and it seems that it has been abandoned for many centuries.
Koleykovo
The Kolejkowo Museum, located in the building of the old railway station near the market square, is the largest urban railway model in Poland, with a total length of 430 meters of railways. The layout shows 15 trains plying through its territory, the total number of cars of which is 60, as well as more than 1000 figures of people who are not just randomly arranged, but form certain scenes from life: a wedding, a performance by a local musical group, workers resting after a hard labor day at a local bar.
And all this is so worked out and detailed that you can see what kind of food the wedding guests have or the prices for vegetables at the local market. Koleikovo is a great place that will be interesting not only for children, but also for adults, because it literally brings you back to childhood.
Hydropolis
Hydropolis is a modern interactive museum housed in a former drinking water tank. This place will allow you to learn almost everything about water. There are lecture halls with projectors, multimedia laboratories where master classes and experiments with water are held. Visitors can see an exact copy of the Trieste bathyscaphe, which made a record dive into the Mariana Trench in 1960, models of unusual inhabitants of the ocean, as well as a model of an example of ancient marine engineering – the ancient Greek ship “Syracusan”.
Open daily, weekdays from 9:00 to 18:00, weekends from 10:00 to 20:00. The entrance ticket costs PLN 27, a reduced ticket for children under 18 and seniors costs PLN 18, a family ticket that allows two adults and two children to visit the attraction costs PLN 72.
Wroclaw University
The university was opened in 1702, and in 1945-1946, after the end of the Second World War, it was reorganized and received the status of a state university. However, the first attempts to create a university in Wroclaw date back to the beginning of the 16th century, when King Vladislav II Jagiellon signed a decree on the establishment of a higher educational institution, but that period was accompanied by constant wars and armed conflicts, so the idea of establishing a university had to be abandoned.
In 1638, a school was opened in Wroclaw, on the basis of which, 65 years later, the Leopoldina University was created, named after the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, who signed the decree on its creation. Today, more than 31 thousand students study at the university, and among its graduates there are such outstanding personalities as the world-famous singer Anna German and the director, one of the founders of the Polish film school, Stanislav Lenartovich.
Train Station
The railway station was built in 1857 in a still undeveloped area of Wroclaw, then part of Prussia. The first works to expand the station were carried out at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. and were completed in 1904. During the Second World War, the building of the railway station was seriously damaged, and warehouses and shelters were built under the forecourt. At the end of the Second World War, the station was renovated, and in parallel with this, premises for a small cinema were built. A few years ago, the railway station was overhauled, the number of platforms was increased, and the shelters from the Second World War were converted into a car park.
Sky Tower
Sky Tower (Sky Tower) – a skyscraper, which is the tallest building in the city, the third tallest building in the country, was built in 2012. Sky Tower is a complex consisting of three buildings, the first of which is given over to galleries and an entertainment center, the second contains residential apartments and offices, the third building is also occupied by apartments and offices, and also has the highest observation deck in Poland, from which panoramic view of the city. The entrance ticket costs 10 PLN.
Grunwald Bridge
The Grunwald Bridge is one of the longest bridges in Poland (112 meters), built over 100 years ago, in 1910. The grand opening was personally attended by Emperor Wilhelm II. Over the years, it had the names of the Imperial Bridge and the Freedom Bridge. The Grunwald Bridge connects the old part of Wroclaw with the Tumski Island, separated from each other by the Oder River.
Tumsky bridge
Tumsky Bridge leads from the old town to Tumsky Island, where the Catholic Church, the university library and the Helena Chodkowsky School of Management and Law are located. This pedestrian steel bridge was built in 1889 on the site of an old wooden bridge. In front of the entrance to the bridge from the side of the old city, there are statues of Saints Jadwiga and John the Baptist. The bridge is familiar to tourists from the footage from the film “Kill the Dragon” directed by Mark Zakharov.
Szczytnicky park
The Szczytnicky Park is one of the largest parks in Wroclaw, with an area of about 100 hectares. The park originated in the 18th century, when local residents chose a forested area near the village of Shchitniki and began to regularly come here for the weekend. At the end of the 18th century garrison commander Breslau F.L. Hohenlohe acquired part of the forest park, on which he created an English-style park. In the 19th century for more than 70 years, horse racing has been held here. On the territory of the park there is a wooden church of St. John of Nepomuk, built in the late 16th – early 17th century. Interestingly, the church was originally located in a different place and was moved to the Shchitnitsky Park only in 1913.
Japanese garden
The Japanese Garden is a garden and park complex, which is part of the Szczytnicky Park, created at the beginning of the 20th century by Count Fritz von Hochberg. The well-known Japanese gardener Mankishiego Arai took part in the creation of the park, whose work and stone fragments brought from Japan predetermined the unique style of the garden.
The Japanese garden was abandoned during the First World War and was restored only in 1997, but after 2 months it was seriously damaged due to severe flooding. It took 2 years to rebuild the garden. The Japanese Garden of Wroclaw is a real oasis of Japan in the center of Europe. On its territory there are several fish ponds, artificial waterfalls and Japanese-style pavilions. Today, the Japanese Garden is one of the main places of recreation in the city for locals and tourists.
Musical fountain
The musical fountain, opened in 2009, is located near the Centenary Hall in Szczytnicky Park. The area of the fountain pool, which has 300 taps for water supply, is about 1 hectare. In addition to water taps, the fountain is equipped with fire nozzles and many points of light supply, as well as a projector and a laser system, thanks to which local residents and guests of the city can watch a magnificent light and music performance in the evening. The fountain operates from the end of April to the end of December, and in winter it is used as an outdoor ice skating rink.