Where to visit next then?
Poland was the decision spurned on by the crazy cheap prices of flights from Ryan Air.
There where lots of places to choose from, including Gdańsk, Warsaw and Kraków, however we chose to lesser visited Wroclaw for our first visit to Poland.
Wrocław is the largest city in the historical region of Silesia, in western Poland. Lying on the banks of the River Oder in Silesian Lowlands roughly 350 kilometres from the Baltic Sea to the north and 40 kilometres from the Sudeten Mountains to the south.
Wrocław is the historical capital of Silesia, and today is the capital of the Lower Silesian Voicodeship. With an history stretching back over a thousand years, its extensive heritage combines almost all religions and cultures within Europe. At various times in its history I has been part of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Bohemia, Kingdom of Hungary, Habsburgh Monarchy, Prussia and Germany. Wrocław became part of Poland again in 1945, as a result of the border changes brought about after the Second World War.
There is a great deal of history surrounding Wroclaw, but its more recent history include being the European Capital of Culture in 2016, hosting the 2017 World Games, and winning the title of EuropeanBest Destination in 2018.
The heart of Wrocław is the 13th century market square, a large pedestrian zone 213 by 178 metres in size, making it one of the largest markets in Europe, and home too two of the largest City Halls in Poland. The north-west corner is the home to St. Elisabeth’s Church (Bazylika Św. Elżbiety), which has an observation deck at 75 metre within its nearly 92 metre tower. To the north of the church is an area known as the Shambles with the Monument of Remembrance of Animals for Slaughter.
The buildings in the middle of the square are intersected by three parallel streets ((Sukiennice, Przejście Żelaźnicze, Przejście Garncarskie) and with a further one perpendicular to them (Zaułek Jerzego Grotowskiego).
The East Side of the square was known as ‘Green Side Pipe’ referring to the colouring on the copper guttering on the buildings.
On the West Side of the square a controversial high office building was built by the Germans, currently the headquarters of Bank Zachodni WBK
Although during World War II much of the city was destroyed or damaged, the market did not suffer much. Any damage to the square was restored to look as it did in the late 18th century.
The inner block on the middle square varies in alignment by 7° from that of the outline of the outer square and surrounding streets. The late gothic Old City Hall is located on the southern side, and is one of the most recognisable landmarks.
Wrocław is the largest educational centre within Poland, with a total of approximately 135,000 spread across 30 colleges around the city.
The city is served by Copernicus Airport Wrocław (WRO) which is located approximately 5 kilometres west of the city, taking flights for a number of European destinations.
Wrocław Główny is the main railway station with journeys to city such as Warsaw (3 hours 36 minutes), Poznań (2 hours 26 minutes), Szczecin (6 hours), Gdańsk (5 hours) and Kraków (3 hours 14 minutes).
There is an extensive public transport system around Wrocław, which includes bus routes and 22 tram lines. Tickets can be purchased from kiosks and from vending machines located at both bus stops and on buses.
We booked a lovely apartment via Airbnb, North of the river just a short walk into the town centre, with a couple of bars along the way to break up the journeys back.
During our brief 4 days in this great city, we where able to visit a great number of its attractions.
Sky Tower, situated approximately 2.5 kilometres from the main square, and standing at 212 metres is the tallest building in Poland with a view deck positioned at 200 metres above the city on the 49thfloor. The building stands on the side of the former 24 storey Plotegor Structure, which was until then the tallest building in the city.
While we where staying, the attempt at the Hey Joe Guitar Record 2018 was held. A total of 7411 guitarists played Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix in union, beating the previous record set in 2016 by 55 people.
Dotted around city are a growing number of small figurines known as the Wroclaw Dwarfs, as of 2015 their was 350. There is a challenge to find each and every one of the them, and even an app for your smartphone to assist and log your efforts.
Would I recommend Wroclaw.? Yes absolutely, its a great city with lots to do and see, and is most certainly on my list of places I would happily go back to.
Will I explore Poland further? Again, absolutely. If the sights and sounds of Wroclaw are anything to go by. They have shown Poland to be a warm and friendly country that should be on everyones list.
