Sightseeing in Wroclaw - what to see. Complete travel guide

Wroclaw is a capital of Lower Silesia province located on the south-west of Poland. The city is located on the Oder River and is 310 kilometers away from Warsaw and 200 kilometers away from the German’s Dresden.

Wroclaw is a unique city, a town of twelve islands that are connected through a system of bridges. There are 112 bridges in total here. Wroclaw has managed to keep the beauty of medieval architecture up to our days. Here you will find, for example, Town Hall – a magnificent building referred to gothic times or Leopoldina Hall that is famous as the largest building in the baroque style in whole Poland. In XVII century this in building was based the city’s university.

Wroclaw is the fourth largest city in Poland with population exceeding 700 thousands of people. This is a large industrial, communication, scientific and art center of the country. Here is also located the largest flour mill in Poland. In Wroclaw there are many machinery building plants and organizations involved into food industry. Moreover, Wroclaw is famous by its “Hutmen” factory specializing on output and production of copper. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The city has magnificent transport system, an airport of an international level, two huge railroad crossings, large automobile routes and 2 river ports.

Among places of interest in Wroclaw we should underline 9 museums, famous theatre performances (Opera, Music Theatre, Philharmonic), picture galleries, Wroclaw battle panorama, St John Cathedral, St Elisabeth Church, and more.

The historical center of the city traditionally attracts tourists by its beautiful parks, hotels, and luxurious restaurants. One more thing to mention – the locals are very friendly and hospitable.

Many of Wroclaw's landmark attractions are centered round the Market Square. This square was laid in the 13th century. Today, it is surrounded by historical buildings of various periods. During the Second World War, a significant part of the historical buildings were destroyed, and in the shortest possible time they were masterfully reconstructed. In addition to the luxurious town hall on this square, you can see several majestic mansions. Hundreds of years ago they served as guest houses, the most distinguished people stayed in them.

One of the most interesting features of Wroclaw can safely be said to be gnome sculptures, which are found in various parts of the city. For the first time, these miniature bronze sculptures adorned the streets of the city in 2001. Such an unusual gift was made to one of the local art organizations by Wroclaw. Today, the city has more than 270 miniature sculptures, which can be found in the most unexpected places. Their search became such a popular entertainment among travelers, that special travel guides were published for them, with which it would be easier to find the sculptures.

Among the historical sites, one of the most interesting is the Ksiaz Castle, which was built in the late 13th century. For more than 400 years, this majestic castle belonged to the Hochberg family, and during the Second World War was the headquarters of the Nazis for a long time. They built a network of complex tunnels next to it, which today are an important excursion site. Despite the fact that the ancient castle completely lost its former values, it did not become less interesting. Now, its visitors can admire the most luxurious rooms, and also stroll through the picturesque garden and dine in a cozy restaurant that occupies part of the castle. Some halls of the castle are used for holding various exhibitions, and there is also a popular horse riding center on its territory.

Among the natural attractions of Wroclaw, it is worth highlighting the Japanese Garden, which was founded in 1913, before the World Exhibition. In the war years, this beautiful garden was completely abandoned and remained in desolation until 1994, when it was decided to restore it. High class gardeners from Japan helped to decorate the garden. Today, except ornamental plants and flowers, in the garden you can see the most beautiful bridges, lanterns and sculptures in Japanese style.