Our weekend in Wroclaw
I knew nothing about the city but from my little bit of research I thought this might be a little diamond and decided it was worth giving it a shot.
Wroclaw Nicolaus Copernicus Airport is located 20 minutes from the city centre. We booked a hotel right in the centre a mere 2-minute walk from the main square in the old town.
Wroclaw has a very interesting history. which dates back over 1,000 years; at various times, it has been part of the Poland, Bohemia, Hungary, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria, Prussia and Germany.
During World War II the Nazis refortified the city, holding it until May 1945, when Soviet troops defeated the remaining German forces and in August 1945 Wroclaw became part of Poland. The city itself has a magnificent town hall which was never destroyed in the war although over 70% of the city was. The astronomical clock on the town hall dates back to 1382.
During our weekend we took a 3-hour walking tour of the city which I would really recommend. It allows you to visit places hidden from the main street.
Wroclaw is made up of 3 main areas – the old town, the university area and then Cathedral Island. The old town has magnificent, coloured buildings, a vast square, lovely restaurants, coffee shops and a great atmosphere which is alive and buzzing – simply a stunning area. Throughout the city you will find statues of dwarfs dotted everywhere which are a tourist attraction. The sculptures began as a recognition of the Orange Alternative, an anti-Soviet resistance movement, which helped bring the end of Poland's communist regime in the 1980s.
Wroclaw University is home to 25,000 students many of the studying in the medical, science & technology fields. The lecture hall is the whole building, and you can visit the museum and Mathematical tower which gives you fabulous views over the city. This area is full of galleries and coffee shops and such a lovely place to just come, and people watch
The final area we visited was Cathedral Island which is called Ostrow Tumski in Polish. It’s the oldest part of Wroclaw and formerly an island. Today it is a top tourist attraction linked to the city by a bridge. There are 130 lamps on the Island, and it is one of the few remaining places in Europe where a lamplighter lights the gas street lamps every evening & puts them out each morning. There are 6 churches on Cathedral Island the most famous been St John the Baptist Arch-cathedral. I really loved this area, there were amazing musicians playing their violins, making it feels just such a special place to be. We also went to the Botanical gardens also located in this area and it’s a place of serenity in the city.
Wroclaw is buzzling with nightlife on a Friday and Saturday night which is missing in many other European cities. We found Wroclaw to be so safe, walking at night felt relaxing, it’s a city where family life is clearly important and people stroll with their children, children chase bubbles in the main square, there isn’t any litter, or we saw nothing but a city with traditional values which were so prevalent in the Ireland of the past. It was simply so refreshing, and I enjoyed the weekend away so much. Wroclaw is a treasure – unknown by many but it deserves to be called a gem in the beautiful county of Poland.
