Aside from its old Germanic name of Breslau and its temporary occupation by the Soviets, Wrocław looks and feels completely Polish today. Though not as pretty or well kept as its southern cousin Kraków, it is still a nice city to visit for a few days.

Wrocław

Situated on the river Oder, Wrocław is today an odd mix of old, new and unfinished. We were actually quite surprised at how often we came up parcels in the city that were either unimproved or totally abandoned. That coupled with the weather, which for us turned rainy, made for a lasting impression of it being a dreary place if it so wished.

Fortunately we had enough good weather, however changeable it was, to tour the entire city and enjoy it. We especially enjoyed the area around the Wrocław Cathedral and would commend you visit there if you have a half day to spare.

Getting There

The easiest way to get to Wrocław from Kraków is either by car, bus or train. Since we try to use trains when we can, we took the inter-city train which took about there and a half hours to travel the distance.

Entrance – Wrocław Głowny – Wrocław, Poland

Gnomes Everywhere

In fact, there are over a thousand of these little bronze statues placed throughout the city. It is a great idea, the children love them and families can actually purchase or download and print off a map with the location of all of them. Finding them, of course, is still the tricky part, since it is not always obvious where they are exactly.

Gnomes on Penitent Bridge – Wrocław, Poland

Disappearing Pedestrians – Wrocław, Poland

Slaughterhouse Bronzes – Wrocław, Poland

Rynek Square

The main square in town is the Rynek. It is rather large but contains a number of buildings, as well as the town hall, in a misaligned fashion within the square or plaza itself. It is full a gnomes, so be careful to look while you walk, or you may miss one.

Town Hall – – Rynek Plaza – Wrocław, Poland

The Pillory – Rynek Plaza – Wrocław, Poland

Solny Square

Solny Square or plaza lies corner to corner with Rynek, since the are adjoined to one another on one of the vertices. Here you will find a small flower market which appears to be open every day. Again there are plenty of gnomes to find here, as well as some interesting monuments and sculptures.

Trzech Murzynków Sculpture – Solny Plaza – Wrocław, Poland

Smoki Fountain – Solny Plaza – Wrocław, Poland

Oder River

A portion of the Oder cuts through the city and bisects it. Here you can find a river cruise or tour, as well as magnifacent parks to stretch your legs. There are also plenty of museums in there area. One of particular note and worth a visit is the Panoramic Museum.

Wyspa Piasek – Oder River – Wrocław, Poland

Sand Bridge – Oder River – Wrocław, Poland

Panorama Racławice Museum

The museum provides a panorama of the Battle of Racławice which occurred in 1794 against the Russians. A branch of the National Museum in Wrocław, the museum is housed in a rotunda with a 360 degree canvas, as well as additional dioramatic accessory in the foreground, to give the visitor the feeling of what it might have been like during the battle.

Tickets For Two – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Entrance – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Inside – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

It is a guided tour and language modules are provided so that everyone can enjoy the story of the battle as they move around the theater.

Scene 1 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 2 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 3 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 4 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 5 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 6 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 7 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 8 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 9 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 10 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 11 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Scene 12 – Panorama Racławicka Museum – Wrocław, Poland

Church And Cathedrals

In this city you will find less churches, they are not as abundant as in Kraków. However, the ones you can visit and just as beautiful.

Wrocław Cathedral

Located across the Oder via the Sand and Tumski bridges, the Wrocław Cathedral has beautiful stained glass windows inside. They only adorn one side, since the windows on the other side are obfuscated by an adjoining structure, which in and of itself I found very odd.

Bronze Monument – Wrocław Cathedral – Wrocław, Poland

Tympanum and Entrance – Wrocław Cathedral – Wrocław, Poland

Carved Doors – Wrocław Cathedral – Wrocław, Poland

Nave – Wrocław Cathedral – Wrocław, Poland

Stained Glass – Wrocław Cathedral – Wrocław, Poland

Stained Glass Nave – Wrocław Cathedral – Wrocław, Poland

Altar – Wrocław Cathedral – Wrocław, Poland

Side Altar – Wrocław Cathedral – Wrocław, Poland

Consecrated Altar – Wrocław Cathedral – Wrocław, Poland

Old Door with Iron Hinges – Wrocław Cathedral – Wrocław, Poland

Cathedral Saint Mary Magdelena

The Cathedral Saint Mary Magdelena is the one church where we paid for entrance, so that we could ascend the tower and view the city from the Penitent Bridge.

Front and Facade – Cathedral Saint Mary Magdelena – Wrocław, Poland

Entrance – Cathedral Saint Mary Magdelena – Wrocław, Poland

Nave – Cathedral Saint Mary Magdelena – Wrocław, Poland

City View – Penitent Tower – Cathedral Saint Mary Magdelena – Wrocław, Poland

Restaurants

In Wrocław we decided to scale back on the amount of Polish food we would consume, since it is very rich and calory laden.

Konspira

The exception to the above remark was Konspira. A highly rated restaurant on Polish cusine and an interesting theme, the fight against the Soviets and communism.

Side Exit – Konspira Restaurant – Wrocław, Poland

Inside Entrance – Konspira Restaurant – Wrocław, Poland

The traditional Chicken Broth soup was amazingly light and delicious. I can also commend the ribs with horseradish, they were very tasty.

Themed Restaurant – Konspira Restaurant – Wrocław, Poland

Patti – Konspira Restaurant – Wrocław, Poland

Decor – Konspira Restaurant – Wrocław, Poland

Chicken Broth with Dumplings – Konspira Restaurant – Wrocław, Poland

Duck with Potatoes and Cabbage – Konspira Restaurant – Wrocław, Poland

Wiatr Chinese Restaurant

A break away from the traditional food here, we chose to eat Chinese for lunch. The food here is very good and less filling, it is also a bit lighter on your wallet. We found it a good choice for food and speedy service.

Wrocław, Poland – City Of Gnomes