Wrocław — a city of bridges, the Market Square and the dwarfs.

The capital of Lower Silesia, spread across the many islands and arms of the Oder and stitched together by more than a hundred bridges and footbridges. One of the largest and most colourful market squares in Poland, the cathedral island of Ostrów Tumski, the modernist UNESCO-listed Centennial Hall and hundreds of little dwarf figures scattered along the pavements.

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0 Centennial Hall (UNESCO)

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0 age of Wrocław's Market Square (years)

About the region

What to know before you go

Wrocław lies on the Oder and its arms, on more than a dozen islands linked by bridges and footbridges — hence its bynames of "the Polish Venice" and the city of bridges. It has more than a thousand years of history, and passed through Bohemian, Austrian (Habsburg) and Prussian rule; after 1945 it was rebuilt and largely resettled by people from Poland's former eastern lands. That layering is visible in the architecture of the whole city.

The centre is the vast Market Square — one of the largest medieval squares in Poland — with its monumental Gothic town hall and colourful townhouses. Just beside it lies plac Solny, and nearby are the Racławice Panorama and the University of Wrocław with its Baroque Leopoldina Hall.

The oldest part of the city is Ostrów Tumski — the cathedral island with its Gothic archcathedral and churches, at its most atmospheric at dusk, when the lamplighter still lights the gas lamps. On the other side of the city stands the Centennial Hall — a reinforced-concrete modernist building of 1913, added to the UNESCO list in 2006.

Wrocław's calling card is its dwarfs — several hundred small bronze figures scattered along the pavements across the city. They grew out of the happenings of the Orange Alternative in the 1980s, and since 2005 have expanded into a tourist phenomenon and a city-wide game for the whole family.

Getting there: about 3.5–4 hours by train from Warsaw, about 2.5–3 hours by the A4 motorway from Kraków. Wrocław-Strachowice airport is about 10–12 km from the centre (with a city bus into town). Trams and buses run by MPK serve the city.

Sights

Places you should not miss

The most important sights of the region, each with its own guide — how to get there, when to go, practical info.

The Market Square and Town Hall

One of the largest medieval market squares in Poland, with a monumental Gothic town hall and colourful townhouses.

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Ostrów Tumski

The oldest part of Wrocław — the cathedral island with its Gothic archcathedral and gas lamps lit by hand at dusk.

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The Centennial Hall

A modernist reinforced-concrete hall of 1913 on the UNESCO list, with a park, a pergola and a multimedia fountain.

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The Wrocław dwarfs

Several hundred bronze figures scattered along the pavements across the city — a game for the whole family, grown out of the happenings of the Orange Alternative.

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The Racławice Panorama

A monumental panoramic painting (114 × 15 m) of the battle of Racławice in a purpose-built rotunda — one of the few such panoramas left in the world.

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Wrocław Zoo and the Afrykarium

The oldest zoo in Poland with the unique Afrykarium — the only oceanarium in Europe presenting Africa's aquatic ecosystems.

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Hydropolis

A multimedia centre of knowledge about water in a historic 19th-century clean-water reservoir — an interactive, modern exhibition.

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The Leopoldina Hall

The Baroque assembly hall of the University of Wrocław with its rich decoration, frescoes and sculpture, plus the Mathematical Tower with a viewing terrace.

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Places to stay

Where to stay in Wrocław — 269 properties

Hotels, guest houses, holiday centres, cottages and apartments in the Wrocław region and around it — each with links to the sights nearby. Direct contact with the property.

The list is compiled from publicly available sources — the properties' own websites and local directories. The details are for information; confirm them with the owner before you book. Do you run one of these properties, or would you like to add your own? Submit a property.

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