Now the fourth largest city in the country, the history of Wrocław dates back to the Middle Ages when it formed part of the Duchy of Bohemia. In 992, it was conquered by Bolesław I Chrobry (Bolesław I "the Valiant"), who became Duke of Poland (r. 992-1025) and later the first King of Poland (r. 1025). The city remained in the hands of Kingdom of Poland through the reign of Bolesław I's second son and successor, Mieszko II Lambert (r. 1025-1031) and the brief reign of Bolesław I's first son, Bezprym (r. 1031-1032) whose short-lived reign led to the loss of the status of 'Kingdom' for nearly half a century.
In 1038, with the former Polish Kingdom in a weakened state, the Duchy of Bohemia saw its chance and successfully regained control of Wrocław. But 16 years later it was back in the hands of the Poles under Kazimierz I Odnowiciel (Casimir I "the Restorer"), Duke of Poland (r. 1040-1058). Following Kazimierz I's death, the city passed to his son and successor, Bolesław II Szczodry (Bolesław II "the Generous"), who became Duke of Poland (r. 1058-1076) and later King (r. 1076-1079) of the newly-restored Kingdom of Poland. Wrocław remained in the hands of the Kingdom of Poland until 1202, when it was taken by the Duchy of Silesia (1138-1335), who made it their capital.
After the break-up of the Duchy, Wrocław spent the next 610 years being passed from ruler to ruler. Following a period under the Kingdom of Bohemia (1335-1526), it was captured by the Habsburg Monarchy (1526-1742), before falling into the hands of the Kingdom of Prussia (1742-1871), then the German Empire (1871-1918), Weimar Germany (1918-1933) and Nazi Germany (1933-1945). In 1945, it became part of the People's Republic of Poland (1945-1989), later the Republic of Poland (1989-present).
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| Painted birds in the Jewish Quarter |
If I'm honest, I had come to Wrocław for one thing – Stary Ratusz (Old Town Hall), that stands in the Rynek (Market Square), and more specifically, the east elevation of said building. So I set off to find it. However, once I reached the Rynek, I got distracted by the brightly-coloured buildings and I found myself photographing them rather than the main attraction.
Sadly, most of the buildings are modern reconstructions, the originals having been demolished and replaced at the turn of the 20th century. The square was destroyed during World War II and was later reconstructed in Baroque and Classical styles based on the way it had looked in the late 18th century.
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| Buildings on the Rynek |
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| Colourful façades |
At 37,914 sq. metres (398.26 sq. ft), the Rynek is one of the largest market squares in Europe. The buildings are built in various styles and each one has a traditional name, usually associated with the coat of arms on the façade, e.g., "Under the Golden Stag", a former 15th century pharmacy.
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| Pod Złotym Jelenien ("Under the Golden Stag"), now a Starbucks |
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| Kamienica pod Gryfami ("Under the Griffins"), a Dutch Mannerist-style tenement |
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| Pod Złotym Psem ("Under the Golden Dog"), alleged to be haunted |
Just off one corner of the Rynek is Kościół św. Elżbiety (St Elisabeth's Church). Built in the Gothic style the church, which dates from the 14th and 15th centuries, stands on the site of a 12th century church. It was the main Lutheran church in the city and region until 1946. However, it has not been the luckiest of churches. In 1529, it was destroyed by a hailstorm. It suffered severe damage during WWII, and then in 1976, it was gutted by a fire.
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| St Elisabeth's Church |
While walking around looking at the coats of arms, I came across some stunningly beautiful doors, each of which was just crying out to be photographed. I was also drawn to the some carvings above the entrance to Piwnica Świdnicka, which was opened in 1303 and is the oldest beer cellar in Europe.
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| Door to Kamienica Pod Siedmioma Elektorami (House of the Seven Electors) |
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| Another beautifully decorated door |
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| The entrance to Europe's oldest beer cellar |
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| Close-up of the stone work |
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| Slightly out-of-focus detail from the base of the statue on the right |
Having explored the Rynek, I turned my attention to back to the thing I'd come to see – Stary Ratusz (Old Town Hall). Built in the Bourgeois Gothic style, the Town Hall started life as a single storey building in the late 13th century and was expanded over the next 250 years.
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| The eastern façade |
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| Close-up of the eastern façade with its astronomical clock |
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| The tower and the roof from the northern façade |
On my second day I made my way to Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island), the oldest part of the city. To get there, I crossed Most Tumski (Tumski Bridge), a steel bridge constructed in 1889 to replace its wooden predecessor. The bridge is also known as "Lovers' Bridge", and is home to thousands of padlocks that enamoured couples attach to the bridge before throwing the key into the river.
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| Crossing "Lovers' Bridge" |
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| Close-up of some of the thousands of padlocks left by lovers |
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| The Gothic Archikatedra św. Jana Chrzciciela (Cathedral of St John the Baptist) |
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| Statue of the Madonna and child |
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| View of Ostrów Tumski from the cathedral |
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| Final look at Ostrów Tumski |
On my last day, I was walking to train station when I reached the junction of ul. Piłsudskiego and ul. Świdnicka and did a double-take. I had just come across the 14 life-size bronze statues that make up Pomnik Przejścia ("The Anonymous Pedestrians"), an artwork commemorating the introduction of martial law in December 1981.
Designed by Polish artist Jerzy Kalina and erected in December 2005 on the night of the 24th anniversary of the introduction of the law, Pomnik Przejścia is a memorial to the hordes of people who disappeared ("went underground") in the middle of the night thanks to the militia.
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| On one side of ul. Świdnicka bronze pedestrians walk towards the road... |
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| Under their feet the pavement begins to break |
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| Across the road, seven pedestrians sink into the broken pavement, disappearing forever... |
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