After spending some days in Austria I am finally back in Poland. The first stop is my favourite Polish city Wrocław. Every year I come here at least once to visit some friends and enjoy the city’s atmosphere. It took me about a day to requicken my rusty Polish language skills.
Wrocław (pronounced like [wrots-love], German name: Breslau) is the capital of Lower Silesia and the fourth largest city of Poland. Like many Polish cities it has a central market square called ‘rynek’. The late-Gothic town hall (‘ratusz’) is a very unique and nice looking building. The houses around the rynek have been destroyed during World War II, consequently, the square was reconstructed in Baroque and Classicism style, according to the way it looked in the late 18th century. The rynek is a good place to visit a coffee-house and enjoy a ‘czarna kawa’ (black coffee, of course).
Due to its geographical situation Wrocław has been at various times part of the Kingdom of Poland, Bohemia, the Austrian Empire, Prussia and Germany. After the ‘Western shift’ of Poland after Word War II (see graphic) Wrocław became again part of Poland.
Romantic and picturesque the river Odra flows through Wrocław, which creates several islands near the market square. The most famous is the cathedral island, which is like a small Vatican. Along the Odra is a way for walking, jogging or a bike ride.
It became already a tradition for me to visit the climbing park on the island of Opatowicka, when I am in Wrocław. For a price of 25 Złoty (on weekdays) you can hang out there some hours climbing from tree to tree like a monkey. Several different tracks with rising difficulty lead the climber through the forest. The tasks are well explained with signs. Today it looked like it would be raining, but, fortunately, it didn’t. A perfect day to spend in the climbing park!
I am looking forward to spend the evening with some friends, going to bars and drinking Tyskie or Żywiec. Polish beer is generally good (most of it).
Tomorrow I will continue my journey to Poznań. It has been some years, since I have been there.
A marvellous description of Wrocław. I love that city. Can’t wait to be there again!
an,,, that sounds like a beautiful city,, I really enjoy your notes on your travels,,,,places I will never see I can see through your eyes,,,,,what fun to have climbling trees !