Wroclaw

Establishment: First half of 10th century
City rights: 1262
Area: 292,82 sq. Km
Elevation: 111 metres
Population: around 700 000
Unemployment rate: 4,8 %
Average wage: 3350 PLN
Significant employers: Volvo, Siemens, Nokia Siemens Networks, Google, Grupa Lukas, Polifarb, Hewlett Packard

Official website: www.wroclaw.pl

Single public transport ticket - 1 PLN
Monthly ticket - 45-57 PLN
Taxi fares - 2,50-3 PLN / km
A single room monthly rent - 300-600 PLN per person
A single room flat rent - 1000 PLN
A double room flat rent - 1500 PLN

In its origin, Wroclaw was a settlement based on the River Odra ford, on a crossing of trails leading across the Europe. It was named after the Bohemian duke Vratislav. For the first time Wroclaw became a part of Poland in the end of the 10th century, and became one of the country's most important cities, as in 1000 a seat of bishopric was established there.
Between 1138 and 1335 Wroclaw was a capital of independent Silesia region ruled by Silesian Piast dynasty. Than it came under Bohemian rule, and in 1526 it became a part of Habsburg domain, beginning a long period of German culture domination in the city. The city was developing rapidly at the time. In 1702 Emperor Leopold I founded a Jesuit Academy, the first city's University. As a result of the Silesian Wars, in 1741 Wroclaw and Silesia fell under Prussian rule. Wroclaw became a fortress and one of the three capital cities of Prussia. The King's Castle, currently the Ethnografic Museum, is a remnant of that time. In January 1807 the city was conquered by Napoleon's army, which destroyed the city fortifications. As a result, Wroclaw started a quick territorial expansion.

In the end of the 19th century Wroclaw was already a major industrial, cultural, and research centre. After the first railway line was opened in 1842, it also evolved into a significant transport junction. Several University of Wroclaw proffesors won a Nobel Prize. New colleges were being established, like Technical College and Academy of Fine Arts in 1910-1911. Many avant-garde architects worked in Wroclaw, executing some oustanding concepts, like Centennial Hall, or Sępolno (Zemplin) settlement, built on a scheme of the German emblem- the eagle.

The World War I didn't damage Wroclaw, but caused serious economical problems. After a few years it got back on the path of development and modernization. During World War II, until 1944 Wroclaw remained outside the area of direct military operations When the Soviet forces approached the city, Wroclaw was designated a closed fortress- Festung Breslau. In February 1945 Red Army started a siege of the city. Wroclaw capitulated on 6 May 1945 as a completely destroyde city.

After the war the city was taken over by Polish authorities. An influx of Poles, and expulsion of the German population began. Polish communist government chose Wroclaw for the organization of large-scale propaganda events, such as the Recovered Territories Exhibition (July 1948) and the World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace, attended by delegates from 46 countries. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Wroclaw became one of Poland's main cultural centres, known, among other things for its Wratislavia Cantans festival of oratorio and cantata music, the achievements of Henryk Tomaszewski's Pantomima Theatre and Jerzy Grotowski's Laboratorium Theatre, the city's visual arts community, and a vibrant student culture. In 1985 the restored Panorama of the Battle of Raclawice was made available for viewing by the public in Wroclaw, for the first time since the war. It was displayed in a purpose-designed building and immediately became one of the main tourist attractions of the city.

In 1990 the communism collapsed. Under the new conditions Wroclaw, like the rest of the country, was undergoing transformations in virtually all possible spheres. In the economy, private entities quickly replaced former state-owned enterprises, most of which were either privatized or liquidated. The structure of Wroclaw's industries has changed and is now dominated by automotive production, pharmaceuticals, and new technologies. Modernization of the city's industrial base has been aided by the rapid development, since the mid 1990s, of higher education, which provides highly-skilled human resources. Fast economic growth made Wroclaw one of the richest Polish cities. Culture is also one of the priorities of city government. Wroclaw is a site of many important events, like Era Nowe Horyzonty film festival, or Dialog Wroclaw International Theathre Festival. Right now Wroclaw is of the most important economical and cultural centres of Poland.

• Wroclaw University of Economics
• University of Wroclaw
• Wroclaw University of Technology
• Wroclaw Medical University
• University School of Physical Education in Wroclaw

Wroclaw has a rich nightlife offer. A few hundreds of bars, pubs and clubs are available. Most of them are concentrated in very city centre, what makes clubbing very easy, as the clubs are within walking distance from each other. Two biggest club locations are the Main Market with neighboring small streets and Pasaz Niepolda, a courtyard with almost 30 clubs. A few of them are located near the student's dormitories around Plac Grunwaldzki. Wroclaw's clubs are usually open to all guests, door selection is very rare. On the weekends the city centre streets are crowded all night long. The safety level is high, police patrols are frequent.

Wroclaw's history is more than 1000 years long, so it's obvious that there'e much to see. The oldest part of the city is Ostrów Tumski, a former island placed in a city center. It's a site of many Christian historical monumets, like the statue of Pope John XXIII, one of the city's landmarks, placed here in 1968, st. Martin chapel, whose history reaches back to the twelfth century, unique two-story Holy Cross collegiate church, St Giles church - the oldest in Wroclaw and famous St John the Baptist Cathedral. Worth noticing are Archbishop's Palace and former Bishop's Palace (currently Papal Faculty of Theology), as well as the neighboring Wyspa Piaskowa (Sand Island) churches. There's also Botanical Garden with Nature Museum.

The Main Market and the whole city center area is very beautiful. Gothic, baroque, and renaissance mansions, Opera and Puppet Theathre buildings, the Town Hall, modernist departament stores, and many other interesting places make this area a must-see. But there's still much to see elsewhere. Zoological Garden, the oldest and biggest in Poland, magnificent Centennial Hall, the most famous landmark of Wroclaw, with neighboring Szczytnicki Park, remnant buildings of WoWa architecture exhibition, and many, many others.

There's no problem with organizing a trip. Wroclaw is very close to Berlin and Prag, offering direct bus and train connections with these cities. The journey to Karkonosze mountains, ideal for skiing and tramping should take no more than 3 hours. It's easy to get to any Polish city with a plane, train or bus.

Festivals

Era Nowe Horyzonty International Film Festival
- 10 day summer festival, hundreds of movies, concerts, discussions, and other additional events.

Dialog Wroclaw
- International theathre festival, organized every two years, acclaimed as one of the most important in Poland

Creamfields
- Summer music festival for fans of electronica, hosting such stars as Armand Van Helden, Paul Van Dyk, or The Prodigy

Vratislavia Cantans
- One of the Europe's most important festivals of oratorio and cantata music.

International Short Story Festival and Port Wroclaw
- Very popular short story and poetry festivals, with literature reading, meetings with authors, and additional events

WRO Festival
- International Media Arts Biennale, showing video art, computer animation, performances, net art, concerts, multimedia spectacles and other artistic net projects.

Wroclaw Non Stop
- 10 day annual summer festival of all kinds of art. The biggest event in Wroclaw.

Cultural Institutions

Wroclaw's cultural life is based on festivals. The offer of museums is less interesting, with the exception of Panorama Raclawicka - the monumental painting shown in a specially constructed building in Slowackiego Park. Most interesting city theathers are Polski and Wspólczesny, both located in city center. The independent scenes: Ad Spectatores, showing their spectacles in shocking locations, like moving train or postindustrial interiors, and radical Scena Witkacego are also worth visiting.