top of page

776 results found with an empty search

  • Ossolineum

    An old Polish library, founded in Lwów in 1817 by Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński and transferred partially to Wroclaw after WWII. Inside and outside the institute, there are stunning gardens. Don't miss it. It's free and gorgeous. It is highly recommended to drink coffee in the alley next to the outside garden or sit on the benches. Pure pleasure. The Coffee Shop and The Church

  • National Museum Wroclaw

    The museum was established in 1947. It holds an extensive collection of contemporary art next to displays of Polish and European paintings from the 17th to 19th century; Silesian Art of the 12th to 16th century; Silesian Art of the 16th to 19th century; and European Art of the 15th-20th Century. The museum stands out most from the outside in light of the vegetation that surrounds the building. Admission is free on Saturdays

  • Stare Jatki – The Butchers' Place

    This medieval street used to be the butchers' place. Now the site is home to artists' studios and gift shops. A collection of Bronze sculptures of animals welcomes the visitors, reminding them of the original purpose of the street.

  • The Centennial Hall

    Architect Max Berg designed this huge multi-functional building at the beginning of the 20th century to serve as a place for exhibitions, concerts, and sports events. At the time of the building, it was the most significant construction made of reinforced concrete, with a vast 23m-high dome. The hall is still active and uses for sporting events, concerts, and exhibitions. When I visited, it served a cats display. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and bought a ticket to the show, even though I had no intention to participate in a cats' beauty contest. When you purchase a ticket to the small and interesting museum on the side of the building, they also let you get inside the gallery and look at the impressive dome. The museum is dedicated to the development of architecture, the history of the Centennial Hall, and the way they built it. Very nice.

  • Four Days in Wroclaw

    Wroclaw is the capital of Lower Silesia province in the western south edge of Poland. With almost 700K people, it's the 4th largest city in the country. In a region rich with natural resources as coal, copper, and stones, the unique location of the town made it a very desirable destination for rulers and invaders throughout history. In the past, the city was under the control of Polish kings and dukes, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Austrian emperor, the Kingdom of Prussia, and Germany. Following the results of WWII, Wroclaw had become a Polish city again. These vicissitudes of history made Wroclaw a very Colorful, diverse, and multi-culture city. I explored Wroclaw for four days, and I wish I had more. I walked the city back and forth, trying not to walk the same street twice. Everywhere you go, you'll find surprises: Little dwarves statues are hiding anywhere. So many unique monuments, reviving stories from the past, commemorating critical historical events and people can be located in the city. Just walk and see them. This is a flat city, with almost no ups and downs – Ideal for walking. The coffee shops and bars are marvelous: each has its unique design, making you feel really blessed for being here. Liat told me she would like to come back for a few days to sit in a coffee shop and work on her research. I agree. I hope we come back soon. Things you must do in Wroclaw: (1) Eat Pierogi –traditional food of Poland. It's a filled dumpling that comes in different fillings like potatoes, meat, cheese, fruits, and more. Try both the boiled Pierogi and the fried one. (2) Walk the streets. (3) Drink Wiśniówka – a sweet Polish liqueur made of cherries and vodka. (4) Drink Polish Draft beer – Poland enjoys the flourishing of beer brewing. Therefore, you will find some great beers at a low price. Try it. (5) Take a walk to Cathedral Island – such a charming place. (6) Explore the beautiful Rynek. (7) Take at least one guided tour. I'm taking lots of free guided tours when traveling (and always tipping the guides, of course), but I never met excellent tour guides like those in Wroclaw. So I took three different free tours, with three different guides – they were all brilliant and with a lot of knowledge. It was a great learning experience – and I'm recommending it. (8) Search for dwarves. This is a very cool thing in Wroclaw – hundreds of dwarves are hiding throughout the city, telling the story of the sights they are located in. There are even some apps that can direct you to all of them.

  • Dwarfs Gallery

    The first dwarf figurine appeared on the street of Wroclaw in 2005. Since then, they became a tourist attraction, and their number grew to more than 600. The dwarf symbolizes the Polish anti-communist movement Orange Alternative. Several apps can help you hunt the dwarves around Wroclaw.

  • Zajezdnia (Depot) History Center in Wroclaw

    A museum of the postwar history of Wroclaw and other areas that joined Poland after the second world war. The center is located in the old tram depot, which was destroyed during the war. Afterward, it was rebuilt by the poles as a bus station. In 1980, the depot workers started a strike as part of the birth of the Solidarity movement, which opposed the communist regime and fought for democracy. The major exhibition "Wroclaw 1945-2016" tells the story of the rebuilt city until nowadays. It's a unique and very recommended museum.

  • My Second Visit in Wroclaw

    My first time in Wroclaw was such fun, so when Liat got invited to participate in another academic conference in that beautiful city – we didn't hesitate for a moment. I remembered that there were some places I didn't have time to see, and it was an excellent opportunity to catch up. We landed in the evening and headed directly to the hotel the conference ordered for us. It was far from the city center, and they were no restaurants in a close distance – however, the hotel restaurant was fabulous. We started our first morning by visiting the highlights from our previous visit: the Cathedral Island, the Ossolineum and its wonderful cafe, the former city prison, the old butchers' place, the Rynek, and the Market Hall. At noon, Liat's conference started at the Depot History Center – an old bus depot that was transformed into an excellent museum of Wroclaw after WWII. While Liat joined her colleagues, I visited the exhibition for an hour and a half and headed to the City Museum, which kept me busy for more than two hours. After a dinner of baked Pierogis at the Rynek, we continued to walk through the main sites of our last visit to the city – especially the Jewish sites, like the White Stork synagogue, the monuments for the deported Jews of the town and the memorial for the destroyed Great Synagogue. The next day I took Liat to the City Museum because I was very pissed – the museum tells the story of the city from the beginning, including all the major events the city has experienced – however, it disturbed me that the deportation of the City's Jews to their death was almost ignored. Afterward, I visited several sites at the Rynek, that I missed on my first visit: the St. Mary Magdelene's Church with the Witches bridge, the Town Hall and Pan Tadeusz Museum – a whole museum which is dedicated to a famous epoch by the Polish national poet Adam Mickiewicz. To close the day, I decided to head north to the neighborhood of Nadodrze, to see a very unique old train station. In the evening I rented a car for the next day because we have decided to spend our last day outside the city.Our last day consisted of three most-recommended sites outside Wroclaw: KL Gross Rosen – a brutal Nazi concentration camp located one-hour drive outside the city; The unique and beautiful wooden Church of Peace at Swidnica, a UNESCO heritage site; and the underground city Osowka – a massive system of underground corridors and halls that the Nazis have built for some secret target: as headquarters, or as a place for developing their new secret weapons. Our last stop before the airport was at the lovely Rynek of Wałbrzych. Wroclaw is a city to come back to. Its atmosphere, its beauty, its excellent restaurants, and cafés – making this one of the most fabulous places to visit. Be sure I intend to come back again.

  • Wroclaw City Museum at the Royal Palace

    The history museum is the main branch of the City Museum. It's located in the royal residence of the Prussian Hohenzoler kings from the 17th century. The permanent exhibition tells the story of 1,000 years' city, and it's fascinating. However, I was deeply saddened to see how the museum brutally eradicates the fate of the Jews during the Holocaust. The museum refers to Jewish life before the war and even the deportations made by the Nazis. Still, it does not explain the deportations at all - they were deported to extermination camps where they were brutally murdered. The museum adds sin to crime and misleads visitors, who may think that the Jewish community was not harmed during the Holocaust. Through a video presentation, they show the population changes made in the city following the war. Since the Polish and Jewish population of Lviv was transferred to Wroclaw, It looks like the Jewish community grew due to the war. The lack of reference to Jewish fate produces deception, and unfortunately, it appears to be intentional. I asked my wife Liat, an expert in Holocaust memory design, to come and see for herself because I fear that I might be missing something. She wrote a letter to the museum's management claiming that this was a distortion of memory - but they wrote to her that they are addressing these issues while guiding the visitors. They see no problem with it at all. The thing is, most visitors who come to the museum receive no guidance. This horrible and dark chapter in the city's history - in which thousands fled before the war began and about 10,000 were sent directly to their deaths by the Nazis - was simply ignored. Admission is free

  • St. Mary Magdalene Church in Wroclaw and the Witches' Bridge

    This gothic church from the 13th century is located near Rynek square. The church was hardly damaged during WWII and rebuilt from 1947 to 1953. There is a bridge connecting the two towers of the church. It called the Witches' Bridge or the Penitent Bridge. The legend tells about a girl from Wroclaw who didn't want to marry. So she was kidnapped and placed on the bridge. And had to sweep it until the end of time as a punishment. Visitors can climb to the bridge. It costs a few zlotys and demands strenuous climbing. Views from the Witches' Bridge

  • Pan Tadeusz Museum

    Pan Tadeusz Museum is a branch of the Ossolineum national institute and displays collections of the Ossolineum. One permanent exhibition presents the manuscript of Pan Tadeusz, Adam Mickiewicz's masterpiece. The other shows the romantic idea of freedom in Polish history. The museum is located in a beautiful tenement house in the main square.

  • Wroclaw Town Hall

    The old Gothic town hall stands in the middle of the market square, the Rynek, from the 13th century. It served the city council until it turned into a museum during the 1930s. Then, unfortunately, it was damaged during the second world war and reconstructed afterward.

bottom of page