Wroclaw Old Town Tour - PRIVATE (3h)

For over 1,000 years, the city has been magnificently reflected in the waters of the River Oder, the second biggest in Poland. With visible reminders of Czech, German and Polish rules, Wroclaw has become a truly modern European city, and one that you simply must experience for yourself. Being the buzzing capital of the Dolnoslaskie (Lower Silesia) province, it boasts a complex history to which the city owes its large number of historical sites. It is the most important cultural, economic, academic and tourist hub of south-west Poland, here you’ll discover a colourful city with full of attractions to suit every tourist.

Wroclaw quite often is named the City of 100 Brigdes. In fact there are more than 100 road bridges and footbridges that span together the riverbanks in Wroclaw – the only places where you’ll find more are Venice, Amsterdam, St. Petersburg and Hamburg. The distinctive turquoise railings of the Tumski Bridge are heavily weighed down by hundreds of love padlocks – just like the Ponte Milvio in Rome. Another must-see is the Witches’ Bridge, Wroclaw’s highest at some 45 feet above ground level, which connects the towers of the Gothic Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene and also offers incredible views of the city. But it’s the Grunwaldzki Bridge that reigns supreme in Wroclaw – it’s been a trademark of the city for over a century now. Its pioneering suspension structure is impressive both by day and night, when it is stunningly illuminated. Take a cruise on the Odra River to enjoy it fully and admire the breathtaking panorama of the Old Town and beautiful city bridges.

The oldest part of the city is Cathedral Island called Ostrow Tumski, originally situated in the fork of the Oder River. A fortified town built on Ostrow Tumski in the 10th Century marked the city’s beginnings. Priceless historic buildings you simply must visit here include the mammoth Gothic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist with its vertiginous twin towers, the two-storey brick Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross and St. Bartholomew and the Archdiocese Museum. The latter houses the Book of Henryków from the 13-14th Centuries, containing the first sentence ever written down in Polish, which is listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. You may like to know that in 16th century Nicolaus Copernicus used to live here. Nowadays Ostow Tumski is not an island anymore, as at the beginning of 19th century one of river branches was filled. But there are still 6 smaller islands nearby you can explore.

Already in the 12th century, there was a market square on the left bank of the river, just opposite Ostrow Tumski Island and some settlements nearby. During the Mongolian invasion in 1241, the settlements were destroyed and rebuilt by re-location, joining them into one city and surrounding with a defensive perimeter. Already in 1261, the city was expanded to a new, external Fosa, and in 1263 an independent New City (Nowe Miasto) was established, incorporated into the main city in 1327. This area surrounded by fortifications stayed in this shape till 1808 when fortifications were demolished and city extended. But this is what we consider the charming Old Town nowadays, as it offers a perfect blend of historical Renaissance and Mannerist tenement buildings and post-war reconstructions.

The Market Square called Rynek is one of the biggest and most beautiful in Europe, being a dynamic soul of the city where busker music plays day and night and mouth-watering smells come from inviting restaurant terraces. There are 10 streets leading to it from all parts of the city. It is lined with charming and colourful tenement buildings. The stunning Baroque “House Under the Golden Sun” (because there’s a large golden sun on the centre-top of its facade) is home to the Pan Tadeusz Museum, housing the manuscript of Adam Mickiewicz’s famous poem. After dusk, you’ll notice ladies and gentlemen in tradition costumes from the Romantic period moving behind the curtains on the first floor – enticing you to enter and visit the museum. The central part of the Market Square is occupied by a central block turned clockwise by 7 °, consisting of the Old Town Hall, the New Town Hall and tenement houses.

The late-Gothic Old Town Hall is quite the showstopper being one of the main landmarks of the city. Its long history reflects developments that have taken place in the city since its initial construction. The town hall serves the city of Wroclaw and is used for civic and cultural events such as concerts held in its Great Hall. In addition, it houses the Museum of Burgher Art, and in its basement, the oldest bar in Europe.

The University of Wroclaw It is the largest institution of higher learning in the Lower Silesia province. Throughout centuries it had many noble alumni including 9 Nobel Prize winners. Present main historic campus dates back to 1728 when Jesuit Leopoldin Academy was build replacing ruins of former medieval castle of Piast dynasty. Hence to its donator Leopold I has its name. Maine building called Collegium Maximum is 171 metres long and is reflecting beautifully in the waters of Oder River. It has a parade staircase and a series of representative rooms and auditoriums with a very rich baroque décor including theatre hall Auditorium Comicum, music hall Oratorium Marinas, and areal pearl to discover is Aula Leopoldina – representative baroque hall, a masterpiece that stayed almost untouched during three centuries. In the Wroclaw University complex once can also climb the Mathematic Tower offering a splendid panoramic view over the Old Town.

Construction of the Centennial Hall is one of the turning points in the history of the utilisation of steel for reinforcing structural frames of buildings. It was constructed between 1911 and 1913, in commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of the Battle of the Nations, fought with Napoleon (1813). Its other purpose was to serve as the centre for the great Centennial Exhibition. At the time of its construction, the Hall had the biggest reinforced concrete roofing in the world. The covering central cupola had 67 meters in diameter and the maximal width of the interior equals 95 metres. Available surface amounts to 14000 square metres. The Hall is spacious with the inner height of 43 metres. Further 56 exhibition rooms and vast lobbies were planned around the central hall. It was assumed that the Jahrhunderthalle exhibition centre could receive even 10,000 visitors at a time. The Hall’s construction was finalised in December, 1912, a month and a half ahead of the planned date.

Stroll medieval cobblestone streets, find out more about history of Wroclaw walking along Nankiera Square, visit Marker Hall and exceptional, the only one of its kind, the Panorama of the Battle of Raclawice Museum presenting one of the biggest 360˚ panoramic battle scenes in the world, nowadays one of the nation’s symbol. The museum was built on purpose in that shape to house a monumental 15 × 114 meter cycloramic painting depicting the Battle of Raclawice, during the Kosciuszko Uprising. The painting is one of only a few preserved relics of a genre of 19th-century mass culture, and the oldest in Poland. The panorama stands in a circular fashion and, with the viewer in the center, presents different scenes at various viewing angles. A special kind of perspective used in the painting and additional effects like lighting, artificial terrain, trees and buses create a feeling of reality. It allowed travelling in time and spaces two centuries before virtual reality was invented.