The origin of the city's name remains a matter of debate. It was long believed that the city was named after DukeVratislav I of Bohemia from theCzechPřemyslid dynasty, who was ruling between 915 and 921.[15] This thesis is contradicted, however, by the fact that the Czechs only took control of the Wrocławgród around the year 945.[16]
The earliest recorded mentions of the city's name, found inThietmar's Chronicle (Wrotizla,Wordisclavia,Wortizlania,Vaurtizlau), written around the year 1000, indicate the phonetic form of the original name of the city asWrocisław, derived from the Old Polish given name Wrocisław/Warcisław.[17][18] According to researchers, this was the name of the city's founder, whom Edmund Małachowicz identified as a duke from the Włost family of Niemcza.[16]
As a result of phonetic changes, the name was later shortened toWrocław, first recorded in 1175 in the Latinized formWrezlaw, and it became widespread in the 13th century.[19] Also in the 12th century, a Czech-influenced and Latinized form,Vratislavia, began to appear.[20] The city's first municipal seal was inscribed withSigillum civitatis Wratislavie.[21]
By the 15th century, theEarly New High German variations of the name,Breslau, first began to be used. Despite the noticeable differences in spelling, the numerous German forms were still based on the originalWest Slavic name of the city, with the-Vr- sound being replaced over time by-Br-,[22] and the suffix-slav- replaced with-slau-. These variations includedWrotizla,Vratizlau,Wratislau,Wrezlau,Breßlau orBresslau among others.[23] APrussian description from 1819 mentions two names of the city – Polish and German – stating"Breslau (polnisch Wraclaw)".[24]
People born or resident in the city are known as "Wrocławians" or "Vratislavians" (Polish:wrocławianie). The now little-used German equivalent is "Breslauer".
Wrocław originated at the intersection of twotrade routes, theVia Regia and theAmber Road. Archeological research conducted in the city indicates that it was founded around 940.[27] In 985, DukeMieszko I of Poland conquered Silesia, and constructed new fortifications on Ostrów.[28] The town was mentioned by Thietmar explicitly in the year1000 AD in connection with its promotion to anepiscopal see during theCongress of Gniezno.[29]
The city became a commercial centre and expanded toWyspa Piasek (Sand Island), and then onto the left bank of theRiver Oder. Around 1000, the town had about 1,000 inhabitants.[32] In 1109 during thePolish-German war, PrinceBolesław III Wrymouth defeated the King of GermanyHenry V at theBattle of Hundsfeld, stopping the German advance into Poland. The medieval chronicle,Gesta principum Polonorum (1112–1116) byGallus Anonymus, named Wrocław, along withKraków andSandomierz, as one of three capitals of the Polish Kingdom. Also, theTabula Rogeriana, a book written by the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi in 1154, describes Wrocław as one of the Polish cities, alongside Kraków,Gniezno,Sieradz,Łęczyca andSantok.[33] By 1139, a settlement belonging to GovernorPiotr Włostowic (also known as Piotr WłastDunin) was built, and another on the left bank of the River Oder, near the present site of the university. While the city was largely Polish, it also had communities of Bohemians (Czechs),Germans,Walloons andJews.[34][31][35]
In the 13th century, Wrocław was the political centre of the divided Polish kingdom.[36] In April 1241, during thefirst Mongol invasion of Poland, the city was abandoned by its inhabitants and burnt down for strategic reasons. During the battles with the MongolsWrocław Castle was successfully defended byHenry II the Pious.[37] In 1245, in Wrocław,Franciscan friarBenedict of Poland, considered one of the first Polish explorers, joined Italian diplomatGiovanni da Pian del Carpine, on his journey to the seat of the Mongol Khan nearKarakorum, the capital of theMongol Empire, in what is considered the first such journey by Europeans.[38]
After the Mongol invasion, the town was partly populated byGerman settlers who, in the ensuing centuries, gradually became its dominant population.[39] The city, however, retained its multi-ethnic character, a reflection of its importance as a trading post on the junction of the Via Regia and the Amber Road.[40] With the influx of settlers, the town expanded and in 1242 came underGerman town law. Thecity council used both Latin andGerman, and the early forms of the nameBreslau, the German name of the city, appeared for the first time in its written records.[39] Polish gradually ceased to be used in the town books, while it survived in the courts until 1337, when it was banned by the new rulers, the German-speakingHouse of Luxembourg.[35]
The oldest printed text in thePolish language–Statuta Synodalia Episcoporum Wratislaviensis, printed in Wrocław, 1475
The enlarged town covered around 60 hectares (150 acres), and the newmain market square, surrounded by timber-frame houses, became the trade centre of the town. The original foundation,Ostrów Tumski, became its religious centre. The city gainedMagdeburg rights in 1261. While the Polish Piast dynasty remained in control of the region, the city council's ability togovern independently had increased.[41] In 1274 princeHenry IV Probus gave the city itsstaple right. In the 13th century, two Polish monarchs were buried in Wrocław churches founded by them, Henry II the Pious in theSt. Vincent church[42] and Henryk IV Probus in theHoly Cross church.[43]
Wrocław, which for 350 years had been mostly under Polishhegemony, fell in 1335, after the death ofHenry VI the Good, toJohn of Luxembourg. His son EmperorCharles IV in 1348 formally incorporated the city into theHoly Roman Empire. Between 1342 and 1344, two fires destroyed large parts of the city. In 1387 the city joined theHanseatic League. On 5 June 1443, the city was rocked by an earthquake, estimated at magnitude 6, which destroyed or seriously damaged many of its buildings.
Between 1469 and 1490, Wrocław was part of theKingdom of Hungary, and kingMatthias Corvinus was said to have had a Vratislavian mistress who bore him a son.[44] In 1474, after almost a century, the city left the Hanseatic League. Also in 1474, the city was besieged by combined Polish-Czech forces. However, in November 1474, KingsCasimir IV of Poland, his sonVladislaus II of Bohemia, and Matthias Corvinus of Hungary met in the nearby village ofMuchobór Wielki (present-day a district of Wrocław), and in December 1474 aceasefire was signed according to which the city remained under Hungarian rule.[45] The following year was marked by the publication in Wrocław of theStatuta Synodalia Episcoporum Wratislaviensium (1475) by Kasper Elyan, the first everincunable in Polish, containing the proceedings and prayers of the Wrocław bishops.[46]
TheEmperor brought in theCounter-Reformation by encouraging Catholic orders to settle in the city, starting in 1610 with theFranciscans, followed by theJesuits, thenCapuchins, and finallyUrsuline nuns in 1687.[15] These orders erected buildings that shaped the city's appearance until 1945. At the end of the Thirty Years' War, however, it was one of only a few Silesian cities to stay Protestant.
The Polish Municipal school opened in 1666 and lasted until 1766. Precise record-keeping of births and deaths by the city fathers led to the use of their data for analysis of mortality, first byJohn Graunt and then, based on data provided to him by Breslau professorCaspar Neumann, byEdmond Halley.[49] Halley's tables and analysis, published in 1693, are considered to be the first true actuarial tables, and thus the foundation of modernactuarial science. During the Counter-Reformation, the intellectual life of the city flourished, as the Protestantbourgeoisie lost some of its dominance to the Catholic orders as patrons of the arts.
The entry of PrinceJérôme Bonaparte into the city, 7 January 1807
During theNapoleonic Wars, it was occupied by theConfederation of the Rhine army. The fortifications of the city were levelled, and monasteries and cloisters were seized.[15] The ProtestantViadrina European University atFrankfurt an der Oder was relocated to Breslau in 1811, and united with the local Jesuit University to create the new Silesian Frederick-William University (German:Schlesische Friedrich-Wilhelm-Universität, now theUniversity of Wrocław). The city became a centre of the German Liberation movement against Napoleon, and a gathering place for volunteers from all over Germany. The city was the centre of Prussian mobilisation for the campaign which ended at theBattle of Leipzig.[53]
The Confederation of the Rhine had increased prosperity in Silesia and in the city. The removal of fortifications opened room for the city to expand beyond its former limits. Breslau became an important railway hub and industrial centre, notably for linen andcotton manufacture and the metal industry. The reconstructed university served as a major centre of science;Johannes Brahms later wrote hisAcademic Festival Overture to thank the university for an honorary doctorate awarded in 1879.[54]
Archbishop's Palace in Wrocław, built in 1794
In 1821, the(Arch)Diocese of Breslau withdrew from dependence on the Polish archbishopric of Gniezno, and Breslau became an exempt see. In 1822, the Prussian police discovered thePolonia Polish youth resistance organisation and carried out arrests of its members and searches of their homes.[55] In 1848, many local Polish students joined theGreater Poland uprising against Prussia.[56] On 5 May 1848, a convention of Polish activists from the Prussian and Austrian partitions of Poland was held in the city.[57] On 10 October 1854, theJewish Theological Seminary opened. The institution was the first modern rabbinical seminary in Central Europe. In 1863 the brothers Karl and Louis Stangen founded the travel agency Stangen, the second travel agency in the world.[58]
The city was an important centre of thePolish secret resistance movement and the seat of a Polish uprising committee before and during theJanuary Uprising of 1863–1864 in theRussian Partition of Poland.[59] Local Poles took part in Polish national mourning after the Russian massacre of Polish protesters inWarsaw in February 1861, and also organised several patriotic Polish church services throughout 1861.[60] Secret Polish correspondence, weapons, and insurgents were transported through the city.[61]
After the outbreak of the uprising in 1863, the Prussian police carried out mass searches of Polish homes, especially those of Poles who had recently come to the city.[62] The city's inhabitants, both Poles and Germans, excluding the German aristocracy, largely sympathised with the uprising, and some Germans even joined local Poles in their secret activities.[63] In June 1863 the city was officially confirmed as the seat of secret Polish insurgent authorities.[64] In January 1864, the Prussian police arrested a number of members of the Polish insurgent movement.[65]
TheUnification of Germany in 1871 turned Breslau into the sixth-largest city in theGerman Empire. Its population more than tripled to over half a million between 1860 and 1910. The 1900 census listed 422,709 residents.[66]
In 1890, construction began of Breslau Fortress as the city's defences. Important landmarks were inaugurated in 1910, theKaiser bridge (todayGrunwald Bridge) and theTechnical University, which now houses theWrocław University of Technology.The 1910 census listed 95.7% of the population as German-speakers, with 15,107 Polish-speakers (3%), and 3,431 (0.7%) as bilingual in Polish and German,[67] although some estimates put the number ofPoles in the city at the time at 20,000 to 30,000.[68] The population was 58% Protestant, 37% Catholic (including at least 2% Polish)[69] and 5% Jewish (totaling 20,536 in the 1905 census).[70] TheJewish community of Breslau was among the most important in Germany, producing several distinguished artists and scientists.[71]
From 1912, the head of the university's Department of Psychiatry and director of the Clinic of Psychiatry (Königlich Psychiatrischen und Nervenklinik) wasAlois Alzheimer and, that same year, professorWilliam Stern introduced the concept ofIQ.[72]
In 1913, the newly builtCentennial Hall housed an exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the historicalGerman Wars of Liberation againstNapoleon and the first award of theIron Cross.[73] The Centennial Hall was built by Max Berg (1870–1947), since 2006 it is part of the world heritage of UNESCO.[74] The central station (byWilhelm Grapow, 1857) was one of the biggest in Germany and one of the first stations with electrified railway services.[75] Since 1900 modern department stores like Barasch (today "Feniks") or Petersdorff (built by architect Erich Mendelsohn) were erected.
DuringWorld War I, in 1914, a branch of theOrganizacja Pomocy Legionom ("Legion Assistance Organisation") operated in the city with the goal of gaining support and recruiting volunteers for thePolish Legion, but three Legions' envoys were arrested by the Germans in November 1914 and deported to Austria, and the organisation soon ended its activities in the city.[76] During the war, the German administration operated seven forced labour camps forAlliedprisoners of war in the city.[77]
Following the war, Breslau became the capital of the newly created PrussianProvince of Lower Silesia of theWeimar Republic in 1919. After the war the Polish community began holding masses in Polish at the Church of Saint Anne, and, as of 1921, at St. Martin's and a Polish School was founded by Helena Adamczewska.[78] In 1920 a Polishconsulate was opened on the Main Square. In August 1920, during the PolishSilesian Uprising inUpper Silesia, the Polish Consulate and School were destroyed, while the Polish Library was burned down by a mob. The number of Poles as a percentage of the total population fell to just 0.5% after the re-emergence ofPoland as a state in 1918, when many moved to Poland.[69]Antisemitic riots occurred in 1923.[79]
The city boundaries were expanded between 1925 and 1930 to include an area of 175 km2 (68 sq mi) with a population of 600,000. In 1929, theWerkbund openedWuWa (German:Wohnungs- und Werkraumausstellung) in Breslau-Scheitnig, an international showcase ofmodern architecture by architects of the Silesian branch of the Werkbund. In June 1930, Breslau hosted theDeutsche Kampfspiele, asporting event for German athletes after Germany was excluded from theOlympic Games after World War I. The number of Jews remaining in Breslau fell from 23,240 in 1925 to 10,659 in 1933.[80] Up to the beginning of World War II, Breslau was the largest city in Germany east ofBerlin.[81]
A pre-war aerial view of the city, 1920
Known as a stronghold ofleft wing liberalism during the German Empire, Breslau eventually became one of the strongest support bases of theNazi Party, which in the 1932 elections received 44% of the city's vote, their third-highest total in all Germany.[82][83]
In June 1939, Polish students were expelled from the university.[87] Also many other people seen as "undesirable" by Nazi Germany were sent toconcentration camps.[85] A network ofconcentration camps andforced labour camps was established around Breslau to serve industrial concerns, includingFAMO,Junkers, andKrupp. Tens of thousands of forced labourers were imprisoned there.[88]
During theinvasion of Poland, which startedWorld War II, in September 1939, the Germans carried out mass arrests of local Polish activists and banned Polish organisations,[87] and the city was made the headquarters of the southern district of theSelbstschutz, whose task was topersecute Poles.[90] For most of the war, the fighting did not affect the city. During the war, the Germans opened the graves of medieval Polish monarchs and local dukes to carry outanthropological research forpropaganda purposes, wanting to demonstrate German "racial purity".[42] The remains were transported to other places by the Germans, and they have not been found to this day.[42]
In 1941, the remnants of the pre-war Polish minority in the city, as well as Polish slave labourers, organised a resistance group calledOlimp. The organisation gathered intelligence, carrying out sabotage and organising aid for Polish slave workers. In September 1941 the city's 10,000 Jews were expelled from their homes and soon deported to concentration camps. Few survived theHolocaust.[91] As the war continued, refugees from bombed-out German cities, and later refugees from farther east, swelled the population to nearly one million,[92] including 51,000 forced labourers in 1944, and 9,876 Allied PoWs. At the end of 1944 an additional 30,000–60,000 Poles were moved into the city after the Germans crushed theWarsaw Uprising.[93]
In 1945, the city became part of the front lines and was the site of the brutalSiege of Breslau.[100] Adolf Hitler had in 1944 declared Breslau to be a fortress (Festung), to be held at all costs. An attempted evacuation of the city took place in January 1945, with 18,000 people freezing to death in icy snowstorms of −20 °C (−4 °F) weather. In February 1945, theSovietArmy approached the city and the GermanLuftwaffe began anairlift to the besieged garrison. A large area of the city centre was demolished and turned into an airfield by the defenders.[101] By the end of the three-month siege in May 1945, half the city had been destroyed. Breslau was the last major city in Germany to surrender, capitulating only two days before the end of the war in Europe.[102] Civilian deaths amounted to as many as 80,000. In August the Soviets placed the city under the control of Germancommunists.[103]
Following theYalta Conference held in February 1945, where the newgeopolitics ofCentral Europe were decided, the terms of thePotsdam Conference decreed that along with almost all of Lower Silesia, the city would again become part ofPoland[103] in exchange for Poland's loss of the city ofLwów along with the massive territory ofKresy in the east, which was annexed by theSoviet Union.[104] The Polish name of Wrocław was declared official. There had been discussion among theWestern Allies to place the southern Polish-German boundary on theEastern Neisse, which meant post-war Germany would have been allowed to retain approximately half of Silesia, including those parts of Breslau that lay on the west bank of the Oder. However, the Soviet government insisted the border be drawn at theLusatian Neisse farther west.[104]
The city's German inhabitants who had not fled, or who had returned to their home city after the war had ended,were expelled between 1945 and 1949 in accordance to the Potsdam Agreement and were settled in theSoviet occupation zone or in theAllied Occupation Zones in the remainder of Germany. The city's last pre-war German school was closed in 1963.[105]
The Polish population was dramatically increased by the resettlement of Poles, partly due to postwarpopulation transfers during the forceddeportations fromPolish lands annexed by the Soviet Union inthe east region, some of whom came fromLviv (Lwów),Volhynia, and theVilnius Region. However, despite the prime role given to re-settlers from theKresy, in 1949, only 20% of the new Polish population actually were refugees themselves.[106] A small German minority (about 1,000 people, or 2% of the population) remains in the city, so that today the proportion of the Polish population compared to that of the Germans is the reverse of what it was a hundred years ago.[107] Traces of the German past, such as inscriptions and signs, were removed.[108] In 1948, Wrocław organised theRecovered Territories Exhibition and theWorld Congress of Intellectuals in Defence of Peace.Picasso's lithograph,La Colombe (The Dove), a traditional, realistic picture of a pigeon, without an olive branch, was created on a napkin at theMonopol Hotel in Wrocław during theWorld Congress of Intellectuals in Defence of Peace.[109]
In July 1997, the city was heavily affected by theMillennium Flood, the worst flooding in post-war Poland, Germany, and theCzech Republic. About one-third of the area of the city was flooded.[115] The smallerWidawa River also flooded the city simultaneously, worsening the damage. An earlier, equally devastating flood of the Oder river had taken place in 1903.[116]A small part of the city was also flooded during theflood of 2010. From 2012 to 2015, theWrocław water node was renovated and redeveloped to prevent further flooding.[117]
Wrocław won theEuropean Best Destination title in 2018.[121]
Wrocław is now a unique European city of mixed heritage, with architecture influenced by Polish,Bohemian,Austrian, andPrussian traditions, such as SilesianGothic and itsBaroque style of court builders of Habsburg Austria (Fischer von Erlach). Wrocław has a number of notable buildings by Germanmodernist architects including the famousCentennial Hall (1911–1913) designed byMax Berg.
Wrocław is located in the threemesoregions of theSilesian Lowlands (Wrocław Plain,Wrocław Valley, Oleśnica Plain) at an elevation of around 105–156 metres (Gajowe Hill and Maślickie Hill) above sea level.[122] The city lies on theOder River and its four tributaries, which supply it within the city limits –Bystrzyca,Oława,Ślęza andWidawa.[123] The Dobra River and many streams flow through the city. The city has asewage treatment plant on the Janówek estate.[124]
There are 44 city parks and public green spaces covering around 800 hectares. The most notable areSzczytnicki Park,Park Południowy (South Park) andAnders Park. In addition, Wrocław University runs an historicalbotanical garden, founded in 1811, with a salient Alpine garden, a lake and a valley.[125]
The city experiences relatively mild and dry winters, but with the skies frequently overcast. Summers are warm and generally sunny, however, that is the period when most precipitation occurs, which often falls during thunderstorms. The city sometimes experiencesfoehn-like conditions, particularly when the wind blows from the south or the south-west.[129] The temperatures in the city centre often tend to be higher than on the outskirts due to theurban heat island effect.[131][129]
Snow may fall in any month from October to May but normally does so in winter. The snow cover of at least 1 cm (0.39 in) stays on the ground for an average of 27.5 days per year – one of the lowest in Poland.[130] The highest temperature in Wrocław recognised by IMGW was noted on 8 August 2015 (37.9 °C (100 °F)),[130] though thermometers at the meteorological station managed by theUniversity of Wrocław indicated 38.9 °C (102 °F) on that day.[132] The lowest temperature was recorded on 11 February 1956 (−32 °C (−26 °F)).
Climate data for Wrocław (Wrocław Airport), elevation: 120 m, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present
Wrocław was previously subdivided into fiveboroughs (Polish:dzielnice):Old Town,Downtown,Krzyki,Fabryczna, andPsie Pole. Although they were abolished in 1991 and have not existed as public administration units since then, areas of borders and names similar/identical to the former districts exist in the practice of operation of various types of authorities and administrations (e.g., as divisions of territorial competencies of courts, prosecutors' offices, tax offices, etc.).
The present Wrocławdistricts (Polish:osiedla) were created in 1991, and are a type of local government district.
Wrocław is governed by thecity's mayor and a municipal legislature known as the city council. The city council is made up of 39 councilors and is directly elected by the city's inhabitants. The remit of the council and president extends to all areas of municipal policy and development planning, up to and including development of local infrastructure, transport and planning permission. It is not able to draw taxation directly from its citizens, and instead receives its budget from the Polish national government, whose seat is in Warsaw.
The city's current mayor isJacek Sutryk, who has served in this position since 2018. The first mayor of Wrocław after the war wasBolesław Drobner, appointed to the position on 14 March 1945, even before thesurrender of Festung Breslau.
Wrocław is the second-wealthiest of the large cities in Poland afterWarsaw.[139] The city is home to the largest number ofleasing and debt collection companies in the country, including the largest European Leasing Fund as well as numerous banks. Due to the proximity of the borders with Germany and the Czech Republic, Wrocław and the region ofLower Silesia is a large import and export partner with these countries.
Wrocław is one of the most innovative cities in Poland with the largest number of R&D centres, due to the cooperation between the municipality, business sector and numerous universities.[140] There are many organisations dealing with innovation–research institutions and technology transfer offices, incubators, technology and business parks, business support organisations, companies, start-ups and co-working spaces. The complex and varied infrastructure available in Wrocław facilitates the creation of innovative products and services and enables conducting research projects.[citation needed]
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the city has had a developinghigh-tech sector.Many high-tech companies are located in the Wrocław Technology Park, such as Baluff, CIT Engineering, Caisson Elektronik, ContiTech, Ericsson, Innovative Software Technologies,IBM, IT-MED, IT Sector,LiveChat Software, Mitsubishi Electric, Maas, PGS Software, Technology Transfer Agency Techtra and Vratis. InBiskupice Podgórne (Community Kobierzyce) there are factories ofLG (LG Display, LG Electronics, LG Chem, LG Innotek), Dong Seo Display, Dong Yang Electronics,Toshiba, and many other companies, mainly from the electronics and home appliances sectors, while theNowa Wieś Wrocławska factory and distribution centre ofNestlé Purina and factories a few other enterprises.
The city is the seat of Wrocław Research CentreEIT+, which contains, inter alia, geological research laboratories to the unconventional and Lower Silesian Cluster of Nanotechnology.[142] The logistics centresDHL,FedEx andUPS are based in Wrocław.[143] It is a major centre for the pharmaceutical industry (U.S. Pharmacia, Hasco-Lek, Galena, Avec Pharma,3M, Labor, S-Lab, Herbapol, and Cezal).
Ten Square Games was founded in 2011 by Maciej Popowicz and Arkadiusz Pernal. The company's name comes from the ten-square-meter office space where it began in Wrocław. It is still headquartered in the city until this day, while its stock is listed onWarsaw Stock Exchange.[145][146]
In February 2013,Qatar Airways launched its Wrocław European Customer Service.[147]
Magnolia Park - The fourth largest shopping centre in Poland and the largest one in Wrocław. It offers a wide selection of shops, includingZara,Sephora,Cropp,Castorama, andPrimark
Wroclavia - One of the largest malls in Poland and the 2nd largest in Wrocław, after Magnolia Park. It is a major shopping centre, located next to theWrocław Main railway station, featuring more than 150 shopping outlets, restaurants, cafes andCinema City. The building also houses Wrocław Central coach station, which is located beneath the shopping centre
Centrum Handlowe Korona - Large shopping complex located in north Wrocław. It features retail shops for fashion and home goods, as well as a food court & cinema
Traffic congestion is a significant issue in Wrocław as in most Polish cities. In 2020 it was ranked as the fifth-most congested city in Poland, and 41st in the world.[152] On average, a car driver in Wrocław annually spends seven days and two hours in a traffic jam.[153]Roadblocks,gridlocks and narrowcobblestone streets around the Old Town are considerable obstacles for drivers. The lack of parking space is also a major setback; private lots or on-street pay bays are the most common means of parking.[154] A 2019 study revealed that there are approximately 130 vehicles per each parking spot, and the search for an unoccupied bay takes on average eight minutes.[155]
Adjacent to the railway station, is a central bus station located in the basement of the shopping mallWroclavia, with services offered byPKS, Neobus,Flixbus,Sindbad, and others.[160][161]
The public transport in Wrocław comprises 99 bus lines and a well-developed network of 23tram lines, with a length of over 200 kilometres, operated by the Municipal Transport Company MPK (Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne).[162][163] Rides are paid for, tickets can be purchased in vending machines, which are located at bus stops, as well as in the vending machines located in the vehicle. Payment is via contactlesspayment card, and the ticket is saved on the card. The tickets are available for purchase in the electronic form via mobile app:mPay,Apple Pay, SkyCash, Mobill,Google Pay. Tickets are one-ride or temporary (0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 24, 48, 72, or 168 hours).
All buses and a significant portion of the trams have low-floors.
There are 1,200 km (746 mi) ofcycling paths, including about 100 km (62 mi) paths on flood embankments. Wrocław has a bike rental network called the City Bike (Wrocławski Rower Miejski). It has 2,000 bicycles and 200 self-service stations.[164] In addition to regular bicycles, tandem, cargo, electric, folding, tricycles, children's, and handbikes are available, operating every year from 1 March to 30 November. During winter (December – February) 200 bikes are available in the system.
Electronic car rental systems include Traficar, Panek CarSharing (hybrid cars),[165][166] GoScooter and hop.city electricscooters using the mobile application.
In December 2020, the estimated population of Wrocław was 641,928, of which 342,215 were women and 299,713 were men.[168] Since 2011, the population has been steadily rising, with a 0.142% increase between 2019 and 2020, and a 2.167% increase in the years 2011–2020.[169] In 2018, the crudebirth rate stood at 11.8 and themortality rate at 11.1 per 1,000 residents.[170] The median age in 2018 was 43 years.[171] The city's population is aging significantly; between 2013 and 2018, the number ofseniors, perStatistics Poland – men aged 65 or above and women aged 60 or above, surged from 21.5% to 24.2%.[170]
Historically, the city's population grew rapidly throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1900, approximately 422,709 people were registered as residents. In 1910 the population was 512,105 of whom according to the official census 3.62% (18,538) spoke Polish, however some Polish scholars estimated that there could be even up to 50,000 (10%) people of Polish extraction in Breslau.[172] In 1933, the population was 625,000.[173] Between 1933 and 1939 the population declined to 620,976 on 17 May 1939.[174] The strongest growth was recorded from 1900 to 1910, with almost 100,000 new residents within the city limits. Although the city was overwhelmingly German-speaking, the ethnic composition based on heritage or place of birth was mixed.[175][176]
In 2000, around 43% of all inhabitants in 1910 were born outside Silesia and migrated into the city, mostly from the contemporary regions ofGreater Poland (then thePrussian Partition of Poland) orPomerania.[177] Poles and Jews were among the most prominent active minorities. Simultaneously, the city's territorial expansion and incorporation of surrounding townships further strengthened population growth.[177]
Following the end of the Second World War andpost-1945 expulsions of the remaining pre-war population, Wrocław became again predominantlyPolish-speaking. New incomers were primarily resettled fromareas in the east which Poland lost (Vilnius andLviv), or from other provinces, notably the regions of Greater Poland,Lublin,Białystok andRzeszów.[178] At the end of 1947, the city's population was estimated at 224,800 individuals.[178] In the following years, Wrocław had the largestrate of natural increase among the five largest Polish cities.[178] German nationals who stayed were either resettled in the late 1940s and 1950s, or assimilated,[179] though acultural society now exists to promote German culture in the still-existing German minority.[180] In the 1950s,Greeks,refugees of the Greek Civil War, also settled in the city.[181]
Wrocław currently has one of the highest concentration of foreigners in Poland alongsideWarsaw andPoznań. A significant majority are migrant workers fromUkraine; other significant minorities include people fromItaly,Spain,South Korea,India,Russia andTurkey.[182][183] No exact statistic exists on the number of temporary residents from abroad. The city is home to a large population of foreign students.
Wrocław's population is predominantlyRoman Catholic, like the rest of Poland. Thediocese was founded in the city as early as 1000. It was one of the first dioceses in the country at that time. Now the city is the seat of aCatholic Archdiocese.
Prior to World War II, Breslau was mostly inhabited byProtestants, followed by a large Roman Catholic and a significant Jewish minority. In 1939, of 620,976 inhabitants, 368,464 were Protestants (United Protestants; mostlyLutherans and minorityReformed; in theEvangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union), 193,805 Catholics, 2,135 other Christians and 10,659 Jews. Wrocław had the third largest Jewish population of all cities in Germany before the war.[185] ItsWhite Stork Synagogue was completed in 1840,[185] and rededicated in 2010.[185] In 2014, it celebrated its first ordination of four rabbis and three cantors since theHolocaust.[185] The Polish authorities together with the German Foreign Minister attended the official ceremony.[185]
Post-war resettlements from Poland's ethnically and religiously more diverse former eastern territories, known in Polish asKresy, and the eastern parts of post-1945 Poland (seeOperation Vistula) account for a comparatively large portion ofGreek Catholics andOrthodox Christians of mostlyUkrainian andLemko descent.[citation needed] Wrocław is also unique for its "Dzielnica Czterech Świątyń" (Borough of Four Temples) — a part ofStare Miasto (Old Town) where a synagogue, aLutheran church, a Roman Catholic church and an Eastern Orthodox church stand near each other.[citation needed]
Other Christian denominations present in Wrocław include Seventh Day Adventists, Baptists, Free Christians, Reformed (Calvinist), Methodists, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Non-christian congregations include Buddhists. There are also minor associations practicing and promotingRodnovery neopaganism.[186][187]
In 2007, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wrocław established the Pastoral Centre for English Speakers, which offers Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, as well as other sacraments, fellowship, retreats, catechesis and pastoral care for all English-speaking Catholics and non-Catholics interested in the Catholic Church. The Pastoral Centre is under the care ofOrder of Friars Minor, Conventual (Franciscans) of the Kraków Province in the parish ofSt Charles Borromeo (Św Karol Boromeusz).[188]
Wrocław is the third largest educational centre of Poland, with 135,000 students in 30 colleges which employ some 7,400 staff.[189]The city is home to tenpublic colleges and universities. TheUniversity of Wrocław (Uniwersytet Wrocławski)[190] has over 47,000 students, and was ranked fourth among public universities in Poland by theWprost weekly ranking in 2007.[191] TheWrocław University of Technology (Politechnika Wrocławska)[192] has over 20,000 students, and was considered the best university of technology in Poland by theWprost in 2007.[193]
TheWrocław University of Economics (Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wrocławiu)[194] has over 18,000 students, and is ranked fifth best among public economic universities in Poland by theWprost weekly ranking in 2007.[195] TheWrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Uniwersytet Przyrodniczy we Wrocławiu)[196] has over 13,000 students, and ranked the third best among public agricultural universities in Poland by theWprost weekly ranking in 2007.[197]
Private universities include the Wyższa Szkoła Bankowa (University of Business in Wrocław), theUniversity of Social Sciences and Humanities (SWPS Uniwersytet Humanistycznospołeczny), the University of Law (Wyższa Szkoła Prawa),[204] and Coventry University Wrocław (a campus branch of theCoventry University, UK).[205] Other cultural institutions based in Wrocław arę theAlliance Française in Wrocław, the Austrian Institute in Wrocław, theBritish Council in Wrocław, the Dante Alighieri Society in Wrocław, and theGrotowski Institute in Wrocław.
TheOstrów Tumski (Cathedral Island) is the oldest section of the city. It was once an isolated islet between the branches of the Oder River. TheWrocław Cathedral, one of the tallest churches in Poland, was erected in the mid 10th century and expanded over later centuries. The island is home to five other Christian temples and churches, theArchbishop's Palace, the Archdiocese Museum, a 9.5-metre 18th-century monument dedicated to SaintJohn of Nepomuk, historic tenements and the steelTumski Bridge from 1889.[209][210] A notable attraction are 102 originalgas lanterns which are manually lit each evening by a cloakedlamplighter.[211]
The early 13th-century Main Market Square (Rynek) is the oldest medieval public square in Poland, and one of the largest. The area of the main square together with the auxiliary square is 48,500 m².[212] It features the ornate GothicOld Town Hall, the oldest of its kind in the country.[212] In the north-west corner of the square isSt. Elisabeth's Church (Bazylika Św. Elżbiety) with its 91.5-metre-high tower and an observation deck at an altitude of 75 metres. Beneath the basilica are two small medieval houses connected by an arched gate that once led into achurchyard; these were reshaped into their current form in the 1700s. Today, the two connected buildings are known to the city's residents as "Jaś i Małgosia", named after the children's fairy tale characters fromHansel and Gretel.[213]
North of the church are so-called "shambles" (Polish:jatki), a former meat market with aMonument of Remembrance for Slaughtered Animals.[214] The Salt Square, now a flower market, which opened in 1242, is located at the south-western corner of the Market Square. Close to the square, between Szewska and Łaciarska streets, is the domeless 13th-centurySt. Mary Magdalene Church, which in 1523 during theReformation was converted into Wrocław's first Protestant temple.[215]
ThePan Tadeusz Museum, open since May 2016, is located in the "House under the Golden Sun" at 6 Market Square. The manuscript of the nationalepos,Pan Tadeusz, is housed there as part of theOssolineum National Institute, with multimedia and interactive educational opportunities.[217]
The Tourist Information Centre (Polish:Centrum Informacji Turystycznej) is situated on theMain Market Square (Rynek) in building no 14. Wrocław has been visited by over 6 million tourists in 2024.[218] Freewireless Internet (Wi-Fi) is available at a number of places around town.[219]
An interesting way to explore the city is seeking outWrocław's dwarfs – over 800 small bronzefigurines can be found across the city, on pavements, walls and lampposts.[220] They first appeared in 2005.[221]
Small passenger vessels on the Oder offer river tours, as do historictrams or the converted open-topped historic busesJelcz 043.[224] In 2021, the Odra Centrum has opened, an educational centre on the river which is offering workshops, a library and kayak rentals.[225]
TheNational Museum at Powstańców Warszawy Square, one of Poland's main branches ofthe National Museum system, holds one of the largest collections of contemporary art in the country.[227]
Ossolineum is a National Institute and Library incorporating theLubomirski Museum (pl), partially salvaged from the formerly Polish city ofLwów (now Lviv inUkraine), containing items of international and national significance. It has a history of major World War II theft of collections after the invasion and takeover of Lwów byNazi Germany and theSoviet Union.
Świdnica Cellar (Piwnica Świdnicka), one of the oldest restaurant establishments in Europe.[229]
The city is well known for its large number ofnightclubs andpubs. Many are in or near theMarket Square, and in the Niepolda passage, therailway wharf on the Bogusławskiego street. The basement of theold City Hall houses one of the oldest restaurants in Europe—Piwnica Świdnicka, operating since 1273,[229] while the basement of the new City Hall contains thebrewpubSpiż. Next to the market there is also brewpubsBrowar Staromiejski Złoty Pies, while in other parts of the city two others brewpubs -Browar Stu Mostów andBrowar Rodzinny Prost.
Mostly on the second weekend of June, theFestival of Good Beer takes place.[230] It is the biggest beer festival in Poland.[230]
In November and December theChristmas market is held at the Main Market Square.[231]
Wrocław philologist and writerMarek Krajewski wrote a series ofcrime novels about detectiveEberhard Mock, a fictional character from the city of Breslau.[233] Michał Kaczmarek publishedWrocław according to Eberhard Mock – Guide based on the books by Marek Krajewski. In 2011, appeared the 1,104-page Lexicon of the architecture of Wrocław and in 2013 a 960-page Lexicon about the greenery of Wrocław. In 2019, Wrocław was recognised as aUNESCOCity of Literature.[234] Wrocław was designated as theWorld Book Capital for 2016 byUNESCO.[235]
Wrocław is home to the Wroclaw Feature Film Studio (Wytwórnia Filmów Fabularnych), the Film Stuntman School, ATM Grupa, Grupa 13, and Polot Media (formerly Tako Media).[236]
There are several theatres and theatre groups, includingPolish Theatre (Teatr Polski) with three stages, and Contemporary Theatre (Wrocławski Teatr Współczesny). The International Theatre Festival Dialog-Wrocław is held every two years.[238]
Wrocław's opera traditions are dating back to the first half of the seventeenth century and sustained by theWrocław Opera, built between 1839 and 1841. Wrocław Philharmonic, established in 1954 by Wojciech Dzieduszycki is also important for music lovers. TheNational Forum of Music was opened in 2015 and is a notable landmark, designed by the Polish architectural firm,Kurylowicz & Associates.[239]
Panthers Wrocław: American football team. Panthers joinedEuropean League of Football (ELF) which is an eight-team professional league, the first league in Europe since the demise ofNFL Europe.[242] The Panthers will start playing games against teams from Germany and Spain in June 2021.[243]
^"Główny Urząd Statystyczny" [Central Statistical Office] (in Polish). To search: Select "Miejscowości (SIMC)" tab, select "fragment (min. 3 znaki)" (minimum 3 characters), enter town name in the field below, click "WYSZUKAJ" (Search).
^Samsonowicz, Henryk, ed. (2000)."Śląsk między Gnieznem i Pragą" [in:] ,,Ziemie polskie w X wieku i ich znaczenie w kształtowaniu się nowej mapy Europy. Kraków: Universitas. p. 187.ISBN83-7052-710-8.OCLC45809955.
^Tadeusz Lewicki, Polska i kraje sąsiednie w świetle "Księgi Rogera" geografa arabskiego z XII w. Al Indrisi'ego, cz.I, Polska Akademia Nauk. Komitet Orientalistyczny, PWN, Kraków 1945.
^Maciej Łagiewski (11 September 2017)."Spotkanie królów".Gazeta Wrocławska (in Polish).Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved26 April 2020.
^Jasińska, Kamilla (2017)."BRAHMS, UWERTURA I UNIWERSYTET".Uniwersytet Wrocławski-University of Wrocław (in Polish). Archived fromthe original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved16 December 2020.
^Pater, Mieczysław (1976). "Polska poezja okolicznościowo-rewolucyjna we Wrocławiu (1812–1822)".Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka (in Polish).XXXI (2). Wrocław:Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, WydawnictwoPolskiej Akademii Nauk: 317.
^Hahn, Wiktor (1948). "Juliusz Słowacki w 1848 r.".Sobótka (in Polish).III (I). Wrocław: 105.
^"City of Breslau". 9 February 2016.Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved7 December 2020.
^Belzyt, Leszek C. (2013).Pruska statystyka językowa (1825-1911) a Polacy zaboru pruskiego, Mazur i Śląska [Prussian language statistics (1825-1911) and the Poles of the Prussian partition, Masuria and Silesia] (in Polish). Zielona Góra: Uniwersytet Zielonogórski. p. 328.ISBN978-83-7842-074-3.
^Cf.Meyers Großes Konversationslexikon: 20 vols., 6th ed., Leipzig and Vienna: Bibliographisches Institut, 1903–1908, vol. 3: Bismarck-Archipel bis Chemnitz (1903), article: Breslau (Stadt), pp. 394–399, here p. 396. No ISBN
^Orzechowski, Marian (1967). "Akcja legionowa we Wrocławiu w 1914 roku".Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka (in Polish).XXII (1–2). Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich: 129,134–135.
^Kujat, Janusz Adam (2000). "Pieniądz zastępczy w obozach jenieckich na terenie rejencji wrocławskiej w czasie I i II wojny światowej".Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny (in Polish).23. Opole:12–13.ISSN0137-5199.
^van Rahden, Till (2008).Jews and other Germans: civil society, religious diversity, and urban politics in Breslau, 1860–1925. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 234.
^abCygański, Mirosław (1984). "Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945".Przegląd Zachodni (in Polish) (4): 37.
^abMegargee, Geoffrey P. (2009).The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. pp. 712–716.ISBN978-0-253-35328-3.
^"Working Parties".Lamsdorf: Stalag VIIIB 344 Prisoner of War Camp 1940 – 1945. Archived fromthe original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved27 December 2020.
^Hargreaves, Richard (2015).Hitler's Final Fortress – Breslau 1945. p. 7.
^"Stalingrad an der Oder" [Stalingrad on the Oder].zeit.de (in German).Die Zeit. 3 March 2005.Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved11 February 2022.
^Philipp Ther (1998).Deutsche und polnische Vertriebene: Gesellschaft und Vertriebenenpolitik in der SBZ/DDR und in Polen 1945–1956. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 134.
^"NTKS Wrocław". Ntkswroclaw.vdg.pl.Archived from the original on 4 October 2010. Retrieved28 August 2010.
^"Sieć kanalizacyjna".MPWiK Wrocław (in Polish). Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Wodociągów i Kanalizacji SA we Wrocławiu.Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved16 December 2020.
^abcDubicki, Alfred; Dubicka, Maria; Szymanowski, Mariusz (2002)."Klimat Wrocławia".eko.org.pl. Fundacja EkoRozwoju. Archived fromthe original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved17 January 2022.
^www.cmsmirage.pl, CMSMirage sp z o o-."Rozkłady jazdy Wrocław".www.wroclaw.pl.Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved8 December 2020.
^"Home page" (in Polish). Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne.Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved28 August 2010.
^Belzyt, Leszek C. (2013).Pruska statystyka językowa (1825-1911) a Polacy zaboru pruskiego, Mazur i Śląska [Prussian linguistic statistics (1825-1911) and Poles of the Prussian partition, Masuria and Silesia] (in Polish). Zielona Góra: Uniwersytet Zielonogórski. p. 328.ISBN978-83-7842-074-3.
^Kubasiewicz, Izabela (2013). "Emigranci z Grecji w Polsce Ludowej. Wybrane aspekty z życia mniejszości". In Dworaczek, Kamil; Kamiński, Łukasz (eds.).Letnia Szkoła Historii Najnowszej 2012. Referaty (in Polish). Warszawa:IPN. p. 117.
^Iwona Gołaj, Grzegorz Wojturski (2006)."The National Museum in Wrocław. History".Muzeum Narodowe we Wrocławiu. Przewodnik (in Polish and English). Muzeum Narodowe we Wrocławiu. Archived fromthe original on 22 September 2014. Retrieved9 October 2012.
Till van Rahden, Jews and Other Germans: Civil Society, Religious Diversity, and Urban Politics in Breslau, 1860–1925 (2008. Madison, WI:The University of Wisconsin Press
Gregor Thum,Uprooted. How Breslau Became Wrocław During the Century of Expulsions (2011. Princeton:Princeton University Press
Strauchold, Grzegorz; Eysymontt, Rafał (2016).Wrocław/Breslau. Historical-Topographical Atlas of Silesian Towns. Vol. 5. Translated by Connor, William. Marburg: Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe.ISBN978-3-87969-411-2.
Kulak, Teresa (2006).Wrocław. Przewodnik historyczny (A to Polska właśnie). Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie.ISBN978-83-7384-472-8.
Gregor Thum, Obce miasto: Wrocław 1945 i potem, Wrocław: Via Nova, 2006
Scheuermann, Gerhard (1994).Das Breslau-Lexikon (2 vols.). Dülmen: Laumann n. BidVerlagsgesellschaft.ISBN978-3-89960-132-9.
van Rahden, Till (2000).Judenbiskupln nund andere Breslauer: Die Beziehungen zwischen Juden, Protestanten und Katholiken in einer deutschen Großstadt von 1860 bis 1925. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.ISBN978-3-525-35732-3.
The list includes the 107 urban municipalities governed by acity mayor (prezydent miasta) instead of a town mayor (burmistrz) ·Cities with powiat rights are initalics · Voivodeship cities are inbold
.jpg)
_Wroclaw_dwarf_01.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
