Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

198 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp218–21 and pp222–5

CENTRAL WROCŁAW

Bernadine Church and

Monastery 7

Church of St Elizabeth w

Church of Sts Wenceslas,

Stanisław and Dorothy r

Kameleon Store 9

Main Market Square 0

Nankiera Bishop’s Square 4

National Museum 5

Ostrów Tumski 1

Panorama of Racławice 6

Royal Palace e

St Mary Magdalene’s Church 8

Town Hall q

University Church of the

Blessed Name of Jesus 3

Wrocław University 2

P Wrocław University
pl. Uniwersytecki 1. Tel (071) 375

2618. Assembly Hall # 10am–
      3:30pm Mon, Tue, Thu, 11am–5pm
      Fri–Sun. &
      Established as an academy
      by Emperor Leopold I in
      1702, Wrocław University
      (Uniwersytet Wrocławski) was
      given its current status in 1811.
      The university has produced
      eight Nobel laureates including
      the nuclear physicist Max
      Born. Since 1945 it has been
      a Polish centre of learning.
      The highlight of this Baroque
      building is the Assembly Hall
      (Aula Leopoldina) whose inte-
      rior includes stucco work, gild-
      ing by Franz Josef Mangoldt
      and paintings by Christoph

The beautiful city of Wrocław bears the
stamp of several cultures. It was founded by
Duke Vratislav of Bohemia in the 10th century
and a Polish bishopric was established here
in AD 1000. Later it became the capital
of the Duchy of Silesian Piasts, and
then came under Czech rule in 1335.
In 1526, with the whole Czech state, it
was incorporated into the Habsburg
Empire, and in 1741 was transferred
to Prussian rule. The fierce defence that German forces
put up here at the end of World War II left almost three
quarters of Wrocław in ruins but the city has now been
painstakingly reconstructed.

Wrocław 3

Emblem of the
Golden Deer House,
Main Market Square

The richly ornamented interior of

Wrocław University’s Assembly Hall

Baroque pietá in the University Church

of the Blessed Name of Jesus

0 metres

0 yards

200

200

Ostrów Tumski
Cathedral of St John the Baptist
pl. Katedralay 18. # 10am–4pm
Mon–Sat, 2pm–4pm Sun.
http://www.katedra.archidiecezja.wroc.pl
Once an island in the Odra
river, Ostrów Tumski is where
the history of Wrocław began.
In the 19th century, the north-
ern arm of the Odra was filled
in and Tumski ceased to be an
island. Ostrów Tumski’s princi-
pal landmark, the Cathedral of
St John the Baptist (Katedra
św Jana Chrzciciela), has a fine
interior despite having suffered
the ravages of World War II.
Other highlights include the
two-tiered Church of the Holy
Cross, established in 1288 by
Henry IV, the Pious and the
Archdiocesan Museum, a rich
repository of Gothic art built
between 1519 and 1527. A
walk through the narrow
streets can be followed by a
visit to the Botanical Gardens.

Handke glorify ing Wisdom,

Knowledge and Science, and

the founders of the academy.

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STWOSZ
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WITA
M. Kopernik
Park
Arsenal
Church of
St Barbara
Royal
Palace
Dolnośląska
Opera Hause
Lalek
Theatre
Church of Sts
Wenceslas, Stanisław
and Dorothy
University
Library
Współczesny
Theatre
Church of
St Elizabeth
Town Hall
Kameleon
Store
St Mary
Magdalene’s
Church
Wrocław University
University Church of the
Blessed Name of Jesus
Airport
11 km (7 miles)