Weekend in Wrocław? See what to see in two days [GUIDE]

DAY 1

SALT SQUARE 270m

We start our walk around Wrocław in the center, from Plac Solny, located only 270 m from the hotel, adjacent to Market Square. It used to be the so-called auxiliary market, there are many monuments around it, often overlooked by tourists. It's a pity. It is surrounded by colorful tenement houses:

• The building of the Old Stock Exchange - by far the most representative building on the square. It was built in the nineteenth century, modeled on Italian Renaissance palaces. The first Wrocław Stock Exchange and the city's merchants were located here. Above the entrance, you can see the Wratislavi coat of arms, with the letter "W". However, other elements of the city's coat of arms are missing here. The merchants deliberately omitted them, because they associated the city with paying high taxes.
• Plac Solny 2/3 - it was established for almost 100 years as an example of modern and avant-garde urban development. Formerly, in this place, there was a tenement house in which the “Apteka pod Murzynem” operated. The building was destroyed during the war. It was rebuilt in the post-war years, and the last renovation in the 90s brought it back to its former glory. For centuries, the tenement house was decorated with the sculpture "Negroes", and since the exact sketches of the sculpture have not survived, in 2000 Stanisław Wysocki, a sculptor from Wrocław, undertook the creation of a new figure. His mate Eugeniusz Get - Stankiewicz served as a model. However, after the sculpture was unveiled, a certain doctor diagnosed Stankiewicz with a hernia. By the way, the sculptures of Negroes were probably quite popular, because on the corner of ul. Ruska and Kiełbaśnicza, there is the House under the Three Negroes. On the façade of the building, there is a sculpture of Negroes looking at Solny Square.
• There is a 200 m2 bunker under Solny Square that can accommodate 300 people. It was built during World War II. It had toilets, sinks, kitchens, and a generator. It was unused for many years. Only recently has the Museum of Illusions and Film Costumes from Hollywood established here. The entrance to the bunker is at the women's underground toilet.

OLD SHALLOW 600m

Jatki is one of the most beautiful and frequently visited places in Wrocław. This street, situated among the market alleys, resembles Italian Tuscany in appearance and its cozy atmosphere. While strolling under the covered, charming tenement houses, we can feel the spirit of Renaissance history.

In the Middle Ages, meat was initially traded here. With time, the butchery began to function as residential houses. Some of Wrocław's best artists have their headquarters here as well. Some of the premises are intended for shops with painting, weaving, and paper materials.

OSSOLINEUM 500m

National Institute Ossoliński in Wrocław is one of the oldest and largest scientific libraries in the country, it conducts research and publishing activities. Its collection currently consists of approx. 1,700,000 items, including compact prints, magazines, manuscripts, documents, old prints, drawings, engravings, paintings, bookplates, medals, coins, seals, maps and plans, posters, brochures, posters , microform harvesting. Every year, you can see several large exhibitions, go to meetings and readings with famous scientists, writers and artists. There are concerts and theatrical performances. Ossolineum is a presentation library, which means that it makes its collections available only in reading rooms.

DAY 2

WROCLAW ISLANDS 600m

One of the most interesting places in the city is the collection of 6 islands on the Odra River. Each of them is different, each with a rich history. Youth, fun, religion and business meet here. Everyone, regardless of age, will find something for themselves. Bielarska Island is furthest to the north, "in the middle" is the largest Słodowa Island and Młyńska Island. From the side of the old town there is the Piaskowa Island and Daliowa Island (on which there is the "Nave" - a sculpture by Oskar Zięta).

Wrocław is called the "Venice of the North" for a reason. There are a total of 12 islands and… 118 bridges!

GONDOLA BAY 1.3 km

The Gondola Bay is the central marina of the Wrocław Water Junction. The quays of the Oder were (and still are) very popular places to spend free time. This is evidenced by the number of marinas, of which there were as many as 16 in Wrocław. A very good location - right next to the popular Xawery Dunikowski boulevard makes visiting Ostrów Tumski, Panorama of the Battle of Racławice and the National Museum easy to combine with a water trip by canoe, motor boat or a cruise ship.

DEPOT HISTORY CENTER 2.8 km

The unusual building from the end of the 19th century was a "witness" to the complicated history of the city. It was here that in August 1980 a strike to support the workers of the Coast began. This is how "Solidarity" was born. Now it is a place of modern historical exhibitions, educational and cultural projects. The main exhibition, arranged in the depot hall, is devoted to the entire post-war history of Wrocław, Lower Silesia and other regions incorporated into Poland as a result of World War II. Visitors can, among others listen to the accounts of witnesses to history, take part in the Peace Race, sign the message of Polish bishops to German bishops, check what Tadeusz Różewicz kept in a drawer or play the role of an opposition printer.

See our other Wrocław guides:

10 places that you must see while in Wrocław

Discover Lower Silesia with Europeum.