Worth knowing
The city of Wroclaw dates all the way back to the 9th century A.D. Today, the city of around 632,000 inhabitants is Poland's fourth largest city and one of the country's university and education centres.
Wroclaw has been haunted by wars, internal conflict, and natural disasters throughout its history. The most tragic of these events occurred toward the end of World War II, when the city, which had thus far been entirely spared from the ravages of war – was turned into a fortress for defence purposes, and almost completely destroyed. Today, the city on the Oder River is radiant once again, although its rebuilding was difficult and time-consuming.
Political affiliations changed repeatedly over the centuries, which are mirrored in the city's architecture. You'll find early influences from the Piast days as well as Gothic elements of Bohemian and German origin, Austrian Jesuit-style Baroque and Prussian Classicism.