Wroclaw: a walk through Polish history

Start your walk in Swidnicka Street, not far from the main train station. This long thoroughfare leads to the heart of the Old Town and is lined with historic buildings from various periods. To mention just a few, you will see the medieval Corpus Christi Church, the 19th-century Opera House, the Soviet-era Renoma department store and the ugly Solpol shopping mall which, built in the early 1990s, was once a cheerful symbol of newly-rediscovered Polish capitalism.

However, it is not the architecture that will captivate you most. Look around to discover other forms of art. At the bottom of the street (at the crossing with Pilsudskiego Street) you will encounter the Anonymous Pedestrians, a group of statues by Jerzy Kalina. The 14 pedestrians sinking into the pavement on one side of the street, then re-emerging on the other, commemorate the martial law introduced in Poland in December 1981 as an attempt to destroy political opposition to Communist rule in Poland. Thousands of people were arrested and many others had to go into hiding to avoid the same fate.

While the Pedestrians are life-size and conspicuous, there is a whole subculture of quirky characters to be seen if you tune in your visual radar. Designed by Tomasz Moczek, a gang of 1ft-tall little dwarfs seem to be leading a life parallel to that of the human inhabitants of the city. They walk, climb lamp posts, read books and go about their business, usually unnoticed by tourists.

Having walked the full length of Swidnicka Street, you will find yourself in the Main Square (Rynek). Sitting in the middle, the medieval Town Hall is the jewel in the crown of Wroclaw architecture. The large square is surrounded by colourful merchant houses. The most famous are miniature Hansel and Gretchen in the north-west corner. If you wish to admire the Main Square and a wider panorama of the city from above, ascend the church towers of St Mary Magdalene or St Elizabeth’s. Be warned – there are no lifts and the staircases are steep. However, the views are worth the effort.

When you get down, you may want to relax for a while in one of many beer gardens or taste the wonderful cherry pie in the charming café Borowka. But it is not the end of the walk yet.

The next point of interest is the Panorama of The Battle of Raclawice. To get there, take Kuznicza Street in the north-east corner of the square, turn right into Kotlarska Street and walk straight on until you see a big round building on your right. You will be surprised to find that this peculiar gallery displays only one painting. From the floor to the ceiling, its walls are covered with a huge 14m x 115m oil canvass, by Polish artists Wojciech Kossak and Jan Styka, depicting one of the glorious moments in Polish history. The moment you step on the viewing platform, you are taken back in time to find yourself in the middle of an 18th-century battle. You do not have to be a fan of batalistic scenes to appreciate the sheer size of this masterpiece, the effort involved in making it and the atmosphere of the place.

From the Panorama take Garncarska Street and follow it all the way to the river Oder. You will be greeted by a panoramic view of Ostrow Tumski Island and the magnificent Gothic Cathedral with its tall copper-clad spires. You can reach the island through a system of small and larger bridges. Soak up the atmosphere of the mysterious narrow streets, small churches and picturesque bridges. The area is at its best at dusk, when the gas street lamps are on.

Finish the day in one of many excellent restaurants and bars back in the Main Square. You never know, maybe a little dwarf will join you for a pint after his busy day in the streets of the Old Town.

Where to stay

For old-world charm, choose the Monopol Hotel near the Opera House in Swidnicka Street. For budget travellers, Hotel Polonia – near the main train station – offers basic but clean rooms and buffet breakfast at a very reasonable price.

Where to eat

There is a plethora of restaurants offering traditional Polish food in the Main Square (choose from Piwnica Swidnicka, Karczma Lwowska and Dwor Polski, to name just a few). If you get bored with pierogi and borsch, try the excellent Italian cuisine at La Scala restaurant, also in the Main Square.

How to get there

Ryanair, Wizzair, Lufthansa and SAS operate flights to Wroclaw from numerous European cities. Polish Airlines offers connections via Warsaw. Bus 406 will take you from the airport to the Main Station, with lots of convenient stops on the way.

Getting around

There are plenty of buses and trams, but all major attractions can be reached on foot.