Poland - Eastern Europe - page 443

6 Silesia
WROCLAW
300km (180 miles) E of Kraków
Wroc l aw, the capital of Lower Silesia, known as Dolny 2 l § sk in Polish, is a surprisingly
likable big city. Although it was extensively damaged during World War II and stag-
nated under Communism, it's bounced back in a big way. Part of the reason has been
its western location, near the German border. This has made it easily accessible to
prosperous German day-trippers, who pour over the border for a coffee and a strudel.
It's also drawn outside investment, particularly from the Japanese, who are eager to
reach the rich markets of western Europe while producing in low-wage Poland.
The heart of the city is a beautifully restored central square, the Rynek, and the
playfully colorful baroque and Renaissance houses that line the square on all sides. On
a warm summer's evening, the square comes to life, as it seems the entire city descends
for a glass of beer or a cup of coffee. Most of this area lay in ruins in 1945, when the
Germans held out here for months against an intense Russian barrage. But all that
seems forgotten now. Only the presence of the surviving red-brick Gothic churches,
now mostly restored, but here and there still showing some of their wartime wounds,
evokes a sense of the scale of the destruction.
Wroc l aw was founded some 1,000 years ago by Slavs, but its population had
become increasingly Germanized throughout the centuries. Until the end of World
War II Wroc l aw was known as the German city of Breslau. The city came under Pol-
ish control with the defeat of Nazi Germany and the shifting of Poland's borders hun-
dreds of kilometers to the West. The surviving Germans were driven out of the city
and Wroc l aw was repopulated by Poles—many coming from the east of the country,
particularly the city of Lwów, which came under Soviet domination. Although the city
was overwhelmingly German just a generation ago, about the only German you're
likely to hear now are from the day-trippers ordering their coffee.
In spite of the border change and population shift, the city retains the unmistak-
able feel of a German provincial town, especially in the Rynek and the streets of the
Old Town. Spend time as well along the Odra River, which passes the town just to the
north of the Rynek. It's said there are more bridges here than any other city in Europe.
The river area was under heavy reconstruction in 2006, but the city authorities have
promised to have things ready by 2007.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Wroc l aw lies on the main four-lane highway (A4) linking the
German border with the city of Kraków, so getting here from Germany or Kraków is
easy. The stretch from Kraków to Katowice will cost a toll of 6.50 z l ($2.20/£1.15)
but is well worth the money. Rail and bus links are good between Wroc l aw and major
Polish towns and cities. The train and bus stations are situated together, about 2km (1
mile) south of the central city. The main train station, G l ówny, is a spooky-looking
multiturreted castle and a tourist site in its own right. To get to town from the station,
walk 15 minutes or take a taxi.