LET'S EXPLORE POLAND

Copyright 1997 by the AngloPol Corporation

This series will take us through the cities, towns, villages and countryside of Poland, 
as well as give us insights into the rich history and culture of the nation.

Part 15

SOUTHWEST POLAND--

WROCLAW - CAPITAL OF SILESIA

Situated upon the river Oder, in the middle of Silesia Lowlands, Wroclaw is one of the largest Polish towns populated by about 650,000 people. This is a large economic and cultural center exerting an influence even beyond the region. Such industries as electro-engineering, textile, electronic and foodstuffs are well developed and represented by such firms as: "Pafawag"--factory for rolling stock, "Polar"--factory for refrigerators and washers, "Otis" and "Intermoda"--clothes works and "Jelcz"--factory for trucks and buses.

The Wroclaw vicinity is also a major center of national culture. There are eleven higher education establishments including the University and the Polytechnic, a number of institutes and laboratories of the Polish Academy of Sciences, libraries, research associations, museums, theaters, the renowned Henryk Tomaszewski mime company, an opera house and a philharmonic hall. Special mention should be made of the Ossolinski National Library which is a major scientific center and a well-known publishing house.

Wroclaw plays host to such international festivals as that of modern music "Jazz on the Odra," Festival of Modern Polish Music and theater festivals such as Festival of Modern Polish Plays.

The town grew out of the locale inhabited by the Slenzane tribe to become an important, military and administrative center of a newly formed Polish state in the 10th century and the capital of the duchy, as well as of a bishopric.

During the first half of the 14th century it fell under the rule of the Bohemians; in the 16th century came the Habsburgs; in the middle of the 18th century, the Prussians; and then came the rule of the German Reich. The Polish population which fought against germanization of those lands preserved their language, customs and culture. At the end of World War II the town was transformed into the stronghold of the Nazi's "Festung Breslau" and the German population was evacuated to Germany. As a result of prolonged fighting, which ended only on May 6, 1945, 70% of the town was destroyed.

Precious monuments of architecture and art from the bygone epochs, particularly from the 13-14th century (Gothic) and 17-18th century (Baroque), have been thoroughly rebuilt and renovated. The visitors' attention should be drawn to the newly reconstructed market square with Renaissance, Baroque and Classicist burgher houses, a splendid Renaissance and Gothic Town Hall from the 14-16th century, which is well known for its magnificent interior.

In the vicinity is St. Elisabeth's parish church, characteristic for its highest tower (83 meters) in the town, which now functions as a garrison church.

In the old town, among other things worth seeing, are: the Baroque main University building with its fine Aula Leopoldina from the 18th century, the academic church of Jesus Christ, St. Clare's church housing the mausoleum of the Wroclaw Piasts in Nankiera Square and the covered market. However, tourist interests are focused on the "Panorama of the Battle of Raclawice," one of a few preserved monuments of this kind in the world, in the Wroclawska rotunda. The painting by Jan Styka and Wojciech Kossak depicting the victorious battle of the 1794 Uprising under the command of Tadeusz Kosciuszko covers 1,800 sq. meters.

On Minster Island (Ostrow Tumski), which is the oldest part of the town, situated on the islands among the flood waters of the river Oder, there is a magnificent complex of Gothic sacral architecture. Worth seeing are: the impressive Cathedral of St. John the Baptist from the 13-15th century, rebuilt after the war; the Holy Cross Church, constituting a center of Christian culture; St. Martin's Church adjacent to the Castle; and St. Giles Church from the 13th century. In the neighborhood, a Renaissance canon's seat, a Baroque Bishop's Palace, the Classicist edifice of the Archdiocese; and the Botanical Garden of Wroclaw University, open in summer. Of the religious monuments, the Church of Our Lady on the Sand from the 14th century is of particular interest.

Outside the city, attention is drawn to the exhibition grounds with the People's Hall and the Zoological Garden, situated not far from the expansive Szczytnicki Park, one of the oldest and largest in Europe. Wroclaw is also known for its bridges and picturesque islands on the river Oder.

OTHER TOURIST CENTERS

Brzeg

The town of Brzeg (ca. 38,000 inhabitants) is situated at the river Oder, 45 km. south-west of Wroclaw. A magnificent Renaissance Castle, currently housing the Museum of Silesian Piasts is worth seeing. The facade of the building is decorated with relieves depicting floral and figurative motives and busts of the Piasts princes. A fine Renaissance Town Hall was set up in the middle of the market square. The remnants of the contemporary fortifications are to be found in the municipal park.

Bystrzyca Klodzka

With a population of about 12,000, Bystrzyca Klodzka is an old town picturesquely situated on high terrace slopes of the Nysa Klodzka valley. In the market place there are numerous burgher houses and a column with Baroque figurative sculptures, a Gothic parish church from the 13th-15th century, fragments of medieval defense walls with the Water Gate and Klodzka Gate. You can also find there a museum with an exhibition depicting the history and the importance of fire, as well as a rich collection of matchbox labels.

Henrykow

The village of Henrykow in the Sudety Upland is known for one of the oldest and finest Cistercian abbeys, founded by Duke Henryk the Bearded in the 13th century. It is a Gothic-cum-Baroque Church with beautiful altars, monk stalls, sculptures and paintings of great artistic value. The famous "Henrykowska Book" from the 13th century, which was written in the monastery, is the oldest known Polish manuscript as it contains a sentence written in Polish for the first time.

Jelenia Gora

A voivodship town situated on the Bobr river, Jelenia Gora is populated by 90,000 people and constitutes the economic, cultural and administrative center of the Jelenia Gora valley, as well as being a tourist center of the western Sudety Mountains. It is the center of chemical, glass and pharmaceutical industries.

In the city there are many interesting architectural monuments representing various epochs: some reconstructed Baroque burgher houses with characteristic arcades from the 16th and 18th centuries surrounding the market square, the Gothic Town Hall in the middle of the market, the parish church of the 14th century, the Evangelical church of the 18th century and the remnants of medieval fortifications.

The town incorporates the health resort quarter, Cieplce Zdroj, where one can find numerous sanatoria, the former Schaffgotsch family palace, a Baroque church and an old park, where the Museum of Nature is situated, with fine collection of birds and butterflies.

In another quarter, Sobieszow, extending along the foot of the Karkonosze Range, are romantic ruins of the Chojnik Castle from the 14-16th century from which beautiful views spread out onto the Jeleniogorska valley and Karkonosze.

While in Jelenia Gora you can participate in all-day coach guided excursions to Szklarska Poreba and Karpacz. Those trips are combined with climbing Mt. Sniezka, visiting the Wang church and the family house of Gerhart Hauptmann, dramatist, novelist and Nobel prize winner.