G&B: 2026: Berlin & Poland

Geoff Brock & Bruce Gamble

A full day in the
interesting city of Wroclaw

Monday 18th May 2026

The hotel's breakfast buffet was excellent. In addition to all of the standard breakfast buffet offerings, there were local specialities available, which Geoff decided to try. He enjoyed his pancake with a plum sauce...

...as well as the egg salad, bread and cheese.

A local guide escorted us today and we began the tour by coach, shortly after breakfast.

Wroclaw (pronounced VROTS-wah) has an incredibly complicated history. Our guide summarised it for us, but it was only after we got home and did some research for ourselves that we really began to understand it all, summarised as follows:-

10th century: It began as a Slavic settlement and became part of the early Polish state under the Piast dynasty.
Middle Ages: The city prospered as a trading centre and later came under the rule of the Kingdom of Bohemia.
1526: Control passed to the Habsburg Monarchy when the Bohemian crown was inherited by the Austrian Habsburgs.
1741: Following the First Silesian War, it became part of Prussia and was known by its German name, Breslau.
1871–1945: Breslau was a major city in the German Empire and later Germany. During the Second World War it was declared a fortress, leading to a prolonged siege in 1945 that left much of the city destroyed.
After 1945: Under the post-war Potsdam Agreement, the city became part of Poland again and was renamed Wroclaw. Most of the German population was expelled or fled, and the city was repopulated mainly by Poles, many of whom had themselves been displaced from eastern territories annexed by the Soviet Union.
Today: Wroclaw has been painstakingly rebuilt and is now Poland's third-largest city. It is renowned for its colourful Market Square, numerous bridges and islands on the Oder River, thriving university, and vibrant cultural life. In 2016 it was named the European Capital of Culture.

Wroclaw's history is unusual because it has been ruled by Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia, Germany, and Poland again, leaving a rich architectural and cultural heritage that reflects all of these influences.

After driving for around twenty minutes, we arrived at our first destination...

... Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia).

In front of the hall is Iglica, a forty ton structure erected in 1948 on the occasion of the Regained Territories Exhibition. It highlights the efforts of the citizens of Wroclaw in rebuilding the city which was destroyed during World War II and the siege towards the end of the war.

The three legs of the base of Iglica represent the united social classes – workers, peasants and the so-called working intelligentsia in the struggle for the common national good.

Unfortunately, the hall was closed to visitors today.

Walking through the pergola...

...we arrived at the site of the Wroclaw Multimedia Fountain.

We were treated to a private viewing of the dancing fountains, which were lovely, although probably would have been even more spectacular at night.

Some still images captured while taking the video.

Afterwards, we drove back towards our hotel. The coach dropped us off before we got there (at Mill Bridge) and the rest of the tour was done on foot. See also Wroclaw Islands and Bridges: The Historic Heart of the City - this website provides quite a good overview of the islands and bridges (for as long as the link remains active, that is).

We had arrived at what was formerly an island, Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island), which is the oldest part of Wroclaw, dating from the 10th century.

We walked past the Church of St. Martin.

Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross and St. Bartholomew.

Statue of St. John Nepomunk.

Wroclaw Cathedral, (St. John the Baptist Archcathedral), built in the 13th century, is centrally located and surrounded by museums, monuments, gardens, and churches.

Taken from Tumski Bridge (Most Tumski) as we left Cathedral Island.

Looking back at Cathedral Island after crossing Tumski Bridge onto Sand Island.

A statue of Cardinal Boleslaw Kominek stands in front of the Church of St Mary on the Sand. The words under the statue translate as "We forgive and ask for forgiveness".

We took a scenic walk around part of Sand Island (Wyspa Piasek).

We left Sand Island via the Piasek Bridge.

We visited the market in the Wroclaw Market Hall.

The Cathedral of St. Vincent and St. James, seat of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Wroclaw. It is one the burial sites of Polish monarchs. Along with the Old Town of Wroclaw, it is listed as a Historic Monument of Poland.

The Wroclaw Mausoleum of Silesian Piasts is a museum that showcases the history and legacy of the Silesian Piasts, the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland dating back to the 9th century.

We walked through the peaceful garden of the Ossolinski National Institute, more commonly known as the Ossolineum, which is a Polish cultural foundation, publishing house, archival institute and a research centre of national significance founded in 1817 in Lwów (now Lviv). It has been located in the city of Wroclaw since 1947.

Parish of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.

University Square. We were told that the shortest way back to our hotel was via the archway, but we weren't quite ready for that yet, because we were making our way steadily towards the market square, which we believed to be well worth visiting.

All day we had been spotting occasional little figures like these, but suddenly they were all over the place. We were told that they are now a major tourist attraction. Of course, the Wroclaw Dwarfs even have their own Wikipedia page!

Before too long we arrived at the wondeful Wroclaw Market Square.

Our guide recommended that we go downstairs into the Swidnicka Cellar to sample their beer, served with free bread and dripping. Geoff decided that he wanted to do that immediately, so we parted company with the rest of the group. (The walking tour was about to end anyway.) Bruce was less enthusiastic because he doesn't drink beer or eat bread with dripping and furthermore doesn't like dark and dingy pubs... but he went along with Geoff anyway, because he was keen to sit down after walking for quite a long time this morning.

Geoff loved the beer and the bread. Bruce made do with a diet coke and a baguette... which was served with ketchup inside it... another one of his dislikes. Nevertheless, he soon got over his slight grumpiness.

Later, we continued exploring the square and surrounding areas by ourselves.

This is the extent of the guided walk we did, from the time the coach dropped us off at Mill Bridge, until we reached the amazing Market Square. Our hotel, the HP Park Plaza, can also be seen in this image (top, centre left). Click on the image to get a larger one and then expand it fully to see more detail.

We returned to the hotel for a rest mid-afternoon. Geoff had done some research on local restaurants before we arrived and had booked a table at the Michelin rated Wroclawska Restaurant this evening. He had clearly done his homework well, because the food was amazing!

Geoff had the herring, marinated in citrus with pickles, egg, mustard, bacon & bread. Paired with a Riesling.

Bruce's starter was cheese perogi, served with a Polish white wine.

Silesian heaven - pork loin, sauce made from dried plum, apricot, apples and cloves, Wroclavian dumplings. Paired with a semi-dry red. This was Geoff's main course.

Bruce had the goulash with potato pancakes, served with a rich Polish red wine.

Gingerbread with marzipan for dessert, which we shared.

A fellow diner brought his dog to the restaurant. It was the most beautiful dog we have ever seen... and so well behaved too!

Cappuccino for Bruce, sea buckthorn schnapps for Geoff.

It was still light when we left the restaurant and the grey skies, which has persisted for most of the day, had disappeared.

Our hotel was less than a ten minute walk from the old town, where the restaurant was located. During the short stroll back we were treated to some beautiful colours as the sun was setting.