INTRO
Wroclaw is one of Poland’s most scenic destinations, bordering Germany in the southwest on the Oder River. Today, Wroclaw is known as the city of a hundred bridges. On both sides, Gothic spirals crown towering churches and red-brick buildings adorn the panorama. Wroclaw has been Lower Silesia’s cultural, economic, academic and political centre for over eight centuries. Bohemia, Prussia and Germany had laid claim to the city, but after WWII, Poland regained the city and renamed it from German Bresslau to Polish Wroclaw. Polonization and austere Soviet rule marked the post-war period. Still, brave Poles stood up against their oppressors through grassroots civil movements culminating with the Solidarity movement. This movement sprung up to support regional trade unions and the rights of the Polish working class. Poland finally gained independence in 1989. In 2016, this lively city was named the European Capital of Culture, boosting its prominence as a think-tank for innovation.
The Oder River, quaint at first glance, hides tremendous might. The devastating floods in 1997 deluged one-third of the buildings. Retrospectively, locals say the water reached the fourth floor of almost every house. A Netflix documentary titled High Water discloses the secrets of this dreadful millennial flood. Estimates suggest the floods caused 3.5 billion USD of damage in Wroclaw alone. Yet, Polish people are ingeniously resilient. Solidarity among Polish people and their Slavic brethren has helped them rebuild, reinvigorate and breathe new life into many cities after devastating events. Their solidarity can be felt in some of the most advanced museums in the region. One is the Hydropolis Museum, where an interactive exhibition shows the secrets of water ecosystems. After navigating the city centre bursting with tourists, the verdant parks provide a welcome retreat from the sun and crowds. The canopies of the Szczytnicki Park shield locals from the sun on hot days. Perhaps not as renowned as Krakow or Warsaw, the charming city of Wroclaw still has a youthful soul and an incredibly picturesque look. Even though its distinct Gothic cathedrals and red-brick buildings resemble German cities more, its character remains authentically Polish.
NEED TO KNOW IN 2024
A fistful of Central European destinations can pride themselves on a UNESCO-listed event venue. Wroclaw is one of them, courtesy of the Centennial Hall Complex, topped with a 28-metre dome. Dubbed the Cathedral of Freedom, the imposing complex is the brainchild of modernist architect Max Berg, who left a mark on many of the local landmarks. Constructed for the Centennial Exhibition in 1913, the building and its adjoining pavilions showcased the pride and joy of Silesia, its cultural and art heritage, although in the shadow of Prussia’s historical achievements. This monumental building not only turns heads but regularly hosts international conferences and events. In September, the venue will host the 9th Wroclaw Annual Beer Festival. It can capacitate a whopping 10,000 visitors.
Wroclaw is also the home of the New Horizons International Film Festival. This year’s 24th edition welcomed almost 170,000 cinephiles who could watch 285 films. The festival champions local, independent, adamant artists who go against conventional filmmaking. Hotel chains have been flocking to Wroclaw, too. Accor’s flagship Polish hotel, the Bridge MGallery, became a local favourite soon after opening. Other brands have followed suit, including Hilton’s DoubleTree Hotel, Wyndham Old Town Wroclaw, and Novotel Wroclaw. There are also boutique gems, such as Hotel Altus Palace, which revived one of the city’s most iconic palaces. Several hotels boast spacious conference rooms for up to 350 attendees, including the DoubleTree by Hilton Wroclaw. Event organisers seeking a venue with even more historical pedigree can wander the halls of the National Museum and be amazed by the multitude of invaluable religious pieces housed by the museum. Wroclaw has a hall and venue for every occasion. The city authorities should aim to attract a few renowned events and festivals to gain further recognition.
“Gas-lighting”
Wroclaw has a long tradition of using gas-lit street lamps. Since 1846, masterful lamplighters have kept the city lamps alive. As electricity replaced the obsolete gas-lit lamps, though, only 103 remain today on the city’s Cathedral Island. A mysterious lamplighter ignites them at dusk and extinguishes them at dusk year-round. If you are lucky, you can catch the man in action.
BEST INCENTIVE IDEA
Gulliver’s hunt for gnomes
Wroclaw is home to a sea of lilliputian gnomes that pry into the life of the locals from the corners of baroque and gothic facades or tidy city benches. You can try spotting them during a treasure hunt across the city. This popular incentive will take you across the city’s most beautiful landmarks. Some estimate the gnome population to have exceeded 400. Happy hunting!
BEST KEPT SECRETS
Few know that Wroclaw was a pioneer in digital technology and computerisation. The Polish mathematician Mieczyslaw Warmus was among the first to lay the foundations for IT terminology. You can learn more about the chapters of Wroclaw’s history at the Centrum Historii Zajezdnia, which has one of the most modern and comprehensive collections of Polish museums. From pre-war stories to the Solidarity movement, this interactive experience will leave you hungry for more. The square outside the museum has become a famed venue for summer festivals and film screenings.
Learn more at: https://zajezdnia.org/.
PERFECT GIFT
Gingerbread making is as old as the hills in Poland. The original recipe for the Wroclawian gingerbread is said to date some seven centuries. Last year, the city inaugurated a miniature City of Gingerbread, comprising one and a half tons of spicy dough. This gingerbread haven was on display in the Kolejkowo Museum, showcasing miniatures of Wroclaw and more. Peckish tourists can dig into this festive dessert at one of the city’s abundant bakeries.
TOP EVENTS IN 2024
Vertigo Summer Jazz Festival
(1 July – 31 July 2024)
W: https://vertigojazz.pl/pl/summer-jazz-festival
New Horizons Film Festival
(18 – 28 July 2024)
W: https://www.nowehoryzonty.pl/index.do?lang=en
Wroclaw Gnome Festival
(13 – 15 September 2024)
W: https://www.facebook.com/WroclawskieKrasnale
One Love Music Festival
(23 November 2024)
W: https://onelove.pl/
Wroclaw Christmas Market
(24 November – 7 January)
W: https://www.jarmarkbozonarodzeniowy.com/jarmark
FOODIES
Polish cuisine in the south revolves around hearty dishes that historically had to provide energy for miners after their long, onerous shift in the pitch-black mines of Silesia. One of these dishes is the Silesian Roulade, typically served with red cabbage and dumplings. You can try many of the region’s staple dishes, ingeniously reinterpreted at the Craft Restaurant within the Bridge MGalllery Wroclaw Hotel. Another legendary dish to try is the pierogi, in all their forms and shapes. In Poland, beer is valued more than wine. That is unsurprising, considering every city had a few breweries parched workers sought refuge in.
WROCLAW, IN A FEW WORDS
A city with immense architectural heritage, which pioneered concrete constructions in design thanks to Max Berg, Wroclaw is a conglomerate of several cultures and a destination on the rise in the meetings industry. It regularly makes the list of Central Europe’s most scenic cities. But it hides much more. From the iconic Centennial Hall Complex to some of Poland’s best and most sustainable hotels, it boasts a range of options for organising events. Above all, its residents enjoy a high quality of life thanks to a mix of greenery and urban solutions. Here, vigorous octogenarians stroll in the city parks while students of this academic hub line the city’s riverside. This city in the Southwest of Poland has not experienced over-tourism thus far, and we hope it stays that way.
NOTE: The MTLG Destination Update is not a paid advertisement. The Wroclaw MTLG Destination Update was prepared based on a personal visit of Kongres Magazine’s assessor in April 2024. Based on the evaluation, Wroclaw will be evaluated according to the Meeting Experience Index methodology. The MTLG evaluation will be prepared by the end of 2024.
