"Wroclaw - My familiar city in Poland" Wroclaw by Airpunk

Wroclaw is not the hidden gem as it was some years ago. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Poland. Although it can't compete with the bulk of history in Krakow and Warsaw, its past is still interesting it makes the city more than worth a visit. Poland's fourth largest city has been part of Prussia/Germany and Poland, changed ownership several times and reflects the past tensions and the growing friendship between those two countries like no other city in Poland.
Gothic architecture is the keyword Wroclaw, with the market square and Cathedral island as focus points. Another interesting era was the 19th century. That includes architecture like the train station, the large living houses in the old town and of course the Panorama Painting of the Battle of Raclawice. The Centennial Hall, a concert and event hall, is a little younger, but is listed as an UNESCO world heritage site. As an university city, it has a young population with an interesting pub scene.

My temporary home in Wroclaw

It was in the 10th century that Wroclaw was mentioned for the first time, but supposedly, the settlement is much older. Its location on the Odra river and the crossing of two important trade routes made it an important trading point in the Middle Ages. At the same time, it became the winning prize in quarrels between regional powers so that it changed hands over a dozen times in just a couple of centuries. This influence of several cultures, backed by immigration from several areas in Europe and the admission of Wroclaw into the Hanseatic League, made Wroclaw one of the most cosmopolitan cities of its time. Indeed, when Silesia remained Catholic after the 30 years war of reformation, Wroclaw remained largely Protestant. In the 19th century, Germany became a national state under the leadership of Prussia. It made Wroclaw for a short time Germany's third largest city. WWII brought the last change of ownership, when Wroclaw became Polish again after centuries of Austrian, Prussian and German rule.

The flood - 2010

Outside of those countries I have lived in, there are few cites I know as well as I know Wroclaw. That's because one of my friends from school lives there and I visit him quite regularly. This chance made me see Wroclaw (as well as Zabkowice Slaskie) from a different perspective. It includes being left in the middle of nowhere after a night of Wodka drinking and tyding up a storage room in a communist-style multi-storey building. Unfortunately, it has not resulted in the improvement of my Polish skills.

• Pros:A beautiful city with a multi-national past
• Cons:All the problems of 21st century Polish cities
• In a nutshell:Call it Wroclaw, call it Breslau, whatever - just come and visit it!