Hello again! My trip may be long over, but I still
want to try to document the highlights for myself before I forget too much!
Wroclaw was and interesting city and incredibly
different from the other cities we visited on the trip. It’s a pretty small
town with very few non-European visitors. There aren't a ton of museums or
tourist attractions but the city has a great vibe, friendly people, and
everything is pretty much in walking distance (a big plus when you’re trying to
navigate public transportation with zero language skills). Here are some of the highlights from this
quirky little city…
The gnomes!
I wrote more about them here. These guys were so precious and dad and I had a great time hunting them down!
The Raclawice Panorama
The Raclawice Panorama is a building that houses a
massive painting depicting the Battle of Raclawice in which a small group of
Polish peasants defeated a much larger Russian army in 1794. This was definitely
the most unique way I’ve ever seen a piece of art displayed, but I guess you
have to be creative when the piece is a 374 ft circular canvas. The 30 minute “journey”
around the Battle of Raclawice was innovative and educational, which is why I highly
recommend making reservations and stopping by the panorama if you ever find yourself
in western Poland. You can read more
about the piece and its storied history here.
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| Source |
Rynik Square
This is the large square in the middle of the city
surrounding the old town hall. Rynik Square was really the only touristy area of
the city, but it was a great place to people watch. In the summer the turn part
of the square into a market/lounge area. There was a small beach with lawn
chairs, a grassy area with picnic tables, and strange bubble chairs...it was
all kind of wacky, but still cute. The market featured beautiful handmade
pottery, delicious pierogi, and lots of gnome figurines! And yes, I did buy one
for my fridge.
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| Please note the bubble chair |
Wroclaw University
Wroclaw is a major college town and is home to one
of Poland’s best engineering school, which is why Wroclaw is considered the Silicon
Valley of Poland. The company visits in Wroclaw were among my favorite. Most of
them were tech companies filled with brilliant people working on some pretty innovative
technologies. The university’s chapel and ceremonial hall, Aula Leopoldina,
were breathtaking and made me really sad that I graduated in a gigantic coliseum
built in the 1960s and not this baroque masterpiece…
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| Sorry for the poor image quality. I didn't have my real camera with me |
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| View from the top of the hall. It had finally stopped raining and the clouds were just perfect! |
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| The result of Dr. Shook accidentally taking a video instead of a picture and the giggling that followed. |
Other food recommendations:
- Pierogi Ruski from the market
- Vega for incredible Indian food right on the
square
- Amalfi Pizza for well priced brick oven pizza when you're in the mood for something familiar
That about does it for Wroclaw! I also stopped by
the National Museum and Centennial Hall. They were fine visits but not
necessarily highlights. Centennial Hall is a UNESCO world heritage site but I didn't find it too spectacular. However, the park surrounding Centennial Hall was definitely worth
the short bus ride! Be on the lookout for Berlin highlight and a quick post on Franz
Ferdinand’s castle soon.
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