Things to see and do Wrocław

Situated between the zoo and Szczytnicki Park, the 1913 Centenary Hall is a landmark of the city, erected to celebrate the Allied victory over Napoleon. Its immense reinforced concrete dome, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome and Saint Sophia in Istanbul, is a feat of engineering that marked the beginning of the Brutalist style.

The Halle houses a sports center, a concert hall/cinema and exhibition spaces. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006, it continues to divide public opinion.

One of the largest panoramic canvases in Europe, gigantic, 15 m high and 114 m long, installed in a dedicated building. The canvas, very symbolic, represents the battle of Racławice which took place on April 4, 1794, the last victory of the Poles over the Russians before their final annexation. The painting was made a century later in Lwów, but it was not until 1980 that Soviet reluctance was overcome and it was exhibited again. Online booking is recommended.

This building, built between the ^13th and ^16th centuries in Gothic style, shines in the middle of Wrocław's central square. The seat of the German bourgeoisie for centuries, it has been miraculously spared destruction. Small sculptures depicting the daily life of Breslau's bourgeoisie can be seen on its southern facade. Inside, you'll find the Museum of Bourgeois Art, whose rooms and artifacts have been wonderfully preserved; the highlight of the show is the sumptuous Knights' Hall. Access is from the west.

The Rynek is spacious (it's the second largest in Poland after Krakow, at 173 m by 208 m) and elegant, and well worth several tours.

Some ^13th-century facades remain, and while others have been restored to their original appearance, you'll find the Church of St. Elisabeth, nicknamed Jaś i Małgosia (Hans and Gretel). On the Rynek you'll also see some of the bronze gnomes that nestle in the town. The tourist office has a brochure with a map to help you discover them all.

Located on Tumski Island, it stands on the site of the former Romanesque cathedral, built around the year 1000, destroyed by the Bohemian Bratoslav around 1035 and rebuilt in the ^12th century. The present ^13th-century building was badly damaged during the Second World War, but has since been superbly rebuilt. A typical Wroclaw feature, colorful Baroque chapels have been added to the Gothic body. You can climb to the top of the north tower and enjoy the beautiful panorama.

Slightly to the west of the Rynek, this superb square has been faithfully rebuilt, with red and blue Baroque facades. Formerly the town's salt market square, it now houses a 24-hour flower market. The square was built in the ^13th century and, until 1827, was known as the "Polish Market". The name was changed to Blücherplatz in the ^19th century, when a monument to Field Marshal von Blücher was erected on the square. Beneath the square, a large WWII bunker houses a cinema theme park.

Its classical frontal architecture and stucco facade are the signature of the Jesuits who founded it. In keeping with their credo, the interior is absolutely grandiose and contrasts with the façade: it is one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Central Europe, made of pomp, marble, swirling woodwork and missionary frescoes. It was built at the end of the ^16th century as a university church on the site of the former Piast castle.

Located to the north of the Rynek, this superb ^18th-century Baroque university is well worth a visit, with its fantastic exterior and wooden and wrought-iron portals. It was founded in 1702 by the Austrian Emperor Leopold II. German until 1945, it trained many Nobel Prize winners, including the physician Alois Alzheimer, who discovered the disease. After the war, the entire University of Lwów was relocated to replace the academics in Breslau.

Founded in 1865, it is the largest zoological garden in Poland in terms of the number of animal species present, indeed one of the largest in Europe. Do not miss the magnificent neon sign, a legacy of communist Poland. The zoo has recently been enriched by a new space called Afrykarium, a unique oceanarium presenting different ecosystems related to the water environment in Africa. Coral reefs from the Red Sea, hippos, freshwater fish from lakes Malawi and Tanganyika, rays, sharks, crocodiles and manatees.

This magnificent Baroque complex painted in bright red impresses and is sublime in summer when the golden sun hits its wide windows. Today, it houses the Ossolineum Library, an impressive collection of manuscripts and documents that is virtually sacred in terms of Polish cultural history. The collection, assembled from 1817 onwards by the great philosopher Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński, curator of the Imperial Library in Vienna, precursor of Slavic studies and a great name in Polish Enlightenment.

Located in a neo-Gothic water reservoir dating from 1893, this new multimedia museum is dedicated to water. Divided into eight thematic sections, the subject matter sounds boring, but its state-of-the-art museography is enough to entice and make it one of the city's great attractions. The visit begins with a film projected on a circular screen that takes you from the Big Bang to the formation of the planets and the origin of water on Earth. Very informative and absolutely impressive, this museum is worth a visit.

To get there, take streetcar no. 3 from the "Rynek" stop.

Located just across the Tumski Bridge, which overlooks the University Island on the Oder River, this church welcomes you on your way to the cathedral. Although it is visible, you will not immediately find the entrance to this small, beautiful but very soberly decorated church, dating from the 15th century. In fact, you have to pass by the building located just nearby, the Orphanotrophaeum, a former orphanage for children of the nobility, built in the early 18th century.

Built on a small island in the heart of Wrocław, this ^14th-century church was originally one of the country's oldest Gothic churches in the German period. Its appearance shows architectural trial and error, as well as a plan halfway between the Romanesque style and the Gothic canons. Serving as HQ for the German army desperately trying to resist the Soviet advance on the Reich border, it was destroyed before being rebuilt after the war.

This imposing basilica was built in Gothic style in the 14th century. There is a legend about the small bridge that connects the two towers of the church at the top. Sometimes, on this bridge, walk the spirits of women who have never married: as a punishment, their souls wander and are condemned to clean the bridge for eternity! We go there for the photo more than for the interest of the visit. A tower is open to the public, count 10 minutes of climbing.

Its colorful slate roof stands out from afar. This huge church, completely destroyed by fire in 1976, has recently been restored. Its bright interior features superb modern stained-glass windows and beautiful Baroque, Renaissance and Mannerist epitaphs, as well as imposing ogives and rich ornamentation. As an added bonus, the 83-meter-high bell tower affords a magnificent view of the city's central square, its suburbs and the Oder River.

This former 1942 air-raid shelter just west of the Old Town has been converted into a museum of contemporary art. The permanent exhibition is devoted to ^{twentieth-century} art, with a strong presence of artists from Wrocław. In the center of the bunker, an elevator takes you up to the sixth floor, where you can enjoy a coffee on the panoramic terrace.

To get to the museum: streetcars 3, 10, 20, 23, 33 from the "Rynek" stop, getting off three stops later at "Pl. Strzegomski".

Located in a former 16th-century monastery, it houses permanent and temporary exhibitions on architecture, especially that of Wrocław, with themes such as "Wrocław Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" or "Remains of Medieval Architecture." The museum is somewhat lacking in content, which remains purely architectural, and much of the collection is devoted to modern art pieces or stained glass, which is appreciated but lacks coherence.

Located in the eastern part of the city center, this vast Flemish neo-Renaissance building boasts a good collection of medieval art, which is a little dated in its presentation, as well as a good collection of ^{twentieth-century} Polish art. The^1st floor features a magnificent medieval collection of typical polychrome wood carvings, a Way of the Cross with eleven almost life-size figures and a number of paintings.

This neoclassical synagogue, built in the early 19th century, although looted, survived the Nazis. A small Jewish community organizes concerts of Kleshmer and Yiddish music. A paper yarmulke must be worn during the concerts. Contact the Jewish Information Center (Włodkowicza Street 9, ✆ +48 71 787 39 02, www.wroclaw.jewish.org.pl). The street and its neighbors, a former Jewish quarter of the city, contain beautiful Art Nouveau and neoclassical buildings.

The Museum of the History of the Polish Post is housed in the premises of the present Central Post Office, an imposing building constructed between 1926 and 1929, whose expressionist architectural forms are attributable to Neumann. The museum is dedicated to the history of the Polish postal system and telecommunications from the 16th century to the present day. Paintings, graphic art, stamps, mailboxes, uniforms and many other wonders for enthusiasts in this specialized museum.