Wrocław

Wrocław is a <a href="/facts/City/2uNRFqAN">city</a> in southwestern <a href="/facts/Poland/eXJ7fd0D">Poland</a>, and the capital of the <a href="/facts/Lower_Silesian_Voivodeship/gra3EtTV">Lower Silesian Voivodeship</a>. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of <a href="/facts/Silesia/SHDHG2MD">Silesia</a>. It lies on the banks of the <a href="/facts/Oder_River/BFTBFN9y">Oder River</a> in the <a href="/facts/Silesian_Lowlands/btwLYFRf">Silesian Lowlands</a> of <a href="/facts/Central_Europe/VdxzSbJz">Central Europe</a>, roughly 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the north of the <a href="/facts/Sudetes/7XGxod4p">Sudetic Mountains</a>. In 2023, the official population of Wrocław was 674,132, making it the third-largest city in Poland. The population of the <a href="/facts/Wroc%25C5%2582aw_metropolitan_area/7Y3t7cE2">Wrocław metropolitan area</a> is around 1.25 million.
Wrocław is the historical capital of Silesia and <a href="/facts/Lower_Silesia/dygLhmnc">Lower Silesia</a>. The history of the city dates back over 1,000 years; throughout history it has been part of, chronologically: the <a href="/facts/Duchy_of_Poland/SHTsuu1w">Duchy of Poland</a>, the <a href="/facts/Kingdom_of_Poland/xwYbgG7x">Kingdom of Poland</a>, the <a href="/facts/Duchy_of_Silesia/WMRaNch4">Duchy of Silesia</a>, the <a href="/facts/Kingdom_of_Bohemia/xLRecLL1">Kingdom of Bohemia</a>, the <a href="/facts/Kingdom_of_Hungary/91tLqn81">Kingdom of Hungary</a>, the <a href="/facts/Habsburg_monarchy/ctwsV3TC">Habsburg monarchy</a> of Austria, the <a href="/facts/Kingdom_of_Prussia/x796l7vx">Kingdom of Prussia</a> and <a href="/facts/German_Reich/yPUEaDFT">Germany</a>, until it became again part of Poland in 1945 immediately after <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>.
Wrocław is a <a href="/facts/College_town/PeCKFJpG">university city</a> with a student population of over 130,000, making it one of the most youth-oriented cities in the country. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the <a href="/facts/University_of_Wroc%25C5%2582aw/PvenBRIH">University of Wrocław</a>, previously the F. William University, has produced nine <a href="/facts/Nobel_Prize_laureate/3vGWzdwa">Nobel Prize laureates</a> and is renowned for its high quality of teaching. Wrocław has numerous historical landmarks, including the <a href="/facts/Market_Square%2c_Wroc%25C5%2582aw/pNC2WYYu">Main Market Square</a>, <a href="/facts/Ostr%25C3%25B3w_Tumski%2c_Wroc%25C5%2582aw/jsNdvLjM">Cathedral Island</a>, <a href="/facts/Tumski_Bridge/NtA2Ckzj">Bridge of Love</a>, <a href="/facts/Wroc%25C5%2582aw_Opera/xI4aRX0T">Wrocław Opera</a>, the <a href="/facts/National_Museum%2c_Wroc%25C5%2582aw/3MAaoHCx">National Museum</a> and the <a href="/facts/Hala_Stulecia_(Wroc%25C5%2582aw)/qnxu30v4">Centennial Hall</a>, which is listed as a <a href="/facts/UNESCO_World_Heritage_Site/6AbWWKV4">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a>. The <a href="/facts/Wroc%25C5%2582aw%2527s_dwarfs/VRdsRRLn">Wrocław's dwarfs</a> are a major tourist attraction and have become a symbol of Wrocław. The city is home to the <a href="/facts/Wroc%25C5%2582aw_Zoo/GPTU2qHm">Wrocław Zoo</a>, the oldest zoological garden in Poland.
Wrocław is classified as a <a href="/facts/Globalization_and_World_Cities_Research_Network/xdxbC98a">Sufficiency global city</a> by <a href="/facts/Globalization_and_World_Cities_Research_Network/xdxbC98a">GaWC</a>. It is often featured in lists of the most livable places in the world, and was ranked 1st among all medium and small cities by <a href="/facts/FDi_Intelligence/qhgfDS3t">fDi Intelligence</a> in 2021. The city is home to <a href="/facts/%25C5%259Al%25C4%2585sk_Wroc%25C5%2582aw/fvQffv7x">Śląsk Wrocław</a> football club and hosted the <a href="/facts/UEFA_Euro_2012/Ej1LA1z3">2012 European Football Championship</a>. In 2016, the city was a <a href="/facts/European_Capital_of_Culture/I4Y5RdP0">European Capital of Culture</a> and the <a href="/facts/World_Book_Capital/k0aeyeBr">World Book Capital</a>, and hosted the <a href="/facts/Theatre_Olympics/MapdGbJ0">Theatre Olympics</a> and the <a href="/facts/European_Film_Awards/dDBb9pHF">European Film Awards</a>. In 2017, the city was host to the <a href="/facts/World_Games/osL4221f">World Games</a>. In 2019, it was named a <a href="/facts/UNESCO/QSbkRv3o">UNESCO</a> <a href="/facts/City_of_Literature/50zCx5WA">City of Literature</a>.

Wrocław open-in-new

Wrocław