- German:
- Breslau
Wrocław
, city, capital of
Dolno?l?skie
wojewodztwo
(province), southwestern
Poland
. It lies along the
Oder River
at its
confluence
with the Oława, ?l?za, Bystrzyca, and Widawa rivers. A large industrial centre situated in Dolny ?l?sk (Lower Silesia), Wrocław is the fourth largest city in Poland. Pop. (2011) 630,131; (2017 est.) 638,586.
History
Archaeological findings indicate settlement on the site as early as the
Stone Age
, several thousand years ago. Wrocław originated in the 10th century
ce
at the crossroads of the amber trade route between the Roman Empire and the
Baltic Sea
and the trade route linking the
Black Sea
to western Europe; it was administered by the Polish Piast kings. In 1000 King
Bolesław I
(the Brave)
fortified
the place and established a bishopric on Ostrow Tumski (“Cathedral Island”). In 1109 a major attack by German forces was repelled at nearby Psie Pole. In 1138 Wrocław became the first capital of all
Silesia
under the rule of the Piast prince
Władysław II (the Exile). Much of the city south of the Oder River was devastated during the Mongol invasion in 1241. At the invitation of Silesian authorities in the 13th century, many Germans migrated to Wrocław. The city received self-governing rights in 1261, when it adopted the
Magdeburg Law
(Magdeburger Recht), a civic constitution based on German law. Wrocław again flourished as an economic centre. Nearby to the east a “new town” was developed; it was united with the older city in 1327. In 1335 Wrocław passed to
Bohemia
with the rest of Silesia, and in 1526 it passed to the Habsburgs. In 1741 the city, which had for centuries had a large German population, fell to
Prussia
under the rule of Frederick II (the Great) and eventually became part of
Germany
.
The city grew physically with the
razing
of its fortifications, and by 1910 its inhabitants numbered more than 500,000. During
World War II
the Nazis refortified the city, holding it until May 1945, when Soviet troops defeated the remaining German forces. In August 1945 Wrocław became part of Poland. The city’s German inhabitants fled westward during 1944?45 or were evacuated in subsequent years, and thenceforth the population was exclusively Polish.
The contemporary city
As a direct result of fighting during World War II, 90 percent of the city’s industry and 70 percent of its residential area were heavily damaged or entirely destroyed. Reconstruction of the city began immediately, and by 1950 more than 50,000 new houses had been built, with an additional 50,000 by 1965. The university and many other fine architectural monuments were reconstructed, and modern industrial districts were built to house the growing population. The present-day city prides itself on its numerous parks and restored historical
treasures
.
Wrocław contains Poland’s largest flour mills, an electronics and data-processing industry, foundries, heavy-machinery plants, textile mills, the Hutmen copper plant, and food-processing facilities. It is a major communications centre, having international rail connections, an international airport, and river transport.
A cultural and scientific centre, Wrocław contains numerous educational institutions (including the University of Wrocław, founded in 1702 and rebuilt in 1945), museums, theatres and music centres, and a botanical garden and zoo. Buildings of historical interest include the cluster of churches at Ostrow Tumski, the Gothic town hall, and the Aula Leopoldina, a Baroque assembly hall at the university. Centennial Hall (1911?13), a noted example of reinforced-concrete
architecture
, was designated a
UNESCO
World Heritage site
in 2006. The city hosts the Jazz on the Oder Festival and the “Wratislavia Cantans,” an oratorio and cantata festival that ranks as one of the most important music events in Poland. It was the home of the
Polish Laboratory Theatre
, which was internationally famous for its innovative approaches to actor training and dramatic production in the 1960s and ’70s.
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
This article was most recently revised and updated by
Jeff Wallenfeldt
.