Wroclaw in a nutshell.

Wroclaw lies within south-western Poland and today is considered one of the most dynamically developing cities in Central Europe. Wroclaw is the capital of Lower Silesia and it stimulates development of this region. Ranked the fourth biggest city of Poland, Wroclaw boasts around 650 thousand residents living on the area of 293 square km. It is also the biggest city in the west of the country. Wroclaw is regarded as a prosperous cultural, economic and scientific centre of international significance and has recently become a prominent financial centre hosting the headquarters of many banks. This teeming with life, multicultural city is one of the most important academic centres of Poland with more than 100 thousand students in twenty-two different institutions of higher education.

Wroclaw is increasingly often referred to as the meeting place. "A city of meetings," a "city that unites" was Pope John Paul II's reflection on Wroclaw during the Eucharist Congress in 1997. The reason is that Wroclaw is the melting pot of different nations, religions and cultures. The term “meeting place” has gained more contemporary meaning recently as Wroclaw is more and more often selected as a meeting place for people of art, culture, science and business.

Wroclaw is the city of young, active and ambitious people. It is one of the leading academic centers of Poland with a number of institutions of higher education. In fact, each sixth inhabitant of Wroclaw is a student! University of Wroclaw, which is listed as one of the 500 best universities in the world, has a rich history of more than three centuries. It accounts for 40 thousand learners. Wroclaw students are seen as outgoing, cheerful and friendly (despite their ongoing preparation for tough exams). The presence of so many students on the streets of Wroclaw really adds to the atmosphere of a lively and energetic city. Most students communicate in English without problems and foreign visitors can always count on them when it comes to some advice regarding their stay in Wroclaw.

Wroclaw is also promoted as the green city. It is by far "the greenest" Polish city with parks and green places almost everywhere. 17 per cent of the city is covered with green areas which means that there is 25 square meters of greenery per one resident! What tourists usually encounter first is a major belt of greenery known as the Old City Promenade which spreads around Wroclaw's Old City. Overall, there are 26 major parks, 10 forests and 3 large gardens in Wroclaw. The biggest and most famous parks include: Szczytnicki Park, taking the area of 100ha and Western Park covering more than 75ha. Founded in the 18th century, Szczytnicki Park lies in the city center and boasts an impressive 370 species of trees and bushes. Within the city, there are many woodland areas including Forest Redzinski (400ha) with Wroclaw's oldest, nearly half-a-millennium-old oak-tree.

Wroclaw with bridges and islands galore! Wroclaw is the undiscovered "Venice of the North." You will find here a collection of more than one hundred twenty bridges and footbridges traversing the Odra, its tributaries and numerous canals. The city itself is made up of 12 islands. In fact, many tour guides admit that the best way to admire Wroclaw is from the river perspective. It is possible to discover city's uniqueness created by tributaries and islands by taking a pleasant cruise on the Odra river. The Odra is the second longest river in Poland, after the Vistula, and as it nears the Baltic Sea over 180km of its length defines the modern day Polish-German border.

Wroclaw, no shortage of Gothic churches. Wroclaw abounds in impressive Gothic churches with characteristic large slender towers and spires. Of more than one hundred churches in Wroclaw, almost two-thirds were established in the Middle Ages. Gothic churches are mainly located in the Old Town and Sand Island. Definitely recommended beautiful medieval churches to visit include: the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the Gothic Parish Church, the Church of St. Elisabeth, the Cathedral of St Maria, the Holly Cross Church, the Church of our Lady on Piasek, Stanislaus and Dorothy in the Old City.

Wroclaw's coat of arms is very beautiful and rich in symbolism. It dates from 1530 when it was granted to the city by King Ferdinand I. The symbols of Wroclaw coat of arms illustrate the rich history of the city. Upper-left quarter – a white Czech lion wearing a crown on its head, set against a red background, symbolizes the Czech Kingdom, to which Wroclaw belonged since 1335. Upper-right quarter – a black eagle with a crescent, white band on the chest set against a golden background. Middle part – St. John the Evangelist has been a patron of Wroclaw council and the Town Hall chapel since 14th century. Lower-left quarter– the letter “W” stands for "Wratislavia" (Latin name of the city) and for the name of the legendary founder of the city Wrocislaw. Lower-right quarter – the head of St. John the Baptist.