Wrocław

The Market Square, Wrocław (Polish: Rynek we Wrocławiu, German: Großer Ring zu Breslau) is a medieval market square in Wrocław, in southwestern Poland. The square is rectangular with the dimensions 213 by 178 metres (699 ft × 584 ft) and now serves as a pedestrian zone. It is one of the largest market squares in Europe, with the largest two city halls in the country. The buildings around the square are built according to different styles: the middle part (German: Tritt) of the ring is occupied by a block of buildings consisting of the Old City Hall, the New City Hall as well as numerous citizens' houses. The market square is an urban ensemble with the two diagonally contiguous areas, the Salt Market and the square in front of St. Elisabeth's Church. Eleven streets lead to the market: two to each corner, two narrow lanes and an opened outside square, Kurzy Targ "Chicken Market". The market was founded according to Magdeburg law as early as the rule of Polish Duke Henry I the Bearded between 1214 and 1232. Over time, the patricians' houses appeared and by the middle of the 14th century they had formed a closed construction with the limits of the plots defined. In the 19th century the square was connected to the tram lines, at first a horse-drawn system, but after 1892 electric. During World War II, the market square was damaged, however, most of the buildings remained intact and were carefully restored. Through to the end of the 1970s, vehicles were able to drive through along an east–west axis. Between 1996 and 2000 the square was resurfaced, while the east side, the last to be accessible to cars, was pedestrianised. There are now 60 numbered plots on the market square, with some buildings occupying several. The limits of the plots often follow lines different from those first laid out since estates were often merged and divided in the late Middle Ages. Each property has a traditional name, usually associated with the coat of arms visible on the facade or related to the history of the house itself, for instance Under the Griffins, Under the Blue Sun and Old Town Hall (tenement house, which collects the city council before the construction of the first town hall; now there is a McDonald).

The Świdnicka Cellar (Polish: Piwnica Świdnicka, [pivˈɲit͡sa ɕfidˈɲit͡ska], German: Schweidnitzer Keller) is a Polish restaurant company based in the medieval cellars of the Old Town Hall in Wrocław, Poland. It is the third-oldest Polish company in existence, as well as the oldest restaurant in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe, having been established in 1273, during Piast-ruled Kingdom of Poland.The name comes from the nearby city of Świdnica, from which beer was delivered to the restaurant in the Middle Ages. Świdnica was a renowned brewing centre, and its beer was served in restaurants called "Świdnicka Cellars," which existed in large cities such as Kraków (Piwnica Świdnicka w Krakowie), Toruń, and Wrocław, the last of which still operates to this day. The restaurant closed on December 29, 2017. It was reopened on July 2, 2022.

The Barasch Brothers' Department Store (German: Warenhaus Gebrüder Barasch) is the original name of a department store in Wrocław, Poland (then Breslau, Germany), located between the eastern side of the market square and the Ulica Szewska (German: Schuhbrücke). Today, the building accommodates the Phoenix Department Store (Polish: Dom Handlowy Feniks).

The Old Town Hall (Polish: Stary Ratusz, German: Breslauer Rathaus) of Wrocław stands at the center of the city’s Market Square (rynek). The Gothic town hall built from the 13th century is one of the main landmarks of the city. The Old Town Hall's long history reflects developments that have taken place in the city since its initial construction. The town hall serves the city of Wroclaw and is used for civic and cultural events such as concerts held in its Great Hall. In addition, it houses a museum and a basement restaurant.

The Aleksander Fredro Monument in Wrocław (Polish: Pomnik Aleksandra Fredry we Wrocławiu) is a bronze statue dedicated to Polish Romantic-era poet, playwright and author Aleksander Fredro (1793–1876). Originally built in Lviv in 1897 according to Leonard Marconi's design, the monument was transferred to Wrocław in 1956.

The Old Town in Wrocław (Polish: Stare Miasto we Wrocławiu) is the oldest part of the left-bank Wrocław, originating from the thirteenth century. It is surrounded by the City Moat, a remnant of the complex system of fortifications, largely based on natural and artificial sections of the Oder River and the Oława River flowing into it. The green belt along the moat (and further along the Oder) is called the Old Town Promenade. The center of the old city is the historic Market Square (Rynek), with numerous kamienice, the Old and New Town Hall (Ratusz). There is a number of historic landmarks in its vicinity, such as the Salt Market, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, St. Mary Magdalene Church, and numerous monuments. In the northern part of the old town can be found the main campus of the Wrocław University with the University Square, and on the opposite, southern side, lies the famous Quarter of the Four Denominations. The Church of Saints Hedwig and Clara next to Nankiera Square is the mausoleum of many rulers of Silesia, including Henry III, Henry V, Henry VI, and Anne of Bohemia. Old Town (Stare Miasto) is one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments (Pomnik historii), as designated September 16, 1994 in the first round. Its listing is maintained by the National Heritage Board of Poland. The Old Town is part of the city's administrative district which is also named "Stare Miasto," although it covers a wider area than the Old Town itself.

Stare Miasto ("Old Town") is one of the five former administrative boroughs of Wrocław, Poland, comprising the oldest parts of the city. Its functions were largely taken over on 8 March 1990 by the Municipal Office of the newly established Wrocław Municipality. The name Stare Miasto remained in use, mainly for statistical and administrative purposes.The district is bordered by the right bank of the Oder River, the former course of the Oława River, the eastern section of the City Moat, Dworcowa Street and the railway line from the Central Station towards Poznań. The district includes the following settlements: Stare Miasto (including the historic New Town), Przedmieście Świdnickie and Szczepin.

St. Mary Magdalene Church in Wrocław, Poland, is a gothic church located between Szewska and Laciarska street close to the central market square, established in the 13th century. It serves as a cathedral of the Polish Catholic Church led by Piotr Mikołajczak. Along with the Old Town of Wrocław, it is listed as a Historic Monument of Poland.On 21 October 1523, the city's first Lutheran services were held in the church. The church is named after Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene.

St. Elizabeth's Church of the Catholic Third Order of Saint Francis is a Gothic church in Wrocław, Poland. It is one of the most iconic structures of the city's Old Town panorama. Between 1525 and 1945, it was the principal Protestant church in Breslau.

The Salt Market Square or Salt Square (Polish: plac Solny, [plat͡s ˈsɔlnɨ], German: Salzring, (1827–1945) Blücherplatz) is a medieval market square in Wrocław, Poland. It is one of the three historic market squares in the city's old town, next to the Market Square and the New Market Square. It is located in the city center, on the southwestern corner of the Market Square.

Wyższa Szkoła Filologiczna (Philological School of Higher Education) is an accredited private language studies-oriented university located in Wrocław, Poland. Founded in 2002, it has approximately 2000 students and offers BA and MA programs in English and American studies, German studies, Italian studies and Hispanic studies.

The University of Wrocław (Polish: Uniwersytet Wrocławski, UWr; Latin: Universitas Wratislaviensis) is a public research university in Wrocław, Poland. It is the largest institution of higher learning in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, with over 100,000 graduates since 1945, including some 1,900 researchers, among whom many have received the highest awards for their contributions to the development of scientific scholarship. Renowned for its high quality of teaching, it was placed 44th by QS World University Rankings: EECA 2016, and is situated on the same campus as the former University of Breslau, which produced 9 Nobel Prize winners.The university was founded in 1945, replacing the previous German University of Breslau. Following the territorial changes of Poland's borders, academics primarily from the Jan Kazimierz University of Lwów restored the university building, which had been heavily damaged in the 1945 Battle of Breslau.