View of the city from the rooftop of the University building
Of all the cities in Poland, Wrocław possesses perhaps the most convoluted and turbulent history of them all. Known under dozens of different names as it was passed repeatedly between four countries (and the numerous kingdoms that preceded them), Wrocław was one of the most culturally and architecturally diverse cities in Central Europe before being reduced to rubble a mere 65 years ago. As the city proudly and painstakingly rebuilt itself, the post-war period saw a new wave of migrants from today’s western Ukraine enrich not only Wrocław’s ethnic makeup, but also its cultural wealth as many cultural treasures from Lwów were transplanted here. Since shedding the yoke of communism in 1989 and being ‘rediscovered’ by the west, Wrocław has firmly established itself among Prague and Kraków as one of Eastern Europe’s top tourist destinations and one of the undisputed highlights of Poland.