wroclaw
The german city
The capital of Silesnia is a wonderfull city for centuries belonging to Germany like the rest of the province. There for some times by polish people seen as the german city. The old town beeing one of the most beautifull of the city, with a good opera house and the countries best (and oldest) zoo.
Archbishop’s Palace
At the beginning of the 12th century, this was a two-storey late-Romanesque bishop’s residence. Over the years, the palace was expanded and reconstructed. What remains of it is a basement with a low ceiling supported by one pillar, probably dating back to the 14th century. Several additions were made in the times of Bishop John IV Roth, including a north wing facing Katedralna Street and a gateway into a square courtyard surrounded by various ancillary buildings. A passageway at the north-east end of the palace led to the south-west tower of the Cathedral.
A fire destroyed the palace in the 18th century. Its reconstruction was supervised by K. G. Langhans, an outstanding architect who designed the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and later by K. G. Geissler, who was involved in the reconstruction and renovation of many buildings located on Cathedral Island and Sand Island. While Langhans intended to pull down the north wing, Geissler not only rebuilt it but made it the centrepiece of the palace, graced by a monumental portico with a niche and Ionic columns; he also widened the passageway between the Cathedral and the palace. After World War II, this was one of the most heavily damaged buildings in Wroclaw. Its reconstruction lasted, with brief intervals, from 1954 to 1969, and was supervised by a succession of experts. Certain alterations were introduced in the process: the building line was moved back and the south-east corner was cut in to broaden the passageway. Since 1991 the building has housed the Papal Faculty of Theology. |
Church of St. Vincent
The church was founded by Duke Henry II the Pious together with a monastery for the Franciscans brought from Prague around 1232-40. Initially it was named for St. James and built in the Romanesque style. In this church, mentioned as being completed by 1254, on December 16, 1261 was announced a new foundation charter for the city under Magdeburg Law, allowing further development of Wrocław.
In the fourteenth and fifteenth century the church underwent a major reconstruction and expansion. During these reconstructions the church still maintained a predominantly Gothic style. On June 3, 1530, the church was rededicated to the patron saint of the demolished monastery, St. Vincent of Saragossa. Between 1662-1674 the interior of the church was transformed with rich Baroque furnishings, including a new altar built in 1667 by Franz Zeller and Georg Czermak. In 1673 abbot Andreas Gebel initiated a reconstruction of the monastery in the Baroque style as well. The late Baroque Hochberg Chapel, officially the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows. was built on the southern façade from 1723-1727 by Christoph Hackner. It was decorated with frescoes depicting the Seven Sorrows of Mary and sculptures by Johann Georg Urbanski and Johann Adam Karinger. The astounding grille and gate to the chapel were the work of the locksmith Jacob Meyer. After Prussia's secularization order of 1810, St. Vincent's was made into a parish church and the monastery buildings were converted into court offices. In the last days of World War II, during the Siege of Breslau, the church sustained severe damage. The tower collapsed, along with part of the side wall and vaults, and most of the interior furnishings were either destroyed or looted. The famous Hochberg Chapel was burned in a raid on Easter Sunday of 1945. In 1997 the church became the seat of the Greek Catholic Eparchate of Wrocław-Gdańsk. |
Opera house
An Italian opera company was established in Wroclaw in 1725 by Antonio Maria Peruzzi, following a split with Antonio Denzio with whom he had collaborated in the Peruzzi-Denzio company at the Sporck theatre in Prague. The Theater on the Cold Ashes was opened in 1755 by Franz von Schuch (1716–1764) and performed operas till his death in 1764. The opera house was constructed in 1841 to designs by Carl Ferdinand Langhans replacing his fathers building frome 1782. It was remodelled twice after fires in 1865 by Carl Johann Lüdecke and 1871 by Karl Schmidt.
Following the inclusion of Breslau back into Poland in 1945, the Lower Silesian Opera made its inaugural performance in Polish Wrocław on September 8, 1945 with Stanisław Moniuszko's Halka directed by Stanislaw Drabik. From 1945 to 1950 the building housed not only the Opera, but also theater, puppet theater and operetta performances. In 1997 the current Director Ewa Michnik, undertook the idea to use other venues during the complete rehab of the building (1997-2006). She created a series of mega-productions that took place around the city including the Centennial Hall, The National Museum courtyard and banks of the Oder River. This tradition became a trademark of Wroclaw Opera and continues to this day. |
Royal palace
Initially a Baroque palace of Heinrich Gottfried von Spätgen it was built in 1717 in a Viennese style by Fischer von Erlach. In 1750, after Prussia took control over Silesia in the First Silesian War, the palace was purchased by the Prussian king Frederick the Great and was converted into his residence. The palace was extended from 1751 to 1753 in the Baroque style with Rococo interiors designed by the royal architect Johann Boumann. Boumann's additions included a transverse wing with a festive hall, throne hall and Frederick the Great's private quarters.
The successor of Frederick the Great, who died in 1786, was his nephew Frederick William II of Prussia (1744–1797). He performed remodelling of the royal palace according to the design of Karl Gotthard Langhans . The remodelling took place in 1795 to 1796 in the classical style. As a result, the wings surrounding the northern courtyard, a new staircase and utility rooms were added. In April 1813, in the Yellow Living Room of the Palace, King Frederick William III of Prussia proclaimed the Iron Cross as a war medal. In the middle of the 19th century, drawing on a Florentine Renaissance style, architect Friedrich August Stüler added a new southern wing (1844–1846) and a new courtyard wings along with the gate and railing (1858). In 1918 the palace was donated to the city of Breslau. On 20 September 1926 the Palace Museum (Schlossmuseum) was opened, displaying an exposition devoted to Frederick the Great, reconstruction of original interiors, and a collection of Silesian art. In May 1945 the palace was heavily damaged during the siege of the city at the end of the Second World War. In 2008 a renovation was finished and a new museum was established, presenting 1,000 year history of Wrocław. |
St. John the Baptist Cathedral
The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Wrocław, (Polish: Archikatedra św. Jana Chrzciciela), is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wrocław. The cathedral is a Gothic church with Neo-Gothic additions.
A first church at the location of the present cathedral was built under Přemyslid rule in the mid 10th century, a fieldstone building with one nave about 25 m (82 ft) in length, including a distinctive transept and an apse. A Romanesque-style church was built 1039.After the end of the Mongol invasion, the church was largely rebuilt in the present-day Brick Gothic style. It was the first building of the city to be made of brick when construction of the new choir and ambulatory started in 1244. The nave with sacristy and the basements of the prominent western steeples were added under Bishop Nanker until 1341. On June 19, 1540, a fire destroyed the roof, which was restored in Renaissance style. Another fire on June 9, 1759, burnt the towers, roof, sacristy, and quire. In the 19th century, Karl Lüdecke rebuilt the interior and western side in neogothic style. Further work was done at the beginning of the 20th century by Hugo Hartung, especially on the towers ruined during the 1759 fire. The cathedral was almost entirely destroyed during the Siege of Breslau. The initial reconstruction of the church lasted until 1951, when it was reconsecrated by Archbishop Stefan Wyszyński. The cathedral holds the largest pipe organ in Poland, built in 1913 by E.F. Walcker & Sons of Ludwigsburg. |
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Świdnicka street
Świdnicka Street is one of the main streets of Wroclaw, that runs from the southeastern corner of Market Square to the south.
It was established during the medieval city street plan and is part of the orthogonal grid of streets of the Old City. Already in 1303 mentioned as platea swidnicensis, and in 1345 as swidnische Gassin, then was known as Schweidnitzer Gasse, later (from approx. 1840) Schweidnitzer Straße, as they ran towards Swidnica. Before World War II it was considered the most elegant street of the city and briefly was called Schwo. After the war it was renamed to Świdnicka, and the southern part was named after Aleksander Fredro; soon after the whole street was renamed Stalingrad, and in 1957, returned to the title Świdnicka. The street is of mixed nature of urban, cultural and commercial building. The northern part of the street from the Market Square to the theatre in 1997-2004 was turned into a pedestrian zone. |
town hall
The Ratusz sits in the Market square. It is considered as a fine example of bourgeois Gothic architecture. Originally, it was a single story building and was expanded over the years. The current form dates from the late 15th century with ornaments on the Eastern and Southern facades. The entrance is from the western side and it leads into the Burghers’ Hall.
The Burghers’ Hall dates from the turn of the 14th century when it housed public gatherings and ceremonies. It was later used for commercial purposes. Today, it includes a map of Wroclaw (a modern copy of a 16th-century map). The next room is the Aldermans’ Hall, also known as the Court Room. It dates from 1299, and was used by members of the municipality. It has a special podium for the administration of justice. Beyond that lies the Council Chamber, dating from the first half of the 14th century. Here, important city decisions were made and you can find a Renaissance portal from 1528, probably painted by Andreas Walter. Until 1945, this room was richly decorated but some of the elements, such as wood paneling, furniture, and paintings, have been irretrievably lost. The wall paintings and baroque tiled stove, however, have survived. Next is the Council Office, where the council secretary and receiver once worked. This was a popular office for clerks and was seen as a high-status profession. Architecturally, it still has its padded doors from 1429 and portraits of eminent town councilors. Upstairs is the Grand Hall, which dates from the second half of the 15th century. Here, official ceremonies take place. |