Wroclaw – 6

Excerpt from the new book about visiting Poland and The Baltics.

Cathedral Island is the oldest inhabited part of Wroclaw with evidence of the first settlers going back to the 7th and 8th Century AD. There have been churches here since 1000 AD and the views across the River Oder to the island are lovely – one of the best spots is close to the gnome in the digger. The cathedral was started in 1244 and took 346 years to build but was reconstructed much more quickly after WWII destroyed most of the building. Other churches on the island are the Church of St Giles and the Church of our Lady on Sand.  

500 metres west of the main station Wrocław Główny along Piłsudskiego, at the junction with Swidnicka, the visitor will find the sculpture called Passage. On one side of the road seven life-size bronze statues disappear into the pavement and on the other side seven more figures re-emerge apparently from under the road. This is a highly unusual piece sculpted by Jerzy Kalina. The unveiling in 2005 coincided with the 24th anniversary of the imposition of Martial Law.