Wrocław

Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, roughly 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the Sudeten Mountains to the north. In 2023, the official population of Wrocław was 674,132, making it the third-largest city in Poland. The population of the Wrocław metropolitan area is around 1.25 million. Wrocław is the historical capital of Silesia and Lower Silesia. The history of the city dates back over 1,000 years; at various times, it has been part of the Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria, the Kingdom of Prussia and Germany, until it became again part of Poland in 1945 immediately after World War II. Wrocław is a university city with a student population of over 130,000, making it one of the most youth-oriented cities in the country. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the University of Wrocław, previously the German Breslau University, has produced nine Nobel Prize laureates and is renowned for its high quality of teaching. Wrocław has numerous historical landmarks, including the Main Market Square, Cathedral Island, Bridge of Love, Wrocław Opera, the National Museum and the Centennial Hall, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Wrocław's dwarfs are a major tourist attraction and have become a symbol of Wrocław. The city is home to the Wrocław Zoo, the oldest zoological garden in Poland. Wrocław is classified as a Sufficiency global city by GaWC. It is often featured in lists of the most livable places in the world, and was ranked 1st among all medium and small cities by fDi Intelligence in 2021. The city is home to Śląsk Wrocław football club and hosted the 2012 European Football Championship. In 2016, the city was a European Capital of Culture and the World Book Capital, and hosted the Theatre Olympics and the European Film Awards. In 2017, the city was host to the World Games. In 2019, it was named a UNESCO City of Literature.