Wrocław - what else?

Wrocław is a city that has a lot to offer in terms of art, culture and history. City has a wonderful, large ZOO, the Racławice Panorama, Centennial Hall and fantastic cultural centers: the Wrocław Opera, theaters (including the great Capitol - a musical theater), cinemas, the National Forum of Music and many other attractions.

I particularly recommend the Racławice Panorama, which exhibits the cyclorama painting The Battle of Racławice painted in 1893–1894 by a team of painters under the direction of Jan Styka and Wojciech Kossak. This painting made a huge impression on me (I've been there twice) especially since the exhibition, apart from the painting itself, includes staffage placed in front of it and lit in such a way that the viewer watching the painting unfolded around it and enclosed in a ring would not be able to tell where the objects placed on the floor in front of the painting end and where the painting itself begins. The shape of a hyperboloid of rotation that was given to the panorama intensifies the effect of blurring the boundary between the surface of the canvas and the space in front of it.

The dimensions of the painting are 15 by 114 meters!

a fragment of a painting with a peasant's hut and armed peasants — Fragment of the painting The Battle of Racławice from a close-up. Panorama Racławicka. Wrocław. Photo: Wikipedia

a group of tourists waiting to enter the round building — The building in which The Battle of Racławice is located. Panorama Racławicka. Wrocław. Photo: Flickr

the round painting shows a battle from the 18th century, some of the fighters are on horseback, some on foot, in front of it there are spectators — The Battle of Racławice. Panorama Racławicka. Wrocław. Photo: Flickr

Centennial Hall was built in 1911–1913 according to the design of Max Berg. In 2006, the hall was inscribed on the UNESCO list. Currently, numerous cultural and sports events take place there, and the building itself and its surroundings appear in films and series, including The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

two children and a man are standing between a pergola, behind them a round fountain and a round building in the distance — Centennial Hall in Wrocław. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

At the concert of the Polish singer. Centennial Hall can accommodate up to 10 thousand people.

inside the hall, the crowd is waiting for the singer, the roof is dome-shaped — The dome of the Centennial Hall is 67 meters in diameter. Wrocław. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

The Steel Spire was erected in 1948 on the occasion of the Recovered Territories Exhibition. It's 90 m high.

a tall steel spire, people around it, a round building behind it — The Spire in Wrocław is one of the most recognisable buildings. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

The Wrocław Zoo is the oldest zoo in Poland on current Polish lands. It was opened on July 10, 1865. It's a beautiful, large area and home to many animals: hippos, various monkeys, giraffes, elephants, seals, wolves, birds, bears and many others. The zoo was particularly loud in 2024 because 4 Sumatran tigers were born there, which is a huge rarity. As Jacek Sutryk, the president of Wrocław, said: “The birth of four Sumatran tigers is the greatest breeding success in recent years and an unprecedented event, a real world sensation”. Ps. The film shows an adult tiger :)

Hippos in the zoo enclosure — Hippos at the Wrocław Zoo. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

Capitol Musical Theater

visible stage in the theater, lit in pink, on the stage 2 actresses with brooms — The Capitol Musical Theater in Wrocław also invites you to musical performances with English subtitles. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

Banksy exhibition :)

a boy looks at a work of art painted on the wall, its main elements are: a military helicopter dropping bombs, some crushed rubble by the wall and two black tires — My son and his analysis of Banksy work. Wrocław. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

Exhibition of Beksiński's works :)

there are 2 paintings and a portrait of their creator hanging on the wall — In most of his works, Beksiński captured tragic moments, full of horror, pain and death. Wrocław. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

The Witold Lutosławski National Forum of Music in Wrocław is one of the largest concert venues in Europe. The building houses, among others: four concert halls, including the Main Hall with 1,804 seats and three chamber halls, as well as rehearsal rooms, conference and office rooms and exhibition space.

a man stands in a square in front of a large brown and glass building — We are going to a unique concert of a unique artist. National Forum of Music in Wrocław. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

Gustavo Santaolalla himself!
Argentine musician and film music composer. It was a great pleasure to be at his concert :)

the stage, with the conductor and the entire orchestra on it, and the spectators in the background — The man in the blue shirt is Gustavo Santaolalla. National Forum of Music in Wrocław. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

the stage has musical instruments on it, the audience sits around the stage and waits for the concert — The concert and the entire sound of the musicians was spectacular. National Forum of Music in Wrocław. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

The Tarczyński Arena Stadium is a place of fantastic concerts. We were there for the Polish singer, along with 40 thousand other fans!

stadium full of fans, stage in the middle, fireworks from the fire around the stage — On a world-class level. Dawid Podsiadło concert at Tarczyński Arena Wroclaw. Photo by A. Rybczyńska

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