Wrocław as a Large Sightseeing Center

„TURYZM" 1902, z. 1

Jerzy W y r z y k o w s k i

WROCŁAW AS A LARGE SIGHTSEEING CENTER

WROCŁAW, GRAND CENTRE CIIOROGRAPHIQUE

WROCŁAW JAKO WIELKIE CENTRUM KRAJOZNAWCZE

Wrocław, the fourth most populated town in Poland, is set in the

centre of Lower Silesia, at the mouths of Oława, Slęża, Bystrzyca and

Widawa rivers, tributaries of the Odra River, at a distance of 100— 150

km from the Sudetes Mountains. The town is a major regional center

of industry, science and culture. There were 642,300 inhabitants in

Wroclaw in 1989. In 1988 the state economy employed 265,300 workers,

81,600 in industry, 33,200 in construction, 15,200 in transportation, and

26,400 in commerce.

Wrocław was considered by the Polish Indicative Tourist Plan, as

one of the most important localities and touristic areas w ith which each

inhabitant of our country should have been acquainted at school, and

which should be an important goal for foreign tourism.

The localities included in the first category are called ’’large sight­

seeing centres”. The paper presents the elem ents of W roclaw’s touristic

attractiveness and its present touristic utilization.

Wroclaw in one of the largest communication junctions in the country.

12 main road routes and 9 railway lines cross here. A number of im­

portant international roads also pass through Wrocław: the E 40 from

Dunkirk to Lvov and Kharkov, and the E 67 from Prague to Warsaw.

In addition there are major railways linking Western, Central, Eastern

and South-Eastern Europe, including lines from Berlin, Frankfurt-am-

-Main, Munich, Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Burgas, Lvov, Kiev, and

Moscow. Wroclaw posseses an airport as w ell as river harbours, the

Odra river being connected with the West Europe an waterw ay system.

Wrocław has rich and differentiated touristic attractions and nu­

merous architectural monuments, interesting museums and exhibitions as

well as landscape and natural features. The tourist attraction of the

town is increased by a wealth of cultural and folkloristic spectacles,

theatres and concert halls and the possibilities of Odra River trips.

T a b l e I

The m ost im p o rta n t a rc h ite c tu ra l m o n u m en ts in W ro c la w

Lesi p lu s im p o rta n ts m o n u m en ts de l'a rc h ite c tu re à W ro claw

O bjects of European sign ifican ce

C a th e d ra l Islan d :

C a th e d ra l C h u rch of St. Jo h n B aptist

C o lleg iate C h u rch of St. C ross w ith lo w er C h u rch of B yzantium — U k rain e of St. C ross

S and Island:

A u g u stin ia n C o n v en t, H o ly V irg in M ary C hu rch an d c o n v e n t b u ild in g O ld and N e w Tow n:

T h e J e s u it C ollege (U n iv ersity a t p resen t) T ow n H all

O bjects of general national significance

C a th e d ra l Islan d : B uilding of C h a p te r O ld and N ew Tow n:

C a th e d ra l C h u rch of St. M a ry M ag d alen a

G arriso n C h u rch of St. E lizab eth (being re c o n stru c te d )

T he C o n v e n t of C ru sa d e rs w ith Red S tar (p resen tly th e O sso lin eu m L ibrary) St. V in c e n t C h u rch (reco n stru cted )

T he D om inican C o n v e n t w ith St. A d a lb e rth C hu rch

T he F ra n c isc a n C h u rch of St. S tan islav , St. W aclaw , a n d St. D orota C h u rc h of K n ig h ts of St. J o h n of Je ru sa le m

O ld E xchange

T he ta n e m e n t-h o u se s in R ynek: Pod G ryfam i, Pod Złotym Słońcem , Siedm iu E lek ­ torów , K uźnicza S treet, Pod S reb rn y m H ełm em , S o ln y S q u are

S o u r c e : Ł o z i ń s k i , M i l o b ę d z k i , 1967.

The most important architectural monuments according to Ł o z i ń ­

s k i and M i ł o b ę d z k i (1967) are presented by Table I. 5 buildings

or building complexes are included as objects of European significance,

and a further 14 are included as objects of national significance. There

is a particular concentration of monuments in the Old Town and on

Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski). The complex of representative Gothic

buildings (among other things the Town Hall and Cathedral) belongs to

one of the largest not only in Poland but also in Europe. In the group

of more recent architectonic objects the People’s Hall should be m en­

tioned. It was built in 1912— 1913 and is one of the world’s first gigantic

reinforced concrete constructions.

Fig. 1. W ro c ła w . M ap of th e c ity c e n tre D essin 1. W ro c ła w . P lan

de la v ille ■b o t a n c âT ~ s j /GARDEN' National Museï 'Panorama ZOOUK CAL : v . • GAJłOEN :

WROCŁAW

W ro c ła w as a L a rg e S ig h tse ein g C e n te r

Among 13 m useums the most frequently visited are: the Racławice

Panorama, the Historical Museum in the monumental Town Hall, and

the National Museum (Tab. II). The Racławice Panorama is o f particular

interest. It is a monumental painting with dimensions: 120X15 m repre­

senting a battle between Polish and Russians forces at Racławice in 1794.

All visits ¡must be reserved w ell in advance and the panorama has fully

booked since it was made accessible in 1985. The number of visitors

to Wrocław museums exceeds 1 million persons annually.

T a b l e II

V isito rs to W ro c ła w M useum s In 1989 V isiteu rs des m u sses de W ro c ła w en 1989

M useum

V isito rs (in thousands) y o u th in clu d in g *ot<^ y o u n g peo p le N a tio n a l 66.5 22.0 H isto rical 314.8 50.5 E th n o g rap h ic 11.5 5.2 A rc h a e o lo g y 28.2 6.9 A rc h ite c tu re 37.1 4.1 N a tu re 53.1 32.7 P o st an d T eleco m m u n icatio n s 19.1 12.0 M in erals 6.0 4.0 G eology 1.8 1.7 A rch d io cese 18.4 3.4 M edallic A rt 5.3 2.5

R acław ice P an o ram a 475.9 68.0

C e m etery a rc h ite c tu re 3.0 1.5

G e n e ra lly 1,040.7 214.5

S o u r c e : Y e ar-book o f W ro c la w C o u n ty , 1990.

The attractiveness of the landscape is connected w ith the fact that

the town is situated on the Odra River and tributaries w ith a large

number of picturesque bridges (over 90), including the unique Suspension

Grunwald Bridge, and large green areas.

Among the 23 parks, Szczytnicki Park is of particular significance

because of its differentiated tree cover. It is the fourth park in Europe

in this respect. The Zoological and Botanical Gardens also possess natural

attractions. The zoo is the largest in Poland and one of the largest in

Europe. The Botanical Garden is also one of the largest in the country.

The number of visitors to the Zoological and Botanical Gardens is esti­

mated as 1 million a year (Tab. Ill, IV).

T a b l e III T he W ro cław Z oological G ard en (on 31 XII)

J a r d in Z oologique M unicipal à W ro claw (état au 31 d écem b re 1909)

Y ears

1985 1988 1989

A re a ol g a rd e n in ha 32 33 32

S p ecies of an im als 612 689 643

A nim als 4,442 5,372 4,502

T ick ets sold (in th o u san d s) 518 777 788

S o u r c e : Y ea r-b o o k o t W ro cla w C ourtly, 1990.

T a b l e I V B o tan ical G ard en (on 31 XII)

Ja r d in d e s P la n te s M u n icip al (état au 31 d écem b re 1989)

Y ears 1985 1988 1989 A re a of th e g a rd e n in h a 7.1 7.1 7.1 N u m b er of p la n t sp ecies in th o u sa n d s 7.2 7.2 7.2 M ean n u m b er of v is ito rs

d u rin g y e a r (in th o u san d s) 350.0 300.0 350.0

S o u r c i : Y ea r-b o o k o í W ro cla w C o u n ty , 1990,

Wroclaw cemeteries are characterized by their historical interest,

particularly the Jewish Cemetery, the Cemetery — mausoleum Russian

Soldiers, the Cemetery o f Polish Soldiers and the St. Lawrence Cemetery.

Wroclaw is the largest cultural centre of the Odra River Region.

There are 11 active theatres and musical institutions (Tab. V), and

numerous cultural and folkloristic events are organized here (Tab. VI).

Among theatres, the best known are: the Pantomima Theatre directed

by H. Tomaszewski and the Laboratory Theatre w ith J. Grotowski as

director. In 1989 the Opera, Operetta, Philharmonic and Puppett Theatres

had the largest audiences. Among theatrical and musical festivals of

the greatest European fame is the „Oratorio-Cantata Festival „Wrati-

slavia Cantans” (Tab. VI).

T a b l e V T h e a tre s an d m u sical in s titu tio n s (1989)

T h é â tre s e t é ta b lis se m e n ts d e m u siq u e (1989)

S p ecificatio n P laces _{(in th o u san d s)}A u d ien ce

P o lsk i T h e a tre 1,212 55.3

K am eraln y T h e a tre 301 40.0

W sp ó łczesn y T h e a tre 317 67.2

W ro c ła w T h e a tre of P an to m im e 19.7

W ro c ła w T h e a tre of P u p p ets 297 74.9

S econd Studio of W ro cław 30 2.0

C e n tre of O p en T h e a tre „K alam b u r" Scene: L arge 96 13.8 Sm all 48 3.4 S ta te O p e ra Scene: L arge 700 101.8 Sm all 120 0.6 W ro c ła w O p e re tta 600 96.3 S ta te P h ilh arm o n ic 501 88.1 C a n to re s M inores W ra tis la v ie n s e s 13.0 T otal 4,222 576.1

S o u r c e : Y e a i-b o o k o í W rocław C o u n ty, 1990.

Numerous itineraries and programmes for visiting the town, based

on above mentioned touristic values, have been proposed.

C z e r w i ń s k i (1989) worked out 8 itineraries of several hourseach;

C e t w i ń s k i (1985) preparated 6 perambulations. Taking into account

the existence of interesting excursions in the vicinity of Wrocław, Czer­

wiński proposes 6 trips by car to Brzeg, Henryków, Lubiąż, Milicz, Oleś­

nica, Sobótka and Trzebnica; one needs at least a 3 days’ stay in Wrocław

to complete these.

There are 5,000 beds available in Wroclaw throughout the year

(Tab. VII). Among the 20 accommodation facilities, excluding guest

rooms, there are in principle all the most important kinds of accommo­

dation sought by tourists from hotels to camp sites. In the 1980s there

was a noticeable and continuous decrease in the number of beds available

for tourists (Tab. IX). The catering business is represented by 61

restau-T a b l e VI F estiv als, fairs an d c u ltu ra l e v e n ts

F e stiv a ls, fo ires e t festin s

M onth K ind of sp e c ta c le

F e b ru a ry F e stiv a l of P olish C o n te m p o ra ry M usic; „M usica P olonica N ova" (ev ery tw o y ears)

M arch R ev iew of A cto rs Song

A pril Jazz F e stiv a l „Ja z z n ad Odrą",- P o lish Y outh R ev iew of th e Song M ay The W ro c la w D ays; P iast F a in „ C ep eliad a"

M ay -Ju n e F estiv al of P o lish C o n te m p o ra ry P lay s Ju ly W ro cław F lo w er F e stiv a l

S ep tem b er In te rn a tio n a l O ra to ris-C a n ta ta F e stiv a l „ W ra tis la v ia C a n ta n s" ; W ro ­ claw D ays of Tourism,- In te rn a tio n a l M eetin g of O p en -T h eatre; W ro c ła w G a rd e n Fairs* T rzeb n ica O rc h a rd s F e stiv a l

O cto b er Jazz Film Saloon; In te rn a tio n a l T rie n n a le of D raw ings N o v em b er P o lish M eetin g s of M usiciens F am ilies

D ecem ber D ays of M usic of O ld M a s te rs (each tw o y ears) S o u r c e : C z e r w i ń s k i , 1989,

T a b l e VII T o u ristic facilities in W ro claw (situ atio n a t 31 X II 1989)

Base de c o u c h a g e a W ro c la w (état a u 31 d écem b re 1989)

K ind of facilities N u m b er of N um ber of b eds facilities _{w h o le y e a r} seaso n H o tels 8 1,916

.

M otels 1 144 — H ouses of e x c u rs io n s 5 370 — Y outh sh e lte rs 2 115 — C am p sites G u ests room : 2 52 479 sta te -o w n e d 85 — p riv a te 1,390 — O th e r facilities 2 158 360 T otal 20 4,230 839 S o u r c e : Y ea r-b o o k o í W ro cla w C o u n ty , ÍQ9Q.

rants, bars and cafés with dining facilities for 6,200 (Tab. VIII). The

largest number of seats are in cafe’s, with 2,600 and in restaurants,

with 2,300.

T a b l e V III C a te rin g fa c ilitie s in W ro c ła w (situ atio n a t 31 V III 1989)

B ase g a stro n o m iq u e o fferte a u x to u ris te s à W ro c ła w (état a u 31 a o û t 1989) K ind of facilities N u m b er of facilities N u m b er of g astro n o m ic p la c e s R e sta u ra n ts 20 2,303 B ars 18 1,274 C afés 23 2,614 T o tal 61 6,191

S o u r c e : T o u ristic g u id e -b o o k o l Low er S ilesia , 1989.

T a b l e I X U tilizatio n of to u ris t fa c ilitie s in W ro c la w

U tilisa tio n de l'é q u ip e m e n t to u ristiq u e à W ro c ła w

S p ecificatio n

Y ears

1980 1985 1989

Beds in to u r is t facilities 5,888 5,259 5,069

U ser» of b ed s a v a ila b le (in

th o u san d s) 346.0 313.6 287.2

O v e rn ig h t s ta y s (in th o u san d s) 1,356.7 1,195.4 939.5

S o u r c e : Y ea r-b o o k o l W ro cla w Count y , 1990.

The socio-economic crisis of the country and a serious decrease in

the standard of living has influenced tourist trends and the use tourist

facilities. In the 1980s the number of persons using the accommodation

decreased from 346,000 to 287,200 (a fall of about 17°/») and number of

overnight stays from 1,357 thousand to 940 thousand (a fall of about 31°/°).

In the second half of the 1980s the use of various tourist facilities

declined, particularly after 1989 because of the introduction of the free

market economy. The numbers visiting the Wrocław County Museums

increased significantly during 1985— 1988 from 670,000 to 1,083,000,

largely in conjunction w ith the opening of the Racławice Panorama.

However, in 1989 a slight decrease in the number of visitors to 1,059,000

was also noted.

Audiences in theatres and musical institutions increased from 646,000

in 1985 to 669,000 in 1988, but then in 1989 decreased to 576,000.

airport significantly increased between 1985— 1988 (about +42°/»), but

in 1989 decreased to the level of 1985 (Tab. X). The number o f passengers

taking on the River Odra in the vicinity of Wroclaw in second half

of the 1980s was in principle similar, that is, about 200,000 persons

yearly (Tab. XI). The utilization of Botanical Garden was similar, some

350,000 a year.

T a b l e X P o lish A irlin e s ,,LOT"

Lignes A é rie n n e s P o lo n aises „LOT"

S p ecificatio n P a sse n g e rs d e p a rtu re s a rriv a ls from W ro c la w a t W ro claw T otal: 1985 35,501 37,306 1988 51,528 52,196 1989 37,219 37,123 L ines: W ro c la w —W a rs a w 36,683 36,695 o th e r flig h ts 536 428

S o u r c e : Yea r-b o o k o l W ro cla w C o u n ty, 1990.

P a sse n g e rs trip s on W ro c la w w a te rw a y s (the O d ra River)

T a b l e XI

T ra n sp o rt d es p a s s a g e rs par le s p o rts de W ro claw (le fleu v e O der)

Y ears ap ecu iccm u u 1985 1988 1989 D o w n stream r iv e r p a sse n g e rs (in th o u san d s) 94.4 91.3 92.1 U p stream riv e r p a ss e n g e rs (in th o u san d s) 94.4 91.3 92.1 P a sse n g e rs in re n te d ships (in th o u san d s) 7.9 7.8 7.0

S o u r c e : Yea r-b o o k o i W ro cła w C o u n ty, 1990.

An increasing tendency was visible only in the Zoological Garden

where number of tickets sold during 1985— 1989 increased about 52°/®.

For comparison, Table XII presents information about the number

of beds in tourist facilities and their utilization in 8 large Polish sight­

seeing centres. The data show that Wroclaw is in fourth position after

Warsaw, Poznan and Cracow.

r , T a b l e XII

T o u rist facilities an d th e ir u tiliz a tio n in la rg e P olish sig h tse e in g cen tres (c u rre n t situation)

E quipem ent to u ris tiq u e e t son u tilisa tio n d an s les g ra n d s c e n tre s ch o ro g ra p h iq u e s da la P o lo g n e

L arge sig h tseein g c e n te r N u m b er of in h a b ita n ts (in th o u san d s) Beds av a ila b le N u m b er of v isito rs sta y in g (in th o u sa n d s1) O v e rn ig h t sta y s (in th o u san d s) G d ań sk (1988) 461.5 4,674 191.4 580.2 K rak ó w (1989) 745.6 6,209 422.6 939.2 L ublin (1988) 339.5 2,741 117.8 288.4 P o zn ań (1989) 586.9 14,752 354.5 1 609.5 Szczecin (1988) 409.5 3,257 176.9 384.6 T o ru ń (1989) 200.9 1,770 83.7 162.0 W a rsz a w a (1988) 1 651.2 13,014 710.8 16,500.4 W ro c ła w (1989) 642.3 5,069 287.2 939.5 S o u r c e : Yea r-b o o ks o f co u n ties (1989, 1990).

The material presented suggests that Wrocław and its region pos­

sesses abundant touristic attractions, adequate transportation accessibility

and significant infrastructural base for tourism. These facilities are not

fully used, particularly the accommodation available. This is obviously

connected w ith the socio-economic crisis and the falling standard of

living.

However, in future it is possible to expect an increase in domestic

tourism and the development of foreign tourism. The improvement in

tourist attractions, the amelioration of the infrastructural base, and the

preparation of appropriate tourist advertising for the city should meet

present requirements.

REFERENCES

C e t w i ń s k i C., 1985, W r o c ł a w s k i e spacery, C en tru m In fo rm acji T u ry sty c z n e j, W ro cław .

C z e r w i ń s k i J., 1989, W r o c ł a w i okolice. P rzew odnik, w yd. „S p o rt i T u ry sty k a ", W a rsz a w a .

Ł o z i ń s k i J. Z., M i ł o b ę d z k i A., 1967, A t l a s z a b y t k ó w a r c h i te k t u r y w Polsce, w yd. „P olonia", W arszaw a.

Plan k i e r u n k o w y za gospodarow ania tu r y s t y c z n e g o Polski, 1971, GKKFiT, Z akład Z a­

g o sp o d a ro w a n ia T u ry sty c z n e g o , W rocław .

R o c zn ik s t a t y s t y c z n y w o j e w ó d z t w a w ro cła w skieg o , 1990, W o jew ó d zk i U rząd S ta ty s ­

ty c z n y w e W ro cław iu , W ro cław . Doc. d r hab. J e rz y W y rz y k o w sk i I n s ty tu t G eograficzny U n iw e rsy te t W ro c ła w sk i P lac U n iw e rsy te c k i 1 50-137 W ro c ła w RÉSUM É

W ro c ła w e st l'u n de g ra n d s c e n tre s c h o ro g ra p h iq u e s d e la P o lo g n e. La v ille do it ses a ttra its to u ristiq u e s à sa s itu a tio n a v a n ta g e u s e a u c ro isem e n t des v o ie s de c o m ­ m u n icatio n , à ses v a le u rs to u ristiq u e s e t a u x b a se s d e c o u ch ag e e t g astro n o m iq u e b ien d év elo p p é es. P arm i les v a le u rs to u ristiq u e s de d is tin g u e n t le s m o n u m en ts de l'a r c h ite c tu re e t de la c o n stru c tio n de c lasse e u ro p é e n n e (l'hôtel de ville, la c a th é ­ d ra le , e n tr e au tres), le s m u sées a v e c la p e in tu re m o n u m en tale du P an o ram a d e R a­ cław ice, les v a le u rs d e p a y sa g e (la s itu a tio n su r l'O d ra e t ses afflu en ts, les p o n ts p itto re sq u e s, les p a rc s nom breux) et n a tu r e lle s (le J a r d in des p la n te s, le J a rd in zoologique, le p arc de S zczytniki).

A insi qu e d ans to u t le p ay s, d an s le s a n n é e s q u a tre -v in g ts, le m o u v em en t to u r is ­ tiq u e lié à l'e x p lo ita tio n de la b a se de c o u ch ag e a sen sib le m e n t baissé. P e n d a n t un e an n ée, m oins de 1 m illion de p e rs o n n e s ont lo u é le u r p la c e de co u ch ag e. D ans les a u tre s o b je ts to u ristiq u e s, la b a isse d 'a fflu e n c e é ta it m oins notab le! d an s le J a rd in zo o lo g iq u e le n o m b re d e v is ite u rs a c o n sid é ra b le m e n t au g m en té. C h a q u e an n é e les m usées so n t v isité s p a r plus d ’un m illio n de p e rs o n n e s. Le m êm e n o m b re de v is i­ te u rs re ç o iv e n t en sem b le le J a rd in zo o lo g iq u e e t le J a r d in d e s p la n te s.

P arm i les plus g ra n d s c e n tre s c h o ro g ra p h iq u e s de la P o lo g n e, eu é g a rd à la g ra n d e u r de la b a se et du m o u v em en t to u ristiq u e , W ro c ła w se p la c e au q u a triè m e ra n g ap rès V arso v ie, P oznań e t C racovie.

T ra d u it p a r L ucjan K ow alski

STRESZCZENIE

W ro c ła w je s t jed n y m z w ielk ich cen tró w k ra jo z n a w c z y c h Polski. N a d użą a tr a k ­ cy jn o ść tu ry sty c z n ą m ia sta s k ła d a ją się: do g o d n e p o ło żen ie na sk rzy żo w an iu sz la ­ k ów k o m u n ik a c y jn y c h , w y so k ie w a lo ry tu ry sty c z n e o raz ro z w in ię ta baza n o cleg o w a i g astro n o m iczn a. W śró d w alo ró w tu ry sty c z n y c h w y ró ż n ia ją się e u ro p e jsk ie j k la s y

W p ły n ęło : 30 p a ź d z ie rn ik a 1991 r.

z a b y tk i a rc h ite k tu ry i b u d o w n ic tw a (m. in. ra tu sz i k a te d ra ), o b ie k ty m u zea ln e z m o ­ n u m en taln y m m alow idłem P a n o ra m y R acław ick iej, w a lo ry k ra jo b ra z o w e (położenie n ad O d rą i je j dop ły w am i, m alow nicze m osty, liczne p ark i) i p rzy ro d n ic z e (O gród B otaniczny, O g ró d Z oologiczny, P a rk S zczytnicki).

P o d o b n ie ja k w cały m k ra ju , w la ta c h o siem d ziesiąty ch znaczn ie obn iży ł się ru ch tu ry s ty c z n y zw iązan y z w y k o rz y sta n ie m b a z y n o cleg o w ej. Liczba u d z ielo n y ch n o c le ­ gów w ciągu ro k u sp ad ła p o n iżej 1 m in. W in n y c h ro d z a ja c h o b ie k tó w tu ry s ty c z n y c h sp a d e k fre k w e n c ji był m niej w idoczny, a w O g ro d zie Z oologicznym liczba z w ie d z a ją ­ cych n a w e t zn acznie w zrosła. O b ie k ty m uzealne o dw iedza ro czn ie p o n a d m ilion osób, p o d o b n ą fre k w e n c ją m a ją ró w n ież łącz n ie O g ró d Z o ologiczny i O g ró d B otaniczny.

Z p o ró w n a n ia w ielk o ści b a z y i ru ch u tu ry sty c z n e g o w g ru p ie w ielk ich cen tró w k ra jo z n a w c z y c h w P o lsce w y n ik a, że W ro cław z a jm u je p od ty m w zg lęd em czw arte m iejsce, po W arszaw ie, P o zn an iu i K rakow ie.