River Oder, Wroclaw, Lower Silesian, Poland, Europe
Wrocław situated on the
River Oder in
Lower Silesia, is the largest city in western
Poland. Wrocław is the historical capital of
Silesia, and today is the capital of the
Lower Silesian Voivodeship. At various times it has been part of the
Kingdom of Poland,
Bohemia, the
Austrian Empire,
Prussia, and Germany; it has been again part of
Poland since
1945, as a result of border changes after
World War II. Its population in
2011 was 631,235, making it the fourth largest city in Poland. Wrocław was the host of
EuroBasket 1963,
FIBA EuroBasket 2009, and
UEFA Euro 2012; it will host the 2014
FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship and, in 2017, the
World Games, a competition in 37 non-olympic sport disciplines. The city has been selected as a
European Capital of Culture for 2016. The city's name was first recorded as "
Wrotizlava" in the chronicle of
German chronicler
Thietmar of Merseburg (
11th century), which mentions it as a seat of a newly installed bishopric in the context of the
Congress of Gniezno. The first municipal seal stated Sigillum civitatis Wratislavie. A simplified name is given, in 1175, as Wrezlaw, Prezla or
Breslaw. The
Czech spelling was used in
Latin documents as
Wratislavia or
Vratislavia. At that time, Prezla was used in
Middle High German, which became Preßlau
. In the middle of the
14th century the
Early New High German (and later
New High German) form of the name,
Breslau, began to replace its earlier versions.
The city is traditionally believed to be named after Wrocisław or
Vratislav, often believed to be
Duke Vratislaus I of Bohemia. It is also possible that the city was named after the tribal duke of the
Silesians or after an early ruler of the city called Vratislav. The city's name in other languages is available at the list of names of
European cities.
Persons born or living in the city are known as "Vratislavians". The city of Wrocław originated as a
Bohemian stronghold at the intersection of two trade routes, the Via
Regia and the
Amber Road. The name of the city was first recorded in the
10th century as Vratislavia, possibly derived from the name of a Bohemian duke
Vratislav I. Its initial extent was limited to
Ostrów Tumski (
Cathedral Island, German: Dominsel). During Wrocław's early history, its control changed hands between Bohemia (until 992, then 1038--1054), the Kingdom of Poland (992--1038 and 1054--1202), and, after the fragmentation of the Kingdom of Poland, the Piast-ruled duchy of Silesia. One of the most important events in those times was the foundation of the
Diocese of Wrocław by the
Polish Duke (from 1025 king)
Bolesław the Brave in
1000. Along with the Bishoprics of
Kraków and
Kołobrzeg, Wrocław was placed under the
Archbishopric of Gniezno in
Greater Poland, founded by
Otto III in 1000, during the Congress of Gniezno. In the years 1034-1038 the city was affected by pagan reaction. The city became a commercial centre and expanded to
Wyspa Piasek (pl) (
Sand Island, German: Sandinsel), and then to the left bank of the River Oder.
Around 1000, the town had about 1,
000 inhabitants.[5] By 1139, a settlement belonging to
Governor Piotr Włostowic (a.k.a.
Piotr Włast Dunin) was built, and another was founded on the left bank of the River Oder, near the present seat of the
University. While the city was Polish, there were also communities of Bohemians,
Jews,
Walloons and
Germans. In the first half of the
13th century Wrocław became the political centre of the divided
Polish kingdom. The city was devastated in 1241 during the
Mongol invasion of Europe. While the city was burned to force the
Mongols to withdraw quickly, most of the population probably survived. After the
Mongol invasion the town was partly populated by German settlers who, in the following centuries, would gradually become its dominant ethnic group; the city, however, retained its multi-ethnic character, a reflection of its position as an important trading city on the Via Regia and the Amber Road. With the influx of settlers the town expanded and adopted in 1242
German town law. The city council used Latin and German, and "Breslau", the Germanized name of the city, appeared for the first time in written records.[9] The enlarged town covered around 60 hectares, and the new main market square, which was surrounded by timber frame houses, became the new centre of the town. The original foundation, Ostrów Tumski, became the religious center. Wrocław adopted
Magdeburg rights in 1261, and joined the
Hanseatic League in 1387.