Wrocław is the capital of Lower Silesia, on the Oder. I come here most often for the May long weekend – for the 3-majówka festival and the Guitar Guinness World Record attempt on the Market Square, which I described in a separate post together with the Pergola, the Centennial Hall and the zoo. This post is about the city outside the festival. I gathered photos from two shorter visits: an evening and night walk around the Old Town in October 2024 and an afternoon before a concert in June 2025. You will find the Market Square and the Town Hall, the dwarfs, the Passage monument, the main station, Bogusławskiego Street and a concert at A2.
Table of contents
- The Market Square and the Town Hall at night
- The dwarfs
- The Passage – the monument to the Anonymous Pedestrians
- Wrocław Główny station
- Bogusławskiego Street – bars under the viaduct
- A concert at A2
- Practical information
The Market Square and the Town Hall at night
I reached the Market Square (Rynek) on 23 October 2024 at around 8 pm. The paving was wet after the rain, and the houses around the square, with their cafés and restaurants, were lit up. A block of buildings with the Town Hall runs through the middle of the square.
The Gothic Town Hall was built from the end of the 13th century over about 250 years. After the war it became the Museum of Burgher Art, and in its cellars is the Piwnica Świdnicka – one of the oldest restaurants in Europe. I photographed the east façade with its ornate gable and clock after midnight, when the square was almost empty.
By the south wall of the Town Hall stands a bronze bear on a tree stump.
The dwarfs
Small bronze figures are scattered around the Old Town – the dwarfs (krasnale). The first one, Papa Dwarf, appeared on Świdnicka Street in 2001 to commemorate the Orange Alternative movement. Since 2005 more and more have been added, and today there are about a thousand of them in Wrocław. They stand by pavements, against walls and by lamp posts, so they are easy to miss. I found the first ones on the evening of 23 October 2024 – two carrying tools on their shoulders and one in a pointed hat.
After midnight I came across two dwarfs pushing a granite ball from both sides and a dwarf with a jug.
The Passage – the monument to the Anonymous Pedestrians
At the crossroads of Świdnicka and Piłsudskiego streets stands the Passage (Przejście), known as the monument to the Anonymous Pedestrians. It consists of 14 bronze figures placed on both sides of the street – half of them sink into the pavement and the other half emerge from it. The author is Jerzy Kalina, who showed the first version, made of plaster and real clothes, in Warsaw in 1977. The Wrocław monument was unveiled in 2005. I was there at night, around 2 am.
Wrocław Główny station
Wrocław Główny station was built in 1855–1857 to a design by Wilhelm Grapow. The building, in the Tudor Gothic style, has turrets and battlements. It was thoroughly modernised before Euro 2012. On an October evening in 2024 a red “Wrocław Główny” sign glowed above the entrance, and in June 2025 I photographed the yellow façade in daylight.
Bogusławskiego Street – bars under the viaduct
Bogusławskiego Street runs west from the station. A brick railway viaduct stretches along it, and its arches house bars and restaurants with tables out on the cobbles. On the afternoon of 10 June 2025 the tables were full.
A concert at A2
In the evening of the same day I went to A2 Centrum Koncertowe for a Lorna Shore concert. Signs of the Swarm and Fit For An Autopsy also played that night. A long queue formed outside the entrance to the hall.
During Lorna Shore’s set, columns of fire shot up on both sides of the stage.
Practical information
- By train: trains from all over Poland arrive at Wrocław Główny. From the station to the Market Square it is about 1.5 km, roughly a 20-minute walk.
- Around the city: you can walk between the Market Square, Świdnicka Street with the Passage, the station and Bogusławskiego Street. A2, the Centennial Hall and the zoo are further away – take public transport there.
- Dwarfs: they stand all over the centre, often right by the pavement – look down and at the window sills.
- In the evening: the Market Square and the Town Hall are lit up, and the bars around the square stay open late. After midnight the square is quiet and it is easier to take photos without the crowds.
- How much time: half a day is enough for the Market Square, the dwarfs, the Passage and the station area.
- More of Wrocław: the May Guitar Guinness World Record and the 3-majówka festival. Wrocław was also the first stop on my way to the Main Sudetes Trail in winter.
