Landeshauptstadt Dresden - www.dresden.de

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Wrocław (Poland)

Dresden's contact to its second oldest twin city has always been a close one. After all, 270 kilometres are no hurdle when partners want to get together. There is a lively exchange between the two city administrations - above all between their European Affairs Offices. But this is just one aspect of the wide-ranging cooperation on both sides. Inaugurated in 1959, the partnership between Dresden and Wrocław was already able to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2009.

Population: 634,000

Geographical location: Southwest Poland, Lower Silesian Plain, at the foot of the Sudetes Mountains, on the River Oder; capital of the Lower Silesian province

Profile: The location on the River Oder has always played an important role for Wrocław, above all for the economic development of the city. As the river was scarcely navigable, Wrocław evolved into a "city of bridges" and an intersection of important trade routes. The city spreads over 12 islands with 112 bridges, and is thus often termed the "Polish Venice". In 2000, Wrocław celebrated the founding of the Diocese of Wrocław exactly 1,000 years earlier. Trade activity reached its zenith in the second half of the 14th century. The next 300 years were then characterised by war and destruction. During the period of the Counter-Reformation, many new churches and monasteries were built. In 1741, the Prussian army entered Wrocław. After two wars and the subsequent signing of the Treaty of Hubertusburg, the whole of Silesia was ceded to Prussia. Wrocław was also badly damaged during the Second World War. After the war, however, it was soon rebuilt and is today the fourth-largest city in Poland with numerous important branches of industry, such as mechanical and railway engineering, electronics, chemicals and food processing. Wrocław is furthermore a significant inland port with its own wharf.

Tips: One of the most important architectural monuments is the Gothic Town Hall on the market square (Rynek), which is counted one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in Central Europe. Both the old market square and the adjoining Salt Market (Plac Solny) are lined by historical townhouses restored in the styles of the Gothic and Baroque eras. Ostrow Tumski is the oldest part of the city: Here you can still find traces of the earliest settlements on this former island, dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, alongside the twin-spired Cathedral of St. John and the St. Aegidius' and St. Martin's Churches. In Wrocław, you can also visit one of the largest Baroque halls in Poland, the Aula Leopoldina in the main building of the university. The Centennial Hall designed by Max Berg in 1913 possessed the largest self-supporting dome in the world at that time and accommodated 20,000 people. Close by is the Bauhaus-style residential quarter Sepolno which was laid out in 1929. The White Stork Synagogue is one of the most important places of Jewish worship in Poland. The cultural spectrum of the city is characterised by its numerous music and theatre festivals: The international oratorio and cantata festival "Wratislavia Cantas" (June/September), the international festival of "Jazz by the Oder River" (May), the Wrocław Organ Summer, the international music festival "EuroSilesia", the international theatre festival "DIALOG-WROCŁAW" and a whole series of puppet theatre productions.