Day 10 – Wroclaw and Church of Peace

W’s are pronounced as “V”, C as chhh, and the middle L with a slash through it as a “w” in water....not Worclaw but Vrochhav!!! The name just rolls off your tongue.....

This city is located in western Poland about 100 miles/167 kilometers from the German border. In the Spring of 1945, as the German Army retreated from the approaching Russian Army, the city was designated as a “fortress” by the German General and not to be surrendered .....as a result, Wroclaw suffered significant destruction from the attacking Russians. Note the pictures that depict “what was” and “what is today”.

 









This is a lovely city through which Poland’s second largest river, the Oder, flows. It has the 2nd biggest town square after Krakow, a vibrant University population of 140,000 students, and supports a vibrant economy. We arrived on a Saturday. The city square was occupied with families enjoying their weekend holiday with music and various activities.

We drove by bus to Cathedral Island where we began our walking tour. We spent about an hour exploring the area by viewing and visiting prominent “houses of worship”. The weather was lovely with comfortable temperatures; a bright sunny day making for an enjoyable walking tour.

After leaving Cathedral Island, we crossed numerous bridges that spanned the Oder River, walked through various University complexes, sat and relaxed before arriving at our destination , “centrum old town” and city square.

Protest Art 

When one travels throughout Poland, one is reminded about the suffering that the Polish people had to endure during the majority of the 20th century. In Warsaw and Gdansk, it was the museums, monuments and placards that were used to convey Nazi and Communist oppression. In Wroclaw, it was the use of “Art Protests” that evolved in the 1980’s that challenged Polish communist authority.

Monument of Anonymous People – a sculpture created by Jerzy Kalina depicts 14 individuals going underground to resist communist repression and reemerging into freedom. This unique representation of resistance to tyranny was publicly displayed in 2005. Each statue is unique and represents individuals from a cross section of Polish society.

Wroclaw Gnomes – Started by a group calling themselves the “Orange Alternative" in the early 1980s, individuals used spray paint to create graffiti and public art of gnome like characters to protest the suppression of liberty imposed by the Polish Communist government. These ubiquitous painted characters challenged communist authorities through the depiction of a non-violent silly dwarf invalidating their attempts of restricting freedom of expression. In the early 2000s, various individuals converted graffiti into brass gnome statues that now number in the 100s, distributed throughout the city, they represent various aspects of Wroclaw life....finding them makes for an interesting treasure hunt!

Silly tourist modeling for a gnome sculpture...

Church of Peace 

Located in a small town near Wroclaw is Swidnica which is home to what is referred to as the “Church of Peace”. In the 17th century, a major conflict called the “Thirty Year War” occurred that pitted Catholics against Protestants. At the end of the conflict, the Protestants requested that they be able to build a Lutheran Church in this Catholic area. Permission was granted by the Catholic Habsburg Emperor with the following stipulations:

• that it be built from wood without the use of a single nail 
• completed in less than 1 year 
• there be no bell tower 
• that it be located outside of the town 

The grantor(s) believed that the structure would grumble and not stand the test of time and the elements. This lovely Church made of wood, clay and straw and without the use of any nails still stands today; a statement to the God’s will over Man’s arrogance.

 

Dinner at a lovely restaurant located on market square...cold beet soup and pierogi with sauerkraut and mushrooms......and....a cold beer.....an enjoyable day and a lovely evening