General information

The City of Wrocław

Wrocław, the capital of Lower Silesia, is located in a valley of the Odra river, on the ancient trail linking the West and South with major cities of eastern and northern Europe. The local climate is moderate, winters are not very cold (average temperature in January is –2°C, the lowest temperature –15°C) and summers not too hot (average temperature +18°C, the highest temperature over +30°C).

WrocławWrocław was first mentioned in the year 1000 when Bolesław the Brave (Bolesław Chrobry, 966-1025), King of Poland, established a bishopric here. In 1209 the town was referred to as civitas and the city was first located with Magdeburg statutes in 1241.

Today, the skyline of the city is still dominated by numerous church spires, including those of St. John the Baptist’s Cathedral, founded in the year 1000 and later rebuilt many times. There are many fine Gothic and Baroque structures. In 1945, the city was destroyed in about 70%; its two historical centres, the Old Town (Stare Miasto) and Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski), also suffered serious damage.

With the population of 632 000, Wrocław is today the fourth largest city in Poland. It is the industrial and cultural centre of the south-western part of the country and, with its 11 public and 9 private university level schools, the third largest academic centre in Poland with 130.000 students.

Passport and visa requirements for non-EU citizens

Poland is the member country of the European Union and belongs to the Schengen Area. Most participants do not need visas in order to enter Poland. Please see Website www.msz.gov.pl/Visa,requirements,2346.html for information on visa requirements. If you have visa for one country in the Schengen Area and you’d like to travel to another one, you need also a visa for this country.

Invitation letters

It is possible to send a personal invitation for participation in the Symposium. It should be understood that an invitation is only to help participants to raise travel funds or to obtain a visa. For requests and further information, please contact us via e-mail: iseo2010@wsf.wroc.pl.

Currency and credit cards

Polish złoty (PLN) is official currency unit in Poland. It is subdivided into 100 grosze (gr). The current exchange rate to Euro and US dollar can be checked at www.nbp.pl/Kursy/RatesA.html (choose PLN as Polish currency code). Delegates may change foreign currency at several banks located in the center of the city as well as in many exchange offices, at the hotels, at railway station, at the airport and many other locations in the city.

Insurance and safety.

Participants should make their own arrangements with respect to health, travel and property insurance before they depart from their country.

Important telephone numbers:

Mobile phones: Stationary phones: