WROCLAW, POLAND What is the profound, often overlooked, lesson in Wroclaw? The beautiful city of Wroclaw bears the stamp of several cultures. It was founded by Duke Vratislav of Bohemia in the 10th century. The citys name was first recorded as Wrotizlava in the chronicle of German chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg, which mentions it as a seat of a newly installed Polish bishopric in the context of the Congress of Gniezno. A simplified name was given, in 1175, as Wrezlaw, Prezla or Breslaw. The medieval chronicle, Gesta principum Polonorum, written by Gallus Anonymus in the years 1112-1116, named Wroclaw, along with Cracow and Sandomierz, as one of the three capitals of the Polish Kingdom. During Wroclaws early history, the control over it 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 Polish Piast-ruled Duchy of Silesia. In 1335, the town came under Bohemian (Czech) rule. In 1526, with the whole Bohemian state, it was incorporated into the Habsburg Empire (Austria), and in 1741 was transferred to Prussian (German) rule. The fierce defense that German forces put up here at the end of WWII left almost three quarters of Wroclaw in ruins but the city has now been reconstructed. Thanks to the reconstruction efforts by the Polish, who showed respect to the town’s historical significance and its deep Germanic character, Wroclaw is now a unique European city of mixed heritage, with architecture influenced by Bohemian, Austrian and Prussian traditions, such as Silesian Gothic and its Baroque style of court builders of Habsburg Austria (Fischer von Erlach). Wroclaw’s lesson, actually, the lesson of all of post-war Poland’s reconstruction plan, is what a remarkable and civilized people the Polish are.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 09:14:41 +0000
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