Day 3. Wrocław’s National Museum and Exhibition Grounds

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Europe, Poland, Wrocław City Break

Our morning began with a 20 minute tram ride from outside the main railway station (Wrocław Glówny) to the National Museum, (Trams 5 and 11).  The museum  is home to one of the largest art collections in the country.  It’s better value to purchase a combined ticket with the Radowice Panorama, 25zl (£4.74) which is valid for 7 days, details here.

National Museum, Wrocław
National Museum, Wrocław

The museum is housed in an absolutely beautiful neo-Gothic building dating from 1866.  There are three permanent exhibitions containing paintings, stone sculptures from 17th-19th century, religious art pieces, stained glass and decorative arts.  The galleries are well designed with helpful guides on each floor indicating recommended routes through the vast exhibition space.

Furniture, National Museum, Wrocław
Furniture, National Museum, Wrocław

A more recent addition is a rooftop gallery which we found particularly interesting as it contains household items, furniture and clothes grouped in comparison pieces through the ages.  The majority of the museum signage is in English which helped us to understand the significance of what we were looking at.

Display of old record players, Wrocław National Museum
Display of old record players, Wrocław National Museum

After popping into a cosy cafe for mugs of hot chocolate we were ready to set off again, this time to the exhibition grounds on the edge of the city which are home to several of the city’s main tourist attractions.

Centennial Hall, Wrocław
The Centennial Hall

The Centennial Hall was constructed during 1911-1913 when the city formed part of the German empire.  Wrocław had developed rapidly and it was decided to construct an exhibition hall to mark the 100th anniversary of Napoleon’s defeat of the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.

Inside the Centennial Hall, Wroclaw
Inside the Centennial Hall

At the time of its construction the Centennial Hall had the biggest reinforced concrete rooftop in the world.  The vast circular space can seat up to 6,000 people and is now a popular sporting, concert and function venue.  Its 23m high dome is topped with a lantern in steel with its glass cupola 67m in diameter.  The building has been UNESCO listed since 2006 as an outstanding example of early Modernism and for its innovative use of reinforced concrete.

Four Domes Pavilion Wroclaw
The Four Domes Pavilion

The exhibition grounds to the west side of the Centennial Hall comprise a monumental square modelled on the ancient Roman forum which is surrounded by a colonnade.

Pergola and Pool, Exhibition Grounds, Wrocław
The Pergola and Pool at the Exhibition Grounds

To the north of the square stands the Four Domes Pavilion which is surrounded by a concrete pergola and pond.  The pavilion’s name come from its architectural design featuring the four domes on its roof.

Museum of Contemporary Art, Wrocław
Paintings in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Wroclaw

It was here that we were heading next as it is home to a branch of the National Museum dedicated to Contemporary Art.  Combined entrance tickets with its other three associated museums cost 50zl (£9.67) and are valid for 7 days.  Constructed in 1913 to serve as part of the exhibition space surrounding the Centennial Hall, it is now home to works by prominent artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Art installation of the Anonymous Passer-by, Museum of Contemporary Art, Wroclaw
An installation of the Anonymous Passer-by in the Museum of Contemporary Art

Included in the items on display is an art installation of an unusual sculpture known as the ‘Monument of the Anonymous Passer-by’ consisting of bronze figures disappearing in and out of the pavement.  The life size monument is to be found on a street corner near the central railway station whilst a replica is on display in the gallery.

Statue of the Anonymous Passerby in Wrocław City Centre
Statue of the Anonymous Passer-by in Wrocław city centre

On leaving the gallery we enjoyed a walk through the extensive exhibition grounds which took us beneath the colonnade, beside the pond and along to the gates of the Japanese Garden.  This site was established as an exotic garden for the Centennial Exhibition.  The garden is only open during the summer months and I can only imagine how beautiful it is in May when the azaleas are in full bloom.

The Deer enclosure, Wroclaw Zoo
The deer enclosure at the zoo

Located just across the road from the exhibition park stands Wroclaw Zoo so we decided to spend the remainder of the afternoon there.  Standard admission 70zl (£13.27).  This is the largest and oldest of Poland’s zoos and home to more than 500 animals.  Being wintertime, many of the enclosures were unoccupied as the animals had been taken indoors to keep warm.

Afrykarium, Wroclaw Zoo
Afrykarium, Wroclaw Zoo

We decided that we preferred to keep warm too so headed into the vast Afrykarium.  This is the only themed oceanarium solely devoted to the fauna of Africa.  Here we found penguins, fish, hippopotamus, African fur seals and various other animals related to Africa.  The oceanarium is arranged on different levels with rainforest walks through lush foliage.  It’s definitely an interesting part of the zoo to visit, especially so in winter as it felt snug and warm whilst observing the wildlife.

Odra Centrum, Wrocław
Odra Centrum, Wroclaw

On leaving there we went in search of Odra Centrum which is a floating cafe moored next to the Grunwaldzki Bridge in the city centre.  We’d read some excellent reviews of it so decided to take a look for ourselves.  One end of the boat serves as a cosy cafe with workshop areas and co-working spaces elsewhere.

Odra Centrum, Wroclaw
The Odra Centrum floating cafe in Wroclaw

One of the cafe walls is decorated with barometers in various shapes and sizes that came from a private collection.  There are also displays of sailing knots with a sign indicating that you can join a class to learn how to tie some of them.  Counter service was very friendly and our mugs of hot chocolate lovely and thick and topped with swirls of cream, not great on the waistline but perfect for a winter’s day.

Wall of nautical knots, Odra Centrum, Wroclaw
Wall of nautical knots, Odra Centrum, Wroclaw

The cafe is the sort of place where I could settle down and work awhile as the atmosphere is so relaxing and the cakes really nice too.  Definitely a cafe to think of calling in if you are spending time in Wrocław.

Browar Stu Mostów, Wroclaw
Browar Stu Mostów, Wroclaw

It was then back to our hotel for a short rest before heading towards the centre where we enjoyed a meal at Browar Stu Mostow.  This well established local craft brewery started out with a tap room and dining area on a balcony overlooking its brewery on the edge of town.  Due to its popularity they have since opened a second bar/ restaurant on Świdnicka Street very close to the market square (Rynek).  It was just as well that we had booked a table as the place was absolutely buzzing when we arrived at 8.30 p.m.

Paired tasting menu Browar Stu Mostów.,, BWroclaw
Our paired tasting menu at the Brewery restaurant

With a good choice of beer and food on offer it was difficult to decide what to select but with friendly and helpful staff on hand, they put together a tasting menu for us.  During the next two hours the dining experience was a feast for our senses as we each worked our way through five different courses from a beer and onion jam pretzel to steak tartar, goose cooked in beer, malt dumplings with crayfish and ending with a melt in the mouth chocolate soufflé served with a beer infused ice cream.

Craft beers at Browar Stu Mostów, Wroclaw
A wide selection of beers are available at the brewery restaurant

Beer pairings ranged from IPAs, stout and porters.  The cherry stout and chocolate porter were my favourites but as they were all good, the decision wasn’t easy.  After all that food and drink we needed a walk before returning to the hotel for the night.

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46 thoughts on “Day 3. Wrocław’s National Museum and Exhibition Grounds”

  3. I love the little piece of history, art, and food that you include in your posts! They are so much fun. Thank you so much for sharing your adventures and photos with us 😃 I really enjoy reading them 🥰

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  4. Centennial Hall looks impressive. I imagine it would be pretty neat to attend an event there. I’ve never heard of a floating cafe before, but it sounds so unique and looks so cozy and scenic. Your dinner looks like it was well deserved after all that walking around and exploring more museums and sights around Wroclaw. Thanks for sharing. Linda

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  6. Another great post from this area! I love the national museum and the windows of the dome are just stunning. The statues in the ground are lovely and very thought provoking- how often each of us feels kind of like that amid the crowds. I loved learning about this area from you today 🙂

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  7. ThingsHelenLoves

    I’m sold on Wroclaw. The menu at the brewery looks amazing. I’m guilty of sticking to old favourites if left to my own choices, I think trying something like that would get me trying new and local flavours. Really enjoyed these Wroclaw posts, Marion.

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    1. I’m so pleased you are continuing to enjoy this series of posts on Wrocław Helen. The city has so much to offer for a pleasurable short break. Rounding off our evening at the craft brewery was s nice too both for the wide selection of beers on offer and for the unusual but delicious food pairings.

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  12. I went to Wroclaw on a school trip years ago and came back with the impression there wasn’t much to see in the city. Clearly I was very, very wrong! I’ve really enjoyed reading your posts about Wroclaw and it makes me want to go back and see all the many things I missed…

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  17. You really showed us some beautiful places in today’s post Marion! I love the building of the National Museum and the Pergola and Pool looks interesting too. And the floating cafe is another lovely place (love the sailing knots) … hmm, hot chocolate is one of my favourite drinks (in winter time). Wow, that is no ordinary beer pairing you showed us – must have been a great experience!

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  18. The greatness of a city is determined by their attention to history, art and culture and Wroclaw seems to fill the bill here. Lots of great museum’s public art and history. I love the look of the floating restaurant and the craft brewery seems a good place to enjoy food and drink. Thanks for sharing Marion and have a great Sunday. Allan

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  20. Looks like you ticked off a solid bunch of the main sights in this post Marion. I really like the Statue of the Anonymous Passer-by, there’s a lot going on there. The food at the Brewery Restaurant looks great, I so rarely have goose but always enjoy it.

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