Ostrów Tumski

Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island) is the oldest part of Wrocław, originally an island between arms of the Oder; one arm was filled in in 1810. The first buildings in the 10th century were of wood, and St Martin's chapel dates probably from the early 11th century. After the Congress of Gniezno in the year 1000, Wrocław became a bishopric, and in 1315 the island passed to the Church. The astronomer Copernicus was scholasticus at the Church of the Holy Cross from 1503 to 1538.

Today it is a quiet district with cobblestones and gas lamps lit at dusk by a lamplighter. Highlights are the Cathedral of St John the Baptist with its stained glass, the two-level Church of the Holy Cross, the Botanical Garden and the Tumski Bridge (Most Tumski) of 1890. Allow two hours; dusk is especially atmospheric. The usual starting point is the Sand Bridge of 1861.