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| photo by Wroclaw [Wroclove] on Facebook |
The visit
of Vaclav Klaus – the President of the Czech Republic makes me think of Wroclaw’s
Czech links. First of all, the name of
the city derives from the Czech prince Wratislav. Under the Czech rule, which
started in 1337, the city was second biggest after Prague flourishing politically
and economically thanks to many municipal privileges and taxes. The building of
the Town Hall was growing and the market square was full of all kinds of stalls
with products to buy. Salt was traded on a separate square, whose name ‘Solny’
still reminds us of those times. One of
the main industries was beer production - visit the famous historical Świdnicka Cellar (Piwnica Świdnicka) in the Town Hall
and enjoy the funny scene engraved above the entrance. If you are already there, look up and find the 15th-century
friezes on the Town Hall’s walls depicting various entertainments of Wroclaw medieval
citizens. New churches, buildings and schools appeared. It was the “Golden Age’
of Wroclaw. No wonder that the Czech football
team will probably choose Wroclaw for their stay during EURO 2012 and Vaclav Klaus can feel at home here;-).
Wroclaw has never been a city of one nation. Rulers, languages, people and religions came and went. What remained untouched, however, was the spirit of city.
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