Must see in Wrocław: TOP 15 places
Railway Station - old picture (now reconstructed), Wrocław / Wikimedia / CC / Vorwerk
Central Railway Station
It is Wroclaw's biggest railway station. The interesting fact is that all train tracks and platforms are above the level of the surrounding streets. Due to this, the tunnels linking both sides of the station are not underground but on the ground level and one must go up the stairs to reach the platforms. The station was built in the middle of the 19th century when the first independent railways appeared. Later they turned into a municipal net of railways and became Silesian's junction point which demanded a larger station building. It was designed by Wilhelm Grapow, architect of Royal Upper Silesian Railways in Neo-Gothic style. The grand station was built between 1855 and1857 costing the fortune of 475 000 thalers. The 200m long hall with a glass roof was Europe's largest building of such kind at that time. However, a larger building soon was needed and the station was enlarged between 1899 and 1904 in Art Deco and historical styles. During World War II it was not destroyed, just slightly damaged. It was quickly restored but had to wait for general renovation until 2010. It is to be completed in 2012. The Wroclaw Central Station has had a lot to do with cinematography: since 1947 in the west wing there was a 24h cinema where a film was shown every 2 hours. It has been estimated that it has had over 7 million viewers. Between 2002 and 2005 it showed erotic films, then it closed down for a while. It was re-opened in 2008 and is expected to continue after the general renovation is over. In 1980 the film "Minor Heaven" was made on the station. It is also there where a great Polish actor, Zbigniew Cybulski, died in an accident as he tried to jump into the train on 8 January 1967. 30 years later, Andrzej Wajda unveiled a memorial plaque fixed in the flooring.