Wroclaw - Stary Ratusz

The history of Wroclaw dates back more than a thousand years. At various times, it has been part of the Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria, the Kingdom of Prussia, and Germany. Wrocław became part of Poland again in 1945 as part of the result of extensive border changes and expulsions after WWII.

In 990 Mieszko I of Poland conquered Silesia and Wrocław. The town became a commercial center. In the 12th century Polish, Bohemian, Jewish, Walloon, and German communities existed here.

Wroclaw was devastated in 1241 during the first Mongol invasion of Poland. In the 13th century due to migration from Saxony and Bavaria, Wroclaw got germanised. The population adopted the German language and culture and the name changed to Breslau.

Between 1342 and 1344 two fires destroyed large parts of the city, which was a part of the Bohemian Kingdom at that time. Charles IV`s , successors Wenceslaus and Sigismund became involved in a long-lasting feud with the city and its magistrate, culminating in the revolt in 1418 when local craftsmen killed seven councilors.

After the city had defeated the Bohemian Hussites the city was besieged by a combined Polish-Czech force in 1474, however, a ceasefire was signed, according to which the city remained under Hungarian rule.

The Reformation reached Breslau already in 1518, and in 1523 the town council unanimously appointed a new pastor and thus introduced the Reformation in Breslau.

In 1526, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria inherited Bohemia, Silesia, and the city of Breslau. In 1609 German emperor Rudolf II granted the free exercise of church services to all Bohemian and Silesian Protestants. In the following Thirty Years' War, the city suffered badly. It was occupied by Saxon and Swedish troops and lost 18,000 of its 40,000 residents to the plague.

The Counter-Reformation had started with Rudolf II who encouraged Catholic orders to settle in Breslau. The dominance of the German population under the Habsburg rule in the city became more visible, while the Polish population diminished in numbers.

After Frederick the Great besieged the city for a year, it surrendered in 1741. In 1742, Queen Maria Theresa handed over Silesia to the Prussian king.
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The Old Town Hall stands at the center of Rynek, the city’s Market Square. The Gothic town hall, built from the 13th century on, is a main landmark of the city.

The first mention of it dates back to 1299. At that time the building did serve mainly for trade. Until the 16th century, several structural extensions and reconstructions took place. Between 1328 and 1333 the building was extended; it received a second floor, in which the rooms for the town council were located. Between 1343 and 1357, a courtroom was added to the second floor. In addition, the west tower was raised and extended.

The biggest reconstruction of the building took place between 1470 and 1480, the building was significantly enlarged and received a late Gothic facade.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the old building became too small for the administration. Between 1860 and 1863, a neo-Gothic extension was built next to the existing town hall, the New Town Hall. After the opening of the new building became the historical town hall.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has served as a city museum. In the cellar rooms, there is still the tavern "Schweidnitzer Keller", which has existed since about 1275.