Aula Leopoldina

The Aula Leopoldina is the ceremonial hall of the University of Wroclaw, built in the 1730s in the main university building on the Oder and named for Leopold I, who founded the institution as a Jesuit academy in 1702. It is a single long room finished as a total baroque interior: ceiling painting by Johann Christoph Handke, sculpture by Franz Joseph Mangoldt, gilded galleries, an organ, and a programme of figures - emperors, saints, the personified faculties and sciences - arranged so that the room argues for the union of faith and learning. It survived the war largely intact, which in Wroclaw is unusual, and it is still used for university ceremonies and concerts rather than kept as a museum piece. Two other rooms in the same building are shown with it: the Oratorium Marianum and the Mathematical Tower, an astronomical observatory on the roof with a view over the city and the river.

The main sights

• A complete baroque hall - painting, sculpture, gilding and organ of the 1730s.
• A programme in figures - emperors, saints and the sciences arranged as an argument.
• The Oratorium Marianum - the second decorated room in the same building.
• The Mathematical Tower - a rooftop observatory with a view over the Oder.

When to go

All year. Two hours.

Practical notes

The hall closes for university ceremonies, which are frequent in the academic year. The tower climb is steep. Photography may carry an extra charge. Hours are shorter outside summer.

Nearby

Ostrow Tumski and the market square are both a short walk away.

Key facts