Ostrow Tumski, Wroclaw

Ostrow Tumski is where Wroclaw started: a river island in the Oder, settled from the tenth century, made the seat of a bishopric in 1000, and joined to the mainland in the nineteenth century when a branch of the river was filled in - so it is called an island and is no longer one. It is ecclesiastical ground, quieter than the rest of the city, with the Gothic cathedral of St John the Baptist and its two brick towers, one with a lift up to a viewing gallery, the small church of St Giles which is the oldest building in the city, the Holy Cross church stacked as two churches one above the other, and the archdiocesan buildings and botanical garden behind. About a hundred gas lamps still light the streets here and a lamplighter in a long coat walks the district at dusk lighting them by hand, every evening of the year, which is the thing most visitors come for.

History

The western part of the island was settled first, and in the 10th century the Piasts built here in wood, with the first church, St Martin's, inside defensive walls. A bishopric was set up here at the Congress of Gniezno in AD 1000; Duke Bolesław I the Tall took the settlement in 1163 and made the island his capital, in 1315 it was sold to the church, Nicolaus Copernicus was a canon of the Holy Cross chapter in 1503-1538, and the old river channel was filled in the 19th century, joining the island to the mainland (Wikipedia, Cathedral Island, Wrocław).

What you'll find

• The Gothic cathedral - twin brick towers, with a lift to a viewing gallery.
• St Giles's church - the oldest surviving building in Wroclaw.
• A two-level church - Holy Cross, one church stacked above another.
• The lamplighter - about a hundred gas lamps lit by hand at dusk.

When to go

April to October; dusk for the lamps. Half a day.

Good to know

The lamplighter's round starts at dusk, which is very late in June and early in December - check the time. Churches close to visitors during services. The cathedral tower lift queues in summer. It is no longer an island.

Nearby

The market square and Panorama of Raclawice are a short walk south.

Key facts