'Why should I visit Wrocław?'

If you have just asked yourself this question, planning a trip to Poland or considering an Erasmus city of destination, this article is for you!

1. A great party and coffee-drinking place

There are dozens of lovely cafes and cool clubs in Wrocław city centre; all styles of them - so everyone will find a suitable one. Clubbing is easy, because most of places are in Stare Miasto area. (If you are into hipsterie spots and artsy ambience, go north to Nadodrze district - to be described in this blog soon)

2. Nature in town

Wrocław is a very green city. Odra river is winding north of the Old Town, the islands are among favourite meeting places of the young people in the summer. You can rent a canoe, if you want to set yourself against the longest river in Poland or take a cruise, if you prefer to play it safe.
In the Japanese garden you are going to admire the harmony of the landscape, in the botanical garden you will chill out taking long walks, and doing a 19th century-novel-stuff  like smelling roses and comparing different colours of irises.

3. Nice people

In Wrocław hardly anyone is entitled to say "My family has lived here for generations". Wrocław community is a mixture of people (and now their kids) coming from all corners of Poland in its before the war borders. Due to some multinational corporations having their offices, a lot of young people come to Wrocław after graduating for the sake of a job. (the author of this blog is an example here).

I my opinion this is the reason why Wrocław people are so open to newcomers and you can feel at home at once.

4. Multicultural ingredient

Wrocław was a Polish city, a Czech city, an Austrian city, a German city, and now is a Polish city again...
This heritage has been rediscovered after the fall of communism in Poland. A symbol of this is so called Quarter of Four Denominations with Jewish, Catholic, Ortodox and Protestant temples.

5. European Capital of Culture 2016

In 2016 Wrocław is going to be a European Capital of Culture and due to that some cool things are already happening in town (like a commercial multiplex getting transformed into an independent cinema hub - Kino Nowe Horyzonty - one of my favourite places in Wrocław) and more cool things are going to happen in the near future.

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For the sake of intellectual honesty I add this small section "Who might be disappointed":

1. Museum lovers

If you are an avid museum visitor, you'd better spend more time in Kraków or Warsaw.

2. Those who adore really big cities

For some people Wrocław might be too cosy and kinda missing the hectic pulse of a metropolis. If you are into glass-and-steel architecture and you enjoy strolling in the shadow of skyscrapers, a single Sky Tower won't be enough for you.

3. Perfect weather seekers (with Italy serving as an example of a perfect weather country) 

If your mood and mental well-being depends on weather, coming to Poland for a longer period of time between October/November and March/April can be risky. Good weather is not our spécialité de la maison. You can never predict it. It doesn't matter if you come in December, or in April, or in July - awful and lovely is equally probable.