WROCLAW

German Breslau, city, capital of Wroclaw wojewdztwo (province), southwestern Poland. It lies along the Oder River at its confluence with the Olawa, Sleza, Bystrzyca, and Widawa rivers. A large industrial centre situated in Dolny Slask (Lower Silesia), Wroclaw is the fourth largest city in Poland. It contains Poland's largest flour mills, a modern electronics and data-processing industry, foundries, heavy-machinery plants, textile mills, the Hutmen copper plant, and food-processing facilities. It is a major communications centre, having international rail connections, an international airport, and river transport. A cultural and scientific centre, Wroclaw contains numerous educational institutions (including the University of Wroclaw, founded in 1702 and rebuilt in 1945), museums, theatres and music centres, and a botanical garden and zoo. It is the home of the Polish Laboratory Theatre, which became internationally famous for its innovative approaches to actor training and dramatic production in the 1960s and '70s. Archaeological findings indicate settlement on the site as early as the Stone Age, several thousand years ago. Wroclaw originated in the 10th century AD at the crossroads of the amber trade route between the Roman Empire and the Baltic Sea and the trade route linking the Black Sea to western Europe; it was administered by the Polish Piast kings. In 1000 King Boleslaw I the Brave fortified the place and established a bishopric on Ostrw Tumski (Cathedral Island). In 1109 a major attack by German forces was repelled at nearby Psie Pole. In 1138 Wroclaw became the first capital of all Silesia under the rule of the Piast prince Wladyslaw II the Exile. Much of the city south of the Oder was devastated during the Mongol invasion in 1241. At the invitation of Silesian authorities in the 13th century, many Germans migrated to Wroclaw. The city received self-governing rights in 1261, when it adopted the Magdeburg Law (Magdeburger Recht), a civic constitution based on German law. Wroclaw again flourished as an economic centre. Nearby to the east a new town was developed; it was united with the older city in 1327. In 1335 Wroclaw passed to Bohemia with the rest of Silesia, and in 1526 it passed to the Habsburgs. In 1741 it fell to Prussia under the rule of Frederick II the Great and eventually became part of Germany. The city grew physically with the razing of its fortifications, and by 1910 its inhabitants numbered more than 500,000. By that time its population had become largely German as a result of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck's efforts to Germanize the area. During World War II the Nazis refortified the town, holding it until May 1945, when Soviet troops defeated the remaining German forces. In August 1945 Wroclaw became part of Poland. The city's German inhabitants fled westward during 194445 or were evacuated in subsequent years, and thenceforth the population was exclusively Polish. As a direct result of fighting during World War II, 90 percent of the city's industry and 70 percent of its residential area were heavily damaged or entirely destroyed. Reconstruction of the city began immediately, and by 1950 more than 50,000 new houses had been built, with an additional 50,000 by 1965. The university and many other fine architectural monuments were reconstructed, and modern industrial districts were built to house the growing population. The modern city prides itself on its numerous parks and restored historical treasures. Pop. (1995 est.) 642,900.