Quick answerWrocław is a city in Poland, with 672,545 people inside the city limits in 2025. The wider metropolitan area had about 1.3 million people in 2025. It is best known for the Market Square, the Dwarf statues and the Centennial Hall (UNESCO). Its official language is Polish, and its currency is the Polish złoty.
Wrocław is Poland's fourth-largest city, with about 673,000 people (672,545 at 30 June 2025). It stands on the Oder River in south-western Poland and is known for its Market Square and its hundreds of small dwarf statues.
Key facts
| Country | Poland |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 672,545 (2025) |
| Population (metro) | 1,250,000 (2025) · Wrocław metropolitan area |
| Time zone | Europe/Warsaw |
| Language | Polish |
| Currency | Polish złoty (PLN, zł) |
| Coordinates | 51.11° N, 17.0325° E |
Overview
Wrocław is the fourth-largest city of Poland, on the Oder River in the south-west of the country, in the historic region of Silesia. The city proper had 672,545 residents at 30 June 2025, while the metropolitan area held about 1.25 million people, and the city sits between 105 and 155 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
Wrocław's history stretches back more than a thousand years, and it has been ruled at different times by Polish, Czech, Austrian and German states - it was known as Breslau for much of its history. Its landmarks include the Market Square with the Gothic Old Town Hall, the Cathedral of St John the Baptist on Ostrów Tumski island, and the Centennial Hall, a pioneering concrete building from 1913 that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city is spread across twelve islands on the Oder, linked by more than a hundred bridges.
Today Wrocław is a major centre of business services, technology and education, with a large student population, and it was a European Capital of Culture in 2016. It is best known to visitors for its hundreds of small bronze dwarf statues, scattered around the city, which began as a symbol of the anti-communist Orange Alternative movement in the 1980s and have become the city's mascot.
What Wrocław is known for
- Market Square
- Dwarf statues
- Centennial Hall (UNESCO)
- Ostrów Tumski
- Oder islands
- European Capital of Culture 2016
Landmarks
- Market Square
- Old Town Hall
- Cathedral of St John the Baptist
- Centennial Hall
- Ostrów Tumski
- Tumski Bridge
- Wrocław dwarfs
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Wrocław?
About 673,000 people live in Wrocław (672,545 at 30 June 2025). The wider metropolitan area had about 1.25 million people. That makes Wrocław the fourth-largest city in Poland.
What is Wrocław famous for?
Wrocław is famous for its Market Square and Gothic Old Town Hall, for the Centennial Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and for its hundreds of small bronze dwarf statues hidden around the city. It was a European Capital of Culture in 2016.
Where is Wrocław located?
Wrocław is in south-western Poland, on the Oder River, in the historic region of Silesia. It is the capital of Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Its coordinates are 51.11° N, 17.03° E, and its time zone is Central European Time.
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Keep exploring
- Poland — the country Wrocław is in
- Warsaw — another city in Poland
- Kraków — another city in Poland
- Łódź — another city in Poland
- All cities in Poland
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.