Polish Railways couldn't get any more cheaper especially on a weekend in Poland: The weekend ticket for less than 20 Euro permits unlimited journeys within Poland on nearly all trains. So I decided to visit Wroclaw which was within a 2-hour train ride from the initial city I was visiting: Poznan...

Wroclaw was selected to be Europe's Cultural Capital of 2016. The city center "Old Town" (Stary Rynek) is particularly colorful and full of visual energy...

Throughout the years the city of Wroclaw used to be German ("Breslau" is the German city name), Czech ("Vratislav") and Austrian. And old gentleman from Wrocław approached me in the pedestrian area and we could talk about the city... in German.

A street vendor selling old books in the heart of Wroclaw.

Let's get wet: A perfect addition to a hot summer day in western Poland.

Dancers in downtown Wroclaw spreading some love... Wroclaw turns into WrocLOVE. By the way, I later visited the café Literatka in the background...

While walking through Wroclaw you will notice these tiny gnomes ("krasnoludki" in Polish). They are actually hundreds of them scattered through the entire city. There's even an app for finding them! To your attention here: Deafie, Blindie & W-Skers. These fellows are the ambassadors of "Wroclaw without barriers".

If you are in Wroclaw don't miss the view from the bell tower of St. Elizabeth's Church (Bazylika św. Elżbiety Węgierskiej). The three billion steps to the top are quite tough (only going past other visitors is tougher!) but the view is really mind-blowing!

On my way to the Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski) I cross the Oder river ("Odra" in Polish) along the Peace Bridge. To the far right: The Wrocław Cathedral.

The Cathedral Island is a neat exploration destination: Cute cobblestone paveways, small cafés, idyllic shops...

Most Polish people are very religious. This would mean regular church visits are a must. While I was in Wroclaw most churches were either closed for mass services or for a wedding.

The Cathedral Bridge has to bear a few tons of love locks. It looks quite frightening at first but when you just imagine how many couples in love have locked their locks here it's all heart-warming... WrocLOVE indeed.

The St. Mary Magdalene Church in Wroclaw was seriously damaged during the Second World War however successfully rebuilt.

The visitors of Church of St. Mary Magdalene are greeted by this gnome: a friendly biker who happens to ride near the Gothic church. Czesc!

One of the few churches without a mass service at the moment the picture was taken. Churches have signs with mass service times at the entrance which look moreover like a shuttle bus timetable during rush hour.

The ideal spot for book lovers and vintage fans.

The menue at Literatka café, Wrocław. Vintage meets authenticity!

The building houses a huge panoramic painting showing the Battle of Raclawice. Old-school VR.

Hala Stulecia (The Centennial Hall) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built when Wrocław was German. Nowadays it is used for sports events, concerts & shows. It is opposite the Wroclaw Zoo (you can't miss it). The park around the hall is pleasant. And the multimedia fountain is quite funky at night!

The Wroclaw Zoo is the oldest zoological garden in Poland (and has a cute website with the hand painted folks from "Madagascar"!). It is outside the city center of Wroclaw but well to reach with public transport (trams). A great way to kill some time while waiting for your train back to Poznan. Don't miss the Afrykarium in the zoo but get prepared for some serious waiting (the waiting line goes literally around the huge building!)

Wroclaw has managed to rise to a quite impressive city! Starting from clean streets, gorgeous Old Town, delicious food, cultural & art avalanche at every street corner and ending at the self-explanatory credit-card-enabled machines for public transportation tickets!