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Wrocław, formerly called Breslau in German, is a city in Doinośląskie Province, Polska (Poland), straddling the Odra (Oder) River with a metropolitan populatin of 1.031 million,1 of which 633 thousand live in the city proper.2 The city came into prominence when it was part of Regnum Bohemiae (the Bohemian Kingdom) after the mid-14th century. Its population declined in the religious wars and plagues of the 17th century and gained again during the industrialism of the 19th century. In the 20th century the Jews were murdered by the Germans (then the majority), and then the Germans were expelled by the Russian-dominated Polish government.
UNESCO honors its Centennial Hall as a World Heritage Site. This early 20th century building had a dome that was 60 meters wide and 21 meters high, which when built was the world's largest. The use of ferroconcrete made this possible. This and other buildings make the city a tourist destination.
The tallest building as of early 2014 was "Sky Tower 1," 846 feet tall to the tip (though the roof height is much shorter).3
The Wrocław im. Mikołaja Kopernika Airport is one of Polska's busiest.4
Year | Population | Political entity |
1400 CE | 21,0005 | Regnum Bohemiae (Bohemian Kingdom) |
1500 CE | 21,0005 | Regnum Bohemiae (Bohemian Kingdom) |
1600 CE | 33,0005 | Erherzegtum Österreich (Hapsburg Empire) |
1700 CE | 40,0006 | Erherzegtum Österreich (Hapsburg Empire) |
1800 CE | 64,0007 | Erherzegtum Österreich (Hapsburg Empire) |
1900 CE | 422,0007 | Deutsches Reich (German Empire) |
2007 CE | 1,031,0001 | Polska (Poland) |
1. Large urban zone population as of 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_areas_in_Poland, Eurostat LUZ column, accessed 12/18/2013.
2. Figure for 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Poland, accessed 12/18/2013.
3. emporis.com, accessed 1/7/2014.
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airports_in_Poland, accessed 1/14/2014.
5. Tertius Chandler, Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth, 2nd ed. (The Edwin Mellen Press, 1987), "Cities of Europe" tables. In 1400 CE, it was the largest city in what is now Polska (Poland).
6. ibid., pg. 197.
7. ibid., "Tables of the World's Largest Cities."