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Here are a few photos from Wrocław. As you can see, some buildings are very beautiful and stately, particularly the ones in the Rynek, but of course there is an ugly side also (not that I mind!).
To have a look, click the following link ((I took quite a lot of photos, so I have uploaded them to Picasa to save disk space and bandwidth on Bur.st)):
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There are good stories behind a lot of the photos. For example the little dwarf statues celebrate the protests of the Orange Alternative group in the late 80’s. The statue of a woman holding books was a thankyou to the citizens of Wrocław who helped save the books from the university library during the flood in 1997.
This dude is a favourite of mine. The following text is from Wrocław – History of the City by Beata Maciejewska ((Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie, Wrocław 2004)).
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This bronze statue of “Champion” (swordsman or fencer), standing on a plinth in the centre of a round marble bowl, was unveiled on 26 November, 1904. The bowl is decorated with men’s faces, their mouths spouting water. The creator of this fine work was the renowed sculptor Hugo Lederer.
The fencer, apparently, symbolized the artist’s penance for his youthful mistakes and served as a warning to university students. Supposedly working in his studio in Dresden and other cities, to penetrate the secrets of the sculptors’ art, Lederer passed much of his time exploring the low-life both in the arms of local beauties and at the gambling table. But he had better luck with love than with gambling. Once, being down on his luck, the carefree student first rid himself of the contents of his purse, then followed with his clothes, “unmentionables” included. What was left to him was only his sword, for a gentleman may lose his “unmentionables” but must not, at any price, be parted from that symbol of honour, his weapon. Maybe just a libellous legend; maybe, in fact, Lederer was leading the life of a monk, horrified by the licentiousness of his fellow students. Whatever the case, the naked Champion was erected at the University and the student community sensibly acknowledged that when auctioning your garments you must not go below the waist, for not everyone can boast such a fine figure.
Student legend has it that, if ever a virgin walks past the statue, he will raise his sword…