General Information
Founded: 10th century
Area of Jurisdiction: 292.9 sq
Population: 635, 759
Height: 105-155 m
Location: It is on the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, roughly 350 kilometres (220 mi) from the Baltic Sea to the north and 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the Sudeten Mountains to the south.
Twin city agreement signature date: November 26, 1997
Official site of Wroclaw: http://www.wroclaw.pl/m6843/
On November 26, 1997 a Sister City agreement was signed between the city of Ramat-Gan and the City of Wroclaw.
Wroclaw is the economical, cultural and intellectual capital of Lower Silesia, located in southwestern Poland, 160 km from Germany and 120 km from the Czech Republic.
The city with its charming historical center, parks, good restaurants, hotels and friendly people (700,000 inhabitants) is a pleasant place to visit and to do business.
As Poland's fourth largest city, Wroclaw is a center of industry, communications, transport, education, and the arts.
The city has Poland's largest flour mills, electronics and data-processing facilities, foundries, machinery plants, textile mills, the Hutmen copper plant, and food-processing facilities. Wroclaw provides international rail connections, an airport, and river transport.
Eight educational institutions are located in the city along with nine museums, several theaters and music centers, and a botanical garden and zoo.
Economy
Plans for attracting new foreign investment to the city are geared towards the fulfilment of goals defined in the Wrocław 2000 Plus city development strategy and focus primarily on creating jobs for highly skilled workforce, building up the image of the city as a meeting and exchange place, setting up a Financial Services Centre, and establishing Wrocław as a major centre of the building and construction industry. An agreement on the establishment of Business Activity Zones (Northern, North-Eastern, and South-Western) has been signed with a view to facilitating the inflow of foreign direct investment to the city. Subject to meeting certain requirements, relating primarily to the scale of investment and the creation of new jobs, investors who decide to set themselves up in those zones will be exempted from real-estate tax.
Organizations providing advice, training, and consultancy for businesses include:
The British Chamber of Commerce in Poland is one of the leading foreign business associations represented in Wrocław. It is an independent non-profit organization established to provide all types of business promotion and assist member companies in establishing business contacts. Over 300 companies, most of them international but some Polish, are members of the BCCP. Wrocław is the second Polish city after Warsaw where, on account of the large scale of British and other foreign investment, the BCCP chose to set up its branch.
Tourist Information
Wroclaw, the capital of Lower Silesia, is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Poland. Situated at the foot of the Sudety Moutains, upon the Odra River and cut through by its numerous tributaries and canals, it is an exceptional city of 12 islands and 112 bridges.
Wroclaw Town hall is considered one of the most splendid Gothic buildings in central Europe. In Wroclaw one can also see the biggest baroque interior in Poland, which has remained until today - the Leopoldine Hall, located in the 17th century University building. The old and modern architecture of the city is surrounded by the abundance of greenery. In the city centre, there spreads out the Szczytnicki Park dating from the 18th century. The best places for walking are the Botanical Garden with their beautiful flowers and Alpine gardens, green house and the biggest cactus house in Poland, and the Zoological Garden, founded in 1865 and accommodating about 5,500 animals representing 650 species.
Visitors coming to Wroclaw remember the city mainly as a cultural centre. Its theatres, including the Opera, Musical Theatre and Philharmonic Hall; various clubs, museums and galleries provide a continuous series of artistic events. Internationally acknowledged musical festivals have become the city’s cultural landmark. The city’s intellectual life is focused around 13 academic schools including Wroclaw University and technical University.