Wrocław In Your Pocket no.40

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As the year winds down, Wrocław revels in autumn foliage before diving right into the holiday season with a phantasmagoria of colour and light on the main square as yet another Christmas Market gets underway. This fall, we’re all about day trips from the city, and we have two great suggestions for you: the UNESCO-listed Churches of Peace in Świdnica and Jawor, which happen to be the largest Baroque structures made from wood, and mysterious Nazi tunnels hidden in the Owl Mountains (Project Riese). For those who’d rather stay put and explore the city, we recommend strolls in the autumntime Japanese Garden and Botanical Garden, topped off with a good old gnome hunt, or if rainy weather is getting you down a visit to the new Depot History Center and a hot beer or two at one of Wrocław’s cosy drinking dens.

We hope you enjoy this season in one of Poland’s most beautiful cities. As always, don’t hesitate to contact us via e-mail at poland@inyourpocket.com or on FB at if you have any comments or suggestions. Here’s to a happy autumn and an even happier holiday season!


Main Feature: Silesia’s ‘Churches of Peace’

Probably the largest wooden Baroque buildings in the world, the Churches of Peace in Świdnica and Jawor were built by Protestants in the 17th century under very unfavourable conditions.


New reviews in this issue

Korba. Tu się bywa 

“The place to be,” indeed: Korba (The Crank) did a very thorough job in making an environment that’s as multi-functional as possible. Their core concept is to divide the day into three parts: breakfast served from a usefully early hour, cheap and tasty daily-special lunch (20zł from noon till 17:00), and a fancier wine-and-dine menu for the evenings.

Statek Restauracja Wratislavia 

Lunch and a cruise? You bet. Wratislavia departs from its harbour on the Oder and glides along the river, offering splendid views of the city and a hot buffet. At 17:30 the vessel docks for the night and a standard-menu restaurant opens.

Piec na Szewskiej 

They make some truly mean Neapolitan pizza, vouched for by the endless stream of patrons vying for a table. Great selection of pizza made with DOP San Marzano tomatoes and ingredients like pecorino cheese, aubergine, prosciutto di Parma, and mozzarella di bufala.

Shrimp House 

There’s shrimp in Thai red curry, shrimp in pho, shrimp in tempura, on a sandwich, on a stick, in pasta, sauteed with garlic and white wine, and several other ways.

Panczo 

Endearingly unorthodox, their “big-ass burritos” (more Tex than Mex, obviously) feature ingredients like mango salsa, beetroot, and cottage cheese marinated with chilies – and if your pain receptors are up for it, they’ll throw in some ghost peppers. The end result blew our socks off, and there’s more to try on the menu.

RAGU Pracownia Makaronu 

The folks behind RAGU originally wanted to produce high-quality hand-made pasta for Wrocław restaurants, but they ended up opening an eatery of their own, to considerable acclaim. Freshly made each morning, their gnocchi, tagliatelle, ravioli, and spaghetti are served exactly the way they should be.

Gorące Piece 

Hot Ovens take the best Polish culinary traditions and make what they can from scratch: three fourths of their ingredients, including the meats, sausages, smoked fish, bread, and cold-pressed oil, are prepared by hand, and the rest come from local suppliers. The menu, unsurprisingly for a Polish restaurant, is heavy on the meat, but vegetarians won’t starve here, either.

Pinto Peri-Peri & Grill 

Finally, some authentic Portuguese flavours! As per the name, this low-key establishment embellished with exposed brick and azulejo tiles focuses on peri-peri chicken, a Portuguese BBQ specialty in spicy sauce made from the peri-peri pepper. Also on the menu: caldo verde soup, bacalhau a braz (salt cod with potatoes and eggs), bitoque (steak), and delicious Portuguese wines.

Druciarnia Artystyczna 

The woman behind this “Artistic Knittery” creates unique, whacky articles of clothing and accessories for free-spirited types, including leather bags with reproductions of famous images and artsy metal jewellery.

Folkowo-ludowo 

If you’re after some nice folksy souvenirs, this is your place: located a pebble’s throw from the main square, Folkowo-ludowo is packed with paintings, folk art, handmade wooden products, and all sorts of items inspired by traditional design.

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