WROCŁAW - In Your Pocket

24 HOTELS
Karl Denke, the Cannibal of Ziębice
Born August 12th 1870 in an unknown Lower Silesian
village, not much of Karl Denke’s early life has been recorded
aside from the fact that he was a terrible student
and ran away from home at age 12. 25 years old when
his father died, Karl used the inheritance to buy a farm
and garden of his own in the small town of Münsterberg
- today known as Ziębice - about 60km south of Wrocław.
In Münsterberg, Karl was known as a generous, caring
and devout local citizen, even referred to by some as
‘Vater Denke’ or Father Denke. He carried the cross at
Evangelist funerals and played the organ during church
services. Despite living a lower middle-class lifestyle,
he helped beggars and travellers, giving them a place
to stay if they were in need. He didn’t drink alcohol and
he wasn’t known to have relationships with women.
He was a rather rubbish farmer however, and he soon
swapped his farm for a two-story townhouse with a shed.
Like many in Germany after WWI, he lost his savings
due to rampant inflation and was forced to also sell the
house, though he continued to rent an apartment in the
building on the ground floor. Well-liked and respected
around town, Denke could be regularly seen selling
suspenders, belts, shoelaces and other leather goods
in the local market and sometimes even door to door. He
also frequently travelled to Breslau (now Wrocław), where
he was licensed by the Butchers Guild to sell pork in the
city’s markets - all of it boneless, pickled and in jars. It
was a time of crisis and his goods were popular, allowing
him to maintain a decent enough living.
By now you can probably guess where this is going.
Denke’s double life unraveled quickly when on December
21st, 1924 a vagrant appeared at the Münsterberg police
station covered in blood, claiming he had barely escaped
from Father Denke’s apartment with his life. Police were
loath to believe the unknown beggar, but a brief medical
examination revealed that he had sustained a serious
head wound, corroborating his story that he had been
attacked with an axe. Police went to question Denke, who
explained that he had indeed attacked the vagrant as the
man was attempting to rob him after receiving a handout.
Denke was taken to the police station and put in a holding
cell for the night, only to be found dead when an officer
went to look in on him later that same night. He had hung
himself with a small handkerchief.
It was not until the corpse had been turned over to
relatives and the police went to Denke’s apartment to
secure his belongings on Christmas Eve that the people
of Münsterberg discovered exactly what kind of man had
been living among them. What authorities discovered
inside was essentially a meat processing shop that lab
tests would later confirm was full of human remains,
including hundreds of bones, stretched and dehydrated
human skin, tubs of fat, jars of meat pickling in brine,
and a closet full of blood-stained clothing, as well as the
tools for the work, including equipment for making soap.
Dozens of documents and identification papers were
also found, including Denke’s own extensive ledgers
detailing his work, from which authorities were able
to positively identify the names of 20 victims – most
of them recently released from prisons and hospitals.
Based on all the evidence found in Denke’s apartment,
it is believed that the formerly high-standing citizen was
actually responsible for murdering, dismembering, pickling
and processing more than 40 people in a rather short
span of 3-4 years. Needless to say, despite the holiday,
there was a dip in pork sales in Breslau that Christmas.
Hotel Jana Pawła II C-2, ul. Św. Idziego 2, tel. (+48)
71 327 14 00, www.hotel-jp2.pl. This high-standard
hotel was built to honour the late Pope’s second visit to
Wrocław, and has since played host to numerous cardinals
and arch-bishops, diplomats and dignitaries, including bestselling
writer and historian Norman Davies, as well as the
political brothers Jarosław and the late Lech Kaczyński.
Nevermind the gaudy entrance, this hotel is exceedingly
tasteful once inside, including an absolutely stunning lobby,
some very stately conference facilities, and a range of
comfortable rooms, suites and apartments that feature
outstanding views of Ostrów Tumski’s ancient architectural
monuments and the large botanical gardens. Fittingly,
the building even has its own chapel with a 17th century
painting of the Virgin Mary, and the terrace restaurant is
perhaps the best place to eat in the district. Q86 rooms
(86 singles, 63 doubles, 4 apartments). PTHAR
ULGKDW hhhh
Hotel Orbis Wrocław E-6, ul. Powstańców Śląskich
7, tel. (+48) 71 361 46 51, www.orbis.pl. A tall hotel
with equally high standards. Britain’s Prince Andrew stayed
here a few years back, and no doubt enjoyed the charming
service and hotel swimming pool. Rooms come with
air-conditioning, mini-bar and pay TV with plenty of saucy
channels to pick from. Q294 rooms (41 singles, 248
doubles, 5 apartments). PTHAR6UFLG
KDCW hhhh
HP Park Plaza B-1, ul. Drobnera 11-13, tel. (+48)
71 320 84 00, www.hotelepark.pl. A huge glass and
marble affair, the HP Park Plaza sits on the banks of the
Odra River and proves an excellent conference venue.
Well appointed rooms feature wood panelling, plastic
flowers and huge windows to savour the riverside views.
Q177 rooms (156 singles, 156 doubles, 19 suites, 2
apartments). POTHAR6UGKDwW
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Mercure Panorama C-3, Pl. Dominikański 1, tel.
(+48) 71 323 27 00, www.mercure.com. Large, colourful
rooms come equipped with bathtubs, while the apartments
feature floor to ceiling windows. Attached to the corner of
a shopping centre, Mercure is fiercely favoured by the business
community. Top marks. Q151 rooms (144 singles, 144
doubles, 7 apartments). PTJHA6UGKwW
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Park Hotel Diament Wrocław ul. Muchoborska
10 (Fabryczna), tel. (+48) 71 735 03 50, www.
hotelediament.pl. One of the region’s best accommodation
chains, this reliable stalwart has recently made
the grade to four-star status. A more business-minded
model, Wrocław’s Diament has seven climate-controlled
conference rooms with free wifi and movable walls, allowing
creative company execs some interesting options
for ‘team-building’ exercises. Tidy, handsome rooms with
flat-screen satellite TV and wifi, and a strikingly modern
restaurant and lobby round out this revelatory effort ten
minutes from the Old Town and airport. Q132 rooms
(127 singles, 115 doubles, 3 suites, 2 apartments).
PTHA6UFGKW hhhh
PURO Hotel Wrocław E-4, ul. Włodkowica 6, tel.
(+48) 71 772 51 00, www.purohotel.pl. Awash in
amenities and technology, if ever there was a hotel
worthy of the descriptor ‘techno-chic,’ this is it. Free
iPads are available in the lobby, and the rooms, while
small, offer free internet and phones (even international
calls), plus an enormous LCD screen featuring USB
Wrocław In Your Pocket wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
• 110 air conditioned rooms
• guarded parking
• restaurant and bar
• conference rooms
wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
HOTELS
ul. Jagiełły 7, 50-201 Wrocław, tel. +48 71 326 78 00, fax +48 71 326 78 01
e-mail: wroclaw@campanile.com.pl, www.campanile.com.pl
ports and international satellite cable, with the ability
to interface with the internet and gaming systems.
There is even a standard control panel allowing you
to adjust everything from the lights to room humidity
and temperature. The lobby and café share the same
smart and modern décor as the rooms and the prices
are quite competitive considering its central location
and techno perks. Book a couple of weeks in advance
during peak seasons and weekends. Q102 rooms (102
singles, 97 doubles). PTHAR6ULGKW
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Qubus Hotel Wrocław B-3, ul. Św. Marii Magdaleny
2, tel. (+48) 71 797 98 00, www.qubushotel.
com. One of our favourite hotels in the city and one
that offers quality from top to bottom - literally. In the
basement, an excellent swimming pool, on the top
floor a vast presidential suite featuring stripped wood
floors, kitchen and lounge and a terrace overlooking
the church opposite. Nothing less than an excellent
deal. Q83 rooms (83 singles, 62 doubles, 3 apartments).
PTJHAR6UFGKDCW
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Scandic Wrocław A-5, ul. Piłsudskiego 49/57,
tel. (+48) 71 787 00 00, www.scandichotels.com.
Immaculate rooms a short walk from the train station.
All the hallmarks of the top-class chain are in evidence,
including heated bathroom floors, sparkling rooms and
extras like digital TV and mini-bars in the rooms, plus free
bikes and Nordic walking sticks for guests. Downstairs
pretty receptionists greet guests, while the business
facilities are second to none and there’s now a children’s
playroom. Q164 rooms (164 singles, 164 doubles).
PTHA6UFGKDwW hhhh
The Maluch
Like the Czech Škoda and
the East German Trabant,
the Polish Maluch has
served several purposes
during its lifetime; a Godsend
for families behind
the Iron Curtain, source of
amusement for smirking
© Christophe Gruszka
foreigners and now, as a
cult icon for nostalgists. Through the years Polish exports
have won world acclaim, from expertly cut glass to dangerously
delicious vodka, so this flimsy tin deathtrap on wheels
is something of an unlikely hero of Polish engineering.
Manufactured between 1973 and 2000 in Bielsko-Biała and
Tychy, the car was produced under the Italian Fiat license
with its official title being the ‘Polish Fiat 126p’. Its diminutive
size earned it the moniker of ‘Maluch’ (Little One), a name so
widely used that the manufacturers officially re-christened
the brand in 1997. When first produced in June 1973 it was
priced at 69,000zł (approximately three times the average
annual wage), and became the first popular family car in Poland,
despite being the size of a small refrigerator. Throughout
communist times the car could only be purchased by
joining a lengthy waiting list, though diligent workers would
often be rewarded with special vouchers allowing them to
jump the queue. Though production came to a halt in 2000,
the surprisingly reliable cars have achieved a remarkable
staying power, and you’ll still find scores of them coughing
smoke as they zip around Polish cities. Today a used Maluch
retails for about 300-500zł, so there’s little stopping you
from becoming a proud owner yourself.
September - December 2012
25