WROCŁAW - In Your Pocket

30 HOTELS
ApartHotel Old Town Wrocław
Fast and easy online booking
ul. Wiezienna 21/36
Tel. +48 71 330 71 21, +48 509 508 491
booking@leoapart.com
www.leoapart.com
Edith Stein
Born in Breslau, 1891, the case of Edith Stein has long
divided those of Catholic and Jewish faith. Originally
raised as a Jew she converted to Christianity after
reading the life story of St Teresa of Avila, marking
New Years’ Day, 1922 with her baptism. For the next
nine years she taught in a girls school in Speyer,
before finally landing a lecturing post in Munster in
1932. Her new role was short-lived – Hitler’s ascent
to power brought with it a set of strict racial laws, and
she found herself forced to resign her position. Her
letter to Pope Pius XI denouncing Hitler fell on deaf
ears, and so she entered the Discalced Carmelite Monastrey
in Cologne in 1933. Taking the name Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross she penned numerous books
and studies on spiritualism, and fled westwards to the
Netherlands to escape growing fascist persecution.
It was to prove in vain; in retaliation for comments
made by the Dutch Bishops’ Conference, Dutch Reich
Master Arthur-Seyss-Inquart ordered the immediate
arrest of all Jews who had converted to Christianity.
Both Stein and her sister, Rosa, were packed off to
Auschwitz where they were gassed to death on August
9, 1942. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1987
after a young girl made a miraculous recovery having
taken a massive overdose of Tylenol. Medical opinion
was confounded, with the miracle credited to prayers
dedicated to Teresa. The process for sainthood was
set in motion, and finally came full circle when she was
canonized in 1998. However, since then both Jews
and Catholics have squabbled and fought over her
sainthood, each claiming her as their own.
Hostels
It wasn’t long ago that staying in a Wrocław hostel meant
sleeping on a metal cot in a humourless Soviet-style dormitory
run by a stern Polish babcia who locked the doors promptly at
23:00 and didn’t entertain English-language appeals from late
arrivals. Fortunately Wrocław’s discovery and development
into a first-rate travel destination has changed all that, and
today you’ll find the quality, quantity and value of hostels in
Wrocław very high, with each subsequent opening seeming to
raise the standard even more. The market is currently at its
peak, and though your choices are varied and higher in volume
than ever before, it’s still important to book ahead. While we
don’t have space here to list every bunk in town, we’ve made
an effort to include the best on the market. Sleep it off.
Absynt Hostel A-3, ul. Św. Antoniego 15, tel. (+48)
691 40 54 05, www.absynthostel.pl. Stunningly chic
and well-equipped, this hip, high-standard hostel right in the
midst of the ul. Ruska nightlife action offers stylish rooms and
dorms with lockers, a large, brightly-coloured common room
and kitchen, satellite TV and two computers with internet.
With 38 rooms accommodating 1-4 sleepers in the hostel
itself, Absinthe’s offer has recently expanded to include over
20 different outstandingly equipped apartments as well;
that’s a tonne of options, and a good chance that there’s
availability somewhere. Check their website for seasonal
promotions that make this bottom budget sleeper even more
of a bargain. Q38 rooms (2 singles, 17 doubles, 5 triples, 4
quads, 21 apartments, 20 Dorm beds). PTA6GW
Avantgarde B-5, ul. Kościuszki 55, tel. (+48) 71 341
07 38, www.avantgardehostel.pl. A superbly modern
hostel, dorms come fitted with steel frame bunks, while a limit
of seven to a room ensure minimal risk of having your rest
interrupted by drunken oafs snoring away or randy couples
giving the bed springs a workout. Metallic grey and tangerine
colours prevail throughout, adding a sharp aesthetic, while
every detail and fitting shines and sparkles. Bed linen and
towels are supplied gratis, some rooms come with showers
and TVs, and other common facilities include high-speed
internet, DVDs and a full kitchen. In fact they were doing so
well that they added an additional 53 sleeping places in the
same building under the banner of Ale Hostel before bringing
this range of dorms and private rooms, all incidentally
decorated by local designers, back under the Avantgarde
name. Q56 rooms (5 singles, 23 doubles, 5 triples, 163
Dorm beds). A6GW
Boogie E-4, ul. Ruska 35, tel. (+48) 71 342 44 72,
www.boogiehostel.com. One more hostel to add to
Wrocław’s ever growing list, and it’s not bad at all. Features of
note include a great spiral staircase inside a brick tower, lots
of timber frames and a Playstation in the fabulous common
room, which is every bit as sexy as a pink pussycat; think
low banquettes, purple colours and weird wallpaper. Facilities
include their own bar, a fully stocked kitchen, bullet-fast
internet and a DVD collection, while accommodation comes
split between private rooms and dorms decked out with
single beds - so no chance of the bloke in the upstairs bunk
stepping on your head. Quite an experience, and those with
an aversion to spiral stairs can catch a ride in the lift. Q21
rooms (2 singles, 9 doubles, 4 triples, 3 quads, 23 Dorm
beds). TA6GW
Chopper Hostel F-4, ul. Kotlarska 42, tel. (+48) 71
344 37 81, www.chopperhostel.pl. As far as we can tell,
this is actually the hostel we stayed in when we first came
to Wrocław back in 2006. Of course that was when it was
just an anonymous guesthouse, before most of the hostels
Wrocław In Your Pocket wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
listed in this guide ever came into existence, and long before
you needed something like a motorbike theme to distinguish
yourself from the pack. Aside from a small wall mural in
each dorm room, the theme isn’t as offensive as you might
anticipate, with the overriding design motif actually being the
sturdy, masculine timber furnishings. Aside from free internet
amenities are limited, and the common area seems to be the
attached bar/restaurant, where the design concept is fully
seen through to fruition and numerous events take place on
the weekends. Note that hostel prices also increase slightly
on weekends. Q18 rooms (6 doubles, 4 quads, 52 Dorm
beds). AGKW
Mleczarnia E-4, ul. Włodkowica 5, tel. (+48) 71 787
75 70, www.mleczarniahostel.pl. It is not the best hostel
in Poland for nothing. With its big dorms, good bathrooms
and terrific common room (where there are always travellers
ready to spin you a yarn or two) and off-beat, happy staff,
Mleczarnia has a recipe for success and sticks to it. For
those who like a bit more privacy the doubles with their own
bathrooms are tremendous (we had a pair of vintage skis in
ours, which kind of sums the place up), and the apartment
(in a separate building close to the Rynek) is well worth a
splurge. Q8 rooms (4 singles, 4 doubles, 4 triples, 1 quad,
34 Dorm beds). TA6GW
Moon Hostel A-3, ul. Krupnicza 6-8 (entrance from
Kazimierza Wielkiego 27), tel. (+48) 508 77 72 00,
www.moonhostel.pl/wroclaw. Like a lot of places in
Wroclaw, this one is a bit hard to find as there are few signs
to guide you through the tunnel entrance, then the courtyard,
and finally up the elevator to the third floor. However, once
inside you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the amount of common
areas, soothing blue décor, ample kitchen and a great
little play area for kids. Although the rooms have up to eight
wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
HOTELS
The Dairy, Die Molkerei, La Latteria, Le Lecheria, La Laitearie.
ul. P. Włodkowica 5, 50 – 072 Wrocław, tel./fax +48 71 787 75 70, www.mleczarniahostel.pl
e-mail: rezerwacja@mleczarniahostel.pl
beds, they never group you in with strangers; only the people
you know and checked in with. With a friendly albeit more
mature vibe, Moon Hostel is only about a five-minute walk
from the Rynek and closer still to the late-night Mecca otherwise
known as Pasaż Niepolda off of Ruska. Q22 rooms
(5 singles, 8 doubles, 4 triples, 4 quads). A6LGW
The One Hostel B-3, ul. Rynek 30, tel. (+48) 71 337
24 02, www.theonehostel.pl. One of Wrocław’s most
modern hostels, this restored 14th century townhouse on the
market square offers simple dormitory rooms with fantastic
views of the Town Hall that will really make you feel like you are
in the very heart of the action. Double rooms and Japanese
capsules are also available. In terms of frills, the standard
is high, but there aren’t a whole lot of extras. In terms of
location, however, this really is ‘The One.’ Q20 rooms (6
singles, 6 doubles, 2 quads, 90 Dorm beds). THAGW
Wratislavia C-5, ul. Komuny Paryskiej 19, tel. (+48) 71
360 08 22, www.hostel-wratislavia.pl. With help from the
EU, this handsome 19th century tenement 10 mins from the
train station and market square has been transformed into
a modern backpackers’ paradise. One of Wrocław’s largest
hostels with 126 places, rooms range from 6-bed dorms to
private suites and even 10 apartments with kitchen annexes.
All include en-suite bathrooms so you’re never sharing the
plumbing with more than 6 people, and guests have access
to the internet cafe, guest kitchen, large dining room, common
room, lockers, self-serve laundry, free tea, coffee and
breakfast. The camaraderie quotient is high thanks to an
enthusiastic staff and lots of common space, but Wratislavia
is also perfect for those want a hostel atmosphere they can
close the door on when they’ve had enough. Q33 rooms (2
singles, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 17 quads, 10 apartments, 37
Dorm beds). AR6UGW
September - December 2012
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