WROCŁAW - In Your Pocket

80 LEISURE
Though skirt-watching and spirit-sipping in the city’s cafés
and beer gardens is perhaps the most popular local leisure
activity, our Leisure section is more designed to help you get
out and make the most of a sunny day, or stay active during
a dreary one. Known as one of Poland’s greenest cities,
Wrocław offers plenty of recreation opportunities on top
of its great architecture, nightlife and culture. With a scenic
location on the Odra River and its many tributaries, the city
boasts kilometres of river boulevards and bike lanes, as
well as kayak rentals and river cruises. Locals flock to the
Botanical and Japanese Gardens in spring time, and there
are plenty of city-centre public parks to relax in from Ostrów
Tumski to Partisan Hill (see Sightseeing). The historical
Partynice Racecourse and amazing Adrenalina Park are
outstanding day-outings, the Municipal Swimming Pools
are a hidden gem and the Water Park is one of the best in
the country. Football fans also have the chance to see one
of Poland’s biggest clubs - Śląsk Wrocław - in a brand-new
state-of-the-art stadium. Whatever your interest, be it golf or
yoga, the area has something to offer you, so use the listings
below to stay active in every season.
Adrenaline Sports
Active Poland G-4, ul. Kościuszki 25, tel. (+48) 71 341
82 10, www.activepoland.com. Active Poland organises
group activities including go-karting, paintball, shooting, rafting,
hovercraft rides, kayaking and naughtier evenings out for
the boys. Q Open 09:00-17:00, Sat, Sun open on request.
Kwatera Główna C-1, ul. Sienkiewicza 8a, tel. (+48)
531 63 80 00, www.kwateraglowna.pl. Organised laser
tag in a specially designed maze arena for 2-10 person
groups. Reservations recommended. QOpen 12:00 - 22:00.
40zł per person per hour.
Le Mans ul. Czekoladowa 5-22 (Bielany Wrocławskie),
tel. (+48) 600 24 38 56, www.lemans.net.pl. A 450m
go-karting track with high speed corners available for individuals
or groups. If you can prove that it is your birthday they
will give you an 8 minute go for free. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00.
10 minutes 28zł, 22 mins 56zł, 35 mins 84zł, 65 mins 140zł.
X-action E-3, ul. Łęczycka 20/8, tel. (+48) 502 02 25
78, www.x-action.pl. The largest company in Lower Silesia
organising adventure activities for groups and companies,
including paintball, quads and off-road rallies in the dramatic
and beautiful terrain south of Wrocław, often followed by
campfire barbeques. In summer rafting, parachuting, hanggliding,
climbing and ballooning are also available. Prices
arranged by phone. Q Open by prior arrangement.
Bike Rental
Few things are more lovely than cycling around Wrocław on
a sunny day, as the plethora of long-legged loose-skirted
citizens doing just that will attest. Full of bridges, canals and
green riverfront, Wrocław didn’t just draw the nickname of
‘Poland’s Venice’ out of a hat at the tourist bureau. This is
one of Poland’s greenest cities with 180 kilometres of cycling
paths to back it up. Having a bike is not only a great way to
negate a night of hard living but also an ideal way to take in
the city’s natural beauty and visit further out destinations like
the lovely Szczytnicki Park (I-4/5) to the east and further
south to Rackowiecki forest (I-6). Despite a recent action
by the city to designate specific parking space for bicycles in
front of many Wrocław venues, actually renting a bike is not
nearly as easy as it should be, but hopefully our listings below
will help. If looking to rent a children’s bike, give Czerwony
Stoliczek (B-2, ul. Więzienna 6) a try.
Cinnamon B-4, ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 67, tel. (+48)
71 344 58 58, www.cinnamonhostel.com. Cinnamon
hostel is happy to rent you a bike when you leave your ID
or 100zł as collateral. The cost is 8zł an hour, but you may
as well just leave them 30zł and take it for the entire day.
Bowling & Billiards
NEW
Bandaclub E-6, ul. Powstańców Śląskich 73-95 (Sky
Tower), tel. (+48) 71 798 08 55, www.bandaclub.pl. In a
town that already has an unusually high number of pool halls,
this new billiards complex on the second floor of Sky Tower
puts them all to shame. Comprising 852m2 with 27 tables
total - 23 for billiards, 4 for snooker, a bar and plenty of seating,
tournaments are organised regularly and you can also
take classes under the tutelage of current Polish snooker
champ, Krzystof Wróbel. QOpen 10:00 - 03:00. Prices range
from 18-25zł per hour for the table of your choice.
Fuga Mundi C-5, Pl. Grunwaldzki 12-14, tel. (+48)
787 31 68 58, www.fugamundi.pl. Offering professional
billiards and snooker tables, table football and darts. There
is also a game room for smokers and a bar. QOpen 10:00
- 02:00, Sun 12:00 - 24:00. Snooker tables cost 18zł per
hour up to 16:00 and 24zł per hour after. Pool tables 14zł
per hour up to 16:00 and 22zł per hour after.
Sezam Prestiż B-3, ul. Kuźnicza 10, tel. (+48) 71 344
85 46, www.sezambilard.pl. Just off the main square, this
billiards bar covers 600m2 with 17 professional pool tables,
one professional snooker table and plenty of beer and spirits.
QOpen 10:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 01:00. 10-25zł/h.
NEW
SkyBowling E-6, ul. Powstańców Śląskich 73-95 (Sky
Tower), tel. (+48) 71 712 83 33, www.skybowling.pl. Full of
shiny surfaces, planetary paintings and a unique colour changing
ceiling, this enormous, new state-of-the-art bowling alley on the
2nd floor of Sky Tower will host the 48th Bowling World Cup from
November 24th - December 2nd. Find 24 lanes, plus a restaurant/bar
and VIP room. Pricing is quite complex and depends on
the time of day and day of the week, ranging from 20zł Monday
mornings to 85zł Friday nights per lane for an hour of play (shoe
rental included). QOpen 08:00 - 01:00, Sun 10:00 - 01:00.
Horse Riding
Partynice Racecourse (Wrocławski Tor Wyścigów
Konnych Partynice) ul. Zwycięska 2 (Krzyki), tel. (+48)
71 339 83 64, www.wtwk-partynice.pl. Opened in 1907,
this beautiful and historic horse racecourse hosts numerous
competitions including hurdle-jumping, steeplechases and
competence trials for the 160 racehorses trained there full-time.
With several racetracks - including the unique grass flat track
which ironically finishes uphill - and picturesque buildings dating
mostly from the turn of the century, Partynice Racecourse and
the surrounding parks make for a lovely outing and are a popular
family picnic spot. 60 more recreation horses are on hand, as
well as a year-round riding school, summer programs for children
and year-round hippotherapeutic classes are available, as well
as riding time with an instructor for 31-37zł. Located 7km south
of Wrocław’s city centre. QOpen 07:00 - 22:00.
Sleigh Rides
If you’ve come from a country where the ‘Fun Police’ and
litigation have soured a lot of the good time activities you
remember as a child, suspend your disbelief and enjoy a
traditional Polish sleigh ride by heading off into the snowy
Wrocław In Your Pocket wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
woods at night with a bottle of spirits and flaming torches.
Combining Sleepy Hollow creepiness with winter wonderland
romance, extreme sports excitement and campfire camaraderie,
a typical ride involves a large horse-drawn sled
with sleighbells jingling and flaming torches lighting the way
through the beautiful snow-draped countryside, while people
take turns clinging for dear life to a small sledge tied to the
back. Most include a mid-journey forest bonfire with grilled
sausages, tea or (in most cases) vodka. Great fun with the
family or friends, the companies below offer such excursions
for all ages from the season’s first snowfall.
Arat Al. Jeździecka 1, Golędzinów, tel. (+48) 604 97
21 85, www.kjarat.republika.pl. Located about 22km
from Wrocław, Arat offers sleigh rides for individuals and
groups. With a 1 hour ride priced at 200zł it is better suited
to groups, though it is often possible to join up with others to
form a group of up to 10 people. Alternatively hire the whole
sleigh for yourself. Concludes with a bonfire, but you have to
bring your own sausages. Available from the first snowfall,
give them a call in advance for details.
Malta ul. Piłsudskiego 21, Osolin, tel. (+48) 71 310
62 36, www.osolin.pl. Located about 35km from Wrocław,
the English speaking organisers here offer sleigh rides for
groups and individual guests. A 1 hour ride costs 10zł per
person or 15zł per person if you want to end your trip with
a bonfire in a wooden hut (you need to bring your own food
with you). Call in advance to negotiate details. Q Open from
the season’s first snowfall.
Spa & Beauty
Chaiyo Thai Massage Centre
A-3, ul. Ruska 35, tel. (+48) 71
342 44 92, www.tajskimasaz.pl.
Authentic Thai massages: improve
blood and limphatic circulation, release
physical and mental tension,
strengthen the immune system, improve flexibility of
joints and remove toxins. Performed solely by highly
qualified Thai masseuses trained at Wat Pho Temple in
Bangkok. The offer: classical Thai massage, herbal compresses,
relaxing massage with essential oils, massage
for the physically active, feet’n’legs reflexology, back &
shoulders & head massage etc. Receive a 10% discount
when you present this coupon. QOpen 12:00 - 22:00.
Massages 100-300zł.
Monopol Spa & Wellness Centre A-4, ul. Heleny Modrzejewskiej
2 (Monopol Hotel), tel. (+48) 71 772 37 50,
www.monopolwroclaw.hotel.com.pl. Descend beneath the
grandeur of the Monopol hotel to find one of the city’s premier
spa and wellness centres including a gym, counter-current
swimming pool, fountain and jacuzzi, dry sauna, aromatherapy
steam bath and salt and iodine cave. Massages, face and body
treatments are also available. Q Spa open 09:00 - 21:00; Wellness
Centre 06:00 - 22:00, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 21:00.
Swimming
Municipal Swimming Pools B-4, ul. Teatralna 10-12,
tel. (+48) 71 341 09 43, www.spa.wroc.pl. This gorgeous
complex in the very centre of Wrocław housed the city municipal
baths built between 1895-97. Over one hundred years later,
today it maintains its function as a therapeutic swimming
complex, and is one of Wrocław’s most important architectural
monuments from the 19th century (included on the National
wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
LEISURE
Registry of Historic Monuments). A beauty from the outside,
the interior ornamentation of the four pool complex includes
sculpted sandstone, stained-glass windows, artistic ceramic
tiles, polychromic vaulted ceilings, two-level arcades and colonnades
inspired by the ancient hot baths of Rome. Currently
serviced by SPA Centre Wrocław, full spa services are also on
hand (see Spa & Beauty) so if you plan on taking a dip or lying
down for a massage in Wrocław, you’d be crazy not to do it here.
Club and school reservations make it a bit tricky, but the website
regularly updates its posted reservation schedule, which you’d
be wise to check before thonging down to the pool. QOpen
06:00 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 20:00. Admission 10-14zł.
Wrocław Water Park (Wrocławski Park Wodny)
F-6, ul. Borowska 99, tel. (+48) 71 771 15 11, www.
parkwodny.wroc.pl. Completed in 2008, Wrocław’s water
park is easily one of the finest in the country and makes for
a nice respite from the city’s confoundingly complex history
and high-minded cultural attractions. And it’s probably the
only place your kids will tell their friends about from their trip
to Wrocław. While the main attractions are surely the indoor
and outdoor recreational swimming pools with their water
slides (including the most recent addition - a multimedia slide
involving lights and music to distract you as you plummet),
wave machines, ‘wild river’ and other wonders, adults will
appreciate the Wellness Day Spa with saunas, solaria,
Jacuzzis, massage services and more. Also on hand is a
fitness centre, restaurant, cafe, bar and shop, making a trip
to the Water Park a full day’s outing, just south of the train
station. From the city centre you can usually take trams 31,
32, 15 or 8 and bus numbers 113 or 612. Q Open 09:00
- 22:40. Fitness Centre, Wellness & Spa, saunas and sport
pool all have independent hours. Check the website for exact
times. Admission 19/17zł, per hour; 35/30zł for a day pass.
Max Berg
Born in the coastal town of Szczecin (then known as Stettin) in
1870, Max Berg went on to become one of the most eminent
architects of his time, and nowhere will he be remembered
more so than in Wrocław. He attended the Technische
Hochschule Charlottenburg in Berlin where his development
as a budding architect was nurtured first by Carl Schafer,
and then by Franz Adickes. On graduation he worked as a
building inspector in Frankfurt am Main, and in 1907 was
commissioned to sketch a blueprint for the redevelopment
of Berlin. These plans were never realized but that did not
stop his progress. In 1909 he was appointed Wrocław’s (then
Breslau) chief architect and set about designing his defining
work – the domed Centennial Hall (I-4, ul. Wystawowa 1). Then
known as the Jahrhunderthalle, the reinforced concrete dome
became the largest building of its kind when it was finally
unveiled in 1913, and in 2006 was awarded the status of a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Berg was a keen proponent of
the modernist style, and in particular uniform concrete structures.
Living on ul. Kopernika 19 Berg set about changing the
look of Wrocław, with structures including the hydroelectric
power station on ul. Nowy Świat and the public baths (now a
Pizza Hut) on ul. Marii Skłodowskiej Curie. His vision included
maniacal plans to knock down the buildings ringing the Rynek,
replacing them with concrete office blocks and a 20 storey
tower. His designs prompted both praise and outrage in
equal measure and many projects were canned after heated
debate. Disillusioned with his perceived lack of support he
opted for early retirement in 1925. A keen humanitarian he
refused to join the Nazis and instead dedicated the rest of
his life to the study of Christian mysticism, living out the rest
of his days in the spa town of Baden Baden.
September - December 2012
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