Fast facts

• Historical capital of Lower Silesia
  
• Population: 700,000
  
• Currency: Polish zloty (100 groszy = 1 zloty)
  
• Conversion rate: 1 = 5.56 zloty (late April)
  
• IDD country code: +48, city code 71
  
• Flying time from London: 2 hours
  

Wroclaw, with its charming historical centre, parks, universities and museums is the economical, cultural and intellectual capital of Lower Silesia. Situated in south-western Poland, it is only 160 km from Germany and 120 km from the Czech Republic.

The city has a bustling international airport, excellent rail links, highways and river ports. Medium and light industry, trade, service and education sectors are major employers.

One of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Poland, it nestles at the foot of the Sudety Mountains, straddling the Oder River and cut through by its numerous tributaries and canals. Not surprising, with its 12 islands and more than 110 bridges, that locals refer to it as Poland's Venice!

Think Prague - without the Irish pubs, cowboy cab drivers and grumbling locals and you'll have a fair idea of what to expect from Wroclaw.

The German name for Wroclaw is Breslau, and the city was returned to Poland after the Second World War

Money talks

Poland's largest flour mills once put Wroclaw on the map. Nowadays, its growing list of major industries includes data processing, automotive, household goods, electrical engineering, finance, medical, industry and logistics. Major foreign investors include Allied Irish Bank, Toyota, Whirlpool, Fagor Electrodomesticos, Volvo, Bosch, Siemens and 3M.

The attraction, of course, is the city's ideal location in the heart of the continent - where it can count Berlin, Prague and Warsaw as its neighbours, and its well-developed transport infrastructure.

And there's a steady stream of graduates entering the workforce. Wroclaw's 22 institutes of higher education provide more then 20,000 graduates a year, most of whom speak very good English and/or German, and many of whom speak another major European language.

So it should come as little surprise that in March 2006 LG Electronics, which manufactures consumer and telecoms electronics and is one of the world's leading makers of LCD TV screens, announced a five-year multi-million euro investment that will see a new plant producing 3.5 million LCD TVs as well as half a million fridges - and create 1,600 new jobs.

Poland is increasingly a firm favourite for those jetting off to Eastern Europe weekends. Wroclaw has until recently not figured on as many itineraries as other Polish cities but that's all changing - fast.

It boasts another of Poland's magnificent market squares (the Rynek, painstakingly rebuilt after the ravishes of the Second World War), not quite on the scale of Krakow's vast Rynek Glowny, but still a perfect spot to sit back, enjoy the buskers, pavement artists and street performers while savouring one of Poland's two main brews, Zywiec or Tyskie beer.

Cultural Evolution

Culture vultures will revel in the many Gothic and Baroque churches and buildings, the beautiful parks and seemingly endless choice of museums, galleries, cinemas and theatres.

And if the old town seems busy during daylight hours, it fair rocks after the sun goes down, with numerous restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs catering to every taste and predilection. Locals and tourists mingle with fire jugglers, break dancers and folk musicians and some streets are still pumping as the sun rises.

This is the perfect destination for a romantic getaway, offering sedate river cruises, a tranquil and traditional Japanese garden, an unforgettable evening skyline and unique cultural wonders such as the Panorama of the Battle of RacBawice, a monumental painting 140m long that commerates a famous victory over Russian forces. Be prepared to queue, however, as this is one attraction seemingly on everyone's "must see" list!

With the arrival of Ryan Air at the city's airport, only 13km north-west of the centre, getting to Wroclaw is no longer a logistical headache. The city is also well served by trains, which daily links to Germany and Prague.
Take time to find restaurants serving one of Poland's two signature soups. Zurek is a sour rye soup with sausages and potatoes floating in it) and barszcz contains beetroot, and sometimes dumplings.

No visit to Poland should be contemplated without factoring in a few shots of vodka - just don't make the mistake of asking for it with cola, OJ or tomato juice - that's considered a cultural crime of the highest order. Instead, drink it neat and chilled (both the drink and your glass(

A major upgrade has been announced for the airport and Ryan Air is tipped to make the city its main base for Eastern and Central Europe. Already the airline flies to the city from London Stansted and East Midlands in England, and Dublin and Shannon airports in Ireland.

Expect the summer months (June-August) to be warm, with average temperatures of around 64 degrees - and often reaching the low 70s.