Starting at University Square, follow the wall of the University Church to lively Szewska Street. Here stands the impressive corner building of the former Monastery of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star, which from the beginning of the nineteenth century housed the renowned St Matthias Gymnasium. Constructed between 1675 and 1715, this monumental complex is regarded as the first great masterpiece of Wroclaw Baroque architecture. Today, it houses the respected Ossoliński National Institute and Library, commonly known as the Ossolineum. It was founded in 1817 by Count Józef Maksymilian Ossoliński as a research institute in Lviv, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The institute began operating in 1827 and added a publishing house in 1828. Until 1918, it was a major centre of Polish scholarship within the Habsburg monarchy. After 1945, important collections were transferred from Lviv to Wroclaw and now form the core of this exceptional library.
Church of St Clare and the Ursuline Convent
Turn right, then left at the next junction and continue across charming Bishop Nankier Square. On the left stands the impressive Church of St Clare and the adjoining Ursuline convent. The originally Gothic church was remodelled in a magnificent Baroque style at the end of the seventeenth century. It was founded in the mid-thirteenth century by Duchess Anna, widow of Henry the Pious. The church became the burial place of Duchess Anna and successive Piast dukes of Wroclaw, including the last Piast duke, Henry VI. It therefore serves as an important mausoleum of the Wroclaw Piasts. The church is open to visitors. Beside it stands the magnificent Gothic Church of St Vincent and St James.
Church of St Vincent and St James
This characteristic Gothic church was founded as a Romanesque building by Duke Henry the Pious for the Franciscan Order in the late thirteenth century. Following his death in the battle against the Mongols at Legnica, Duke Henry was buried here. Around the turn of the fifteenth century, the church underwent a comprehensive Gothic transformation. It was 75% destroyed during the war, but continuing restoration has gradually returned it to its former splendour. Since 1996, it has served as the cathedral of the Greek Catholic Wroclaw-Gdansk Eparchy, with services celebrated in Ukrainian. Its Gothic interior has a unique atmosphere, enhanced by striking icons created by the renowned contemporary Polish artist Jerzy Nowosielski.
A Baroque monastery building adjoining the church now houses the university’s Department of Linguistics.
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