At the south-western corner of Wroclaw’s lively Market Square lies the Salt Market, also known as the Salt Ring, a place with a fascinating history. Once an important medieval trading square, it reflects the city’s prosperous commercial past. From 1827 until the end of the Second World War, a monument to Field Marshal Blücher stood here, and the square was temporarily known as Blücherplatz. Originally measuring an impressive 84.5 by 94 metres, the Salt Market was probably laid out during the reconstruction of the city following the devastating Mongol invasion of 1242. After the Second World War, its historic name was restored and the pedestal of the monument, previously removed by the Germans, was taken away.
The southern side of the square is distinguished by the neoclassical Old Stock Exchange, a masterpiece designed by Ferdinand Langhans in 1822. On the eastern side stands a former twentieth-century department store, continuing the area’s commercial tradition. The northern frontage displays considerable architectural variety: a prominent high-rise building erected between 1930 and 1932 to designs by Heinrich Rump, the former Pod Murzynem Pharmacy designed in 1928 by Adolf Rading in the modernist style, a Baroque house dating from 1700 and another building in an eclectic style. Although the western frontage appears to be the oldest, it is in fact a detailed reconstruction of the streetscape around 1800, completed between 1947 and 1958.
No visit to Plac Solny is complete without stopping at one of its charming cafés and ice-cream shops, reputed to serve some of the best ice cream in Wroclaw. The square is enlivened by a colourful flower market that adds freshness and character throughout the day. Leave the square and follow Kiełbaśnicza Street, running parallel to the Market Square, towards the impressive Church of St Elizabeth, another highlight of a walk through Wroclaw.
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