Wroclaw Old Town rises against the sunset sky in a panorama of red roofs and church towers, amid the pulsating rhythm of the city.
At the heart of the old town lies the Market Square, with the tower of St. Elizabeth’s Basilica and the Old Town Hall standing out in the Wroclaw skyline. This is one of the largest and most beautiful market squares in Europe, and from above, we can see it glowing at golden hour.
Wroclaw skyline at sunset from Penitents’ Bridge
I have been coming back to Wroclaw again and again for more than 12 years, and I love the Old Town, the Market Square and all the colors in between. So this is a photo I wanted to take for a very long time.
That day, I noticed that there was a bridge spanning between the two towers of the St. Mary Magdalene’s Church. And later when I saw there was a really nice gathering of clouds in the late afternoon, I thought that would be a good spot to go to, even if it was a really cold winter day.
I just had that feeling that it could become a spectacular sunset above the Wroclaw skyline. Although to be fair, I wasn’t the only one having the hunch, and it was getting crowded up there on that small, narrow bridge.
But it was worth it. After climbing up all the way to the top of the church and going on to the bridge, I was rewarded with this view, which is, so far, my favorite view of the Old Town. I already had a photo of the Wroclaw skyline taken from the Sky Tower, but in that one you cannot see all the details of the churches and of the market square itself.
One interesting fact is that Max Berg, the architect who designed the Hala Stulecia (Centennial Hall), wanted to demolish a part of the Market Square in order to reshape the center of Wroclaw. Luckily his plans were never completed.
Panoramic viewpoints in Wroclaw
As I mentioned in my Wroclaw travel photography guide, Wrocław doesn’t have too many skyscrapers from which to photograph the city from above. Still, there are some high points with incredible views of the old town and beyond.
- Sky Tower: A stunning panorama from the tallest building in Wroclaw. You can relax and have a coffee at its observation deck on the 49th floor.
- St. Elizabeth’s Basilica tower: Visible in this photo to the right, this tower requires a climb of over 300 steps, but rewards visitors with a full Wroclaw Old Town skyline.
- St. Mary Magdalene’s Church and the Penitents’ Bridge: The point from which this photo was taken, and an adventure in itself: a narrow footbridge connecting the church’s twin towers, reachable after climbing roughly 247 steps.
- Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island): Here, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist offers yet another angle, this time framed by the river.
Sunset is the ideal time to catch any of these spots, when the light turns to a deep amber, and Wroclaw seems to settle into itself for the evening. It’s the perfect transition point to continue with some night photography in Wroclaw Old Town.
