One of the host cities to EURO 2012 and the European Capital of Culture 2016. What impression has Wroclaw made on foreign visitors? The overseas students attending a summer camp at the Wroclaw University of Technology say it is rather positive. However, they also point out several downsides.
"A beautiful city, very interesting architecture," says Sasha from Moscow. "You can see how history blends in with modernity," adds Nicash from Australia.
Wroclaw has garnered praise for its landform features, which make it just great for cycling. Wroclaw has also scored a lot of brownie points on beautiful areas along the Oder River and good facilities for cyclists. "Wroclaw abounds in green areas. The air is very clean, too," say Zoe and Ryan, from Taiwan and New Zealand, respectively. "Additionally, the city is just perfectly located, virtually in the middle of Europe. So it's easy to travel to most of the European countries, An ideal place to explore Europe," adds Miguel from Portugal.
Wroclaw has also been praised as a city that is both tolerant and multicultural. "It's wonderful you can see so many temples ans so many religions. You can also meet foreign people everywhere you go," says Alex from Lviv, Ukraine. "You can see it's a European Capital of Culture." The students also mention public transport as one of the city's upsides. "Clean, air-conditioned and modern. We can only dream about such vehicles," says Alex. Interestingly, all the students say that Wroclaw, despite its sprawling size, is a relatively small city,. "You need two or three days to explore the whole city," they say.
The local residents have also made a very good impression on the students. Almost all of them say the locals are nice, friendly and open, but they only smile too rarely. "We find it very safe here, and the people are really friendly," they say, Only Asian students have shared some reservations. "We haven't had any bad experiences, but as we walk down the street we cannot help but feeling that people stare. We think it's because we're Asian," say Zoe and Ryan.
And the downsides? "Too many strip clubs," says Miguel. "You cannot cross the Market Square not to be hassled by the their hostesses," he adds smilingly. Additionally, all the students at the camp pointed out difficulties in speaking English, especially in elderly or middle-aged people. "No such barrier exists when speaking to young people," they add.
Luckily, in the eyes of overseas students, Wroclaw's balance is on the positive side. "Wroclaw is just a place to be, and we will surely recommend the city to our friends when they plan to travel in Europe," say the students. Even the dwarves like. You can find them virtually everywhere," they add jokingly.
Bartosz Gemra
