Polish designer Iza Rutkowska takes her creations to where people live. Like this huge colorful hedgehog in a backyard, numerous imaginative big city jungle creatures by this artist are to break the gloom of innercity residential areas. As part of the "Wrocław – wejście od podwórza" project (the entrance to the yard) it is to encourage a playful approach to art.

The former German city Breslau is today the fourth largest city in Poland. Noticeable are still the large amount of rundown old houses like on the ulica Miernicza, known locally as the Bermuda triangle. Living in old buildings isn't as hip here as it is in other European cities. But the charm of their decay is a popular photographic motif.

More than 250 of these bronze figures can be found positioned all over the city. In the 1980s the amiable dwarves were symbolic figures for the resistance to Communist rule. Since then artists have continued to create these dwarves, each of them an original and protected by GPS against theft. On www.krasnale.pl you can find map showing you where their hiding places are and what their names are.

The former water works of Wrocław have been transformed into a scientific temple dedicated to the fascination with water. Hydropolis, the water universe, brings the subject to life. Visitors are enchanted by visual and acoustic installations. In the lounge you can then relax to the sound of the sea.

The new university library entices people to come and browse through books. As the 2016 UNESCO World Book Capital, it aims to present the riches of Polish literature, starting on April 23rd, with a "Night of Literature." Readers and authors will gather for writing forums and readings, and for a poetry as well as an international crime writers festival.

The Four Dome Pavilion along with the Centennial Hall, constructed over 100 years ago to serve as a trade fair exhibition halls, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006. These days the Four Dome Pavilion is home to contemporary Polish art exhibitions.

Calling "Lody, Lody" (ice cream, ice cream) the ice cream seller pedals through the streets and the historic ice cream bicycle cart attracts plenty of attention, like it has done through the ages. In the days before mobile refrigeration ice cream had to be delivered and sold as quickly as possible. Poles are known for their love of ice cream and Wrocław has lots of ice cream parlors.

In 1929 it was the most luxurious and modern cinema in Silesia. The stage was also used for music hall and variety shows. After being refurbished and modernized the Capitol music theater can again hark back to those glory days. Films no longer flicker across the silver screen, but instead audiences get to enjoy live musical and opera performances.

The National Forum of Music is the new concert hall for the Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra. In February, the Chinese pianist Lang Lang will be a guest performer here. In May there will be concerts by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic. In Wrocław one of the many cultural highlights this year as European Culture Capital will be hosting the European Film Awards in December.

The National Ossoliński Institute is home to the "Pan Tadeusz," an epic Polish poem by Adam Mickiewicz. This baroque building houses countless book treasures, including old prints, atlases and graphics. An evening stroll along the river promenade and the Oder River islands is very much to be recommended. Especially when darkness descends and the old gas street lights are lit by hand.