3 May Constitution Square in Wrocław

3 May Constitution Square lies in Wrocław, in the Przedmieście Oławskie area, next to Wrocław Główny railway station. Today it is mainly a green square with a fountain, but the site's history goes back to the mid-19th century and is closely tied to the development of this part of the city.

How the square came about

The square was laid out in 1856, as part of wider works carried out under the first regulation plan for the suburbs. It was then meant to serve as a land reserve for trade and to be larger than it is today - according to the plans of the time it was to reach as far as today's Tadeusza Kościuszki Street. Initially the square was triangular in shape, because part of the area was occupied by a Jewish cemetery. When in 1909 the cemetery was cut through by a street extending today's Dworcowa Street, the land on the eastern side of that street was added to the square. The remnant of the cemetery was finally removed in 1938. The Rogatka Strzelińska toll gate also once stood in the vicinity of the square.

Development and greenery

Before the war the square was surrounded by tenement houses, of which the northern row survives to this day. The area itself was laid out as a green square with a fountain, and a Normaluhr, a pillar with a clock and advertisements, once stood here too.

The bus station and Silver Tower Center

Until 1994 one of Wrocław's bus stations, PKS Wrocław Centralny, operated by the square, serving mainly long-distance connections. It was closed after the new station on Sucha Street was completed. Since October 2014, the Silver Tower Center, a hotel and office building combining retail, office and hotel functions with an underground car park, has stood on the site of the former station.

Changes of name

The square bore the names Fränkelplatz (until June 1934) and Fontaneplatz (from June 1934). After the war, from 1945, it functioned as Plac Konstytucji 3 Maja, from November 1952 to September 1981 as Plac Konstytucji, and from September 1981 again as Plac Konstytucji 3 Maja - this name has remained ever since.

From here it is not far to the centre - on foot you can reach the Market Square, passing the Wrocław Opera on the way.

Practical information

• Location: Wrocław, Przedmieście Oławskie, surrounded by Stanisława Małachowskiego, Jana Henryka Dąbrowskiego and Dworcowa streets, near Wrocław Główny station
• Getting there: trams and buses running in the area of Wrocław Główny station
• What to expect: an urban green square with a fountain next to the Silver Tower Center retail and office complex, with no trace of the former cemetery or bus station