Century Stones

The Century Stones are six granite pillars, erected in 1900-1901 beside the roads then leading out of Wrocław. They were purely symbolic in character, marking the approaching 20th century.

Where the idea came from and who designed them

The pillars were most likely designed by Karl Klimm and funded by the Wrocław city authorities. Their form echoes Silesian boundary markers and roadside pillar shrines, including a now-lost 16th-century shrine known as the "Wrocław Cockerel." On the four-sided capital, beneath the sphere crowning the pillar, are four elements of the Wrocław coat of arms: the letter W, the Silesian eagle, the Bohemian lion and the head of St John the Evangelist.

Where they stood and how many survive

The six stones were placed along the roads towards Trzebnica, Świdnica, Jelcz, Psie Pole, Oława and Legnica, marking the city's boundaries at the time. Only the first three of them survive today. Fragments of the fourth pillar, which had previously stood on Kromera Avenue, were found during earthworks on Kłokoczycka Street in early 2012, and fragments of the fifth stone were found in 2021 on Krakowska Street.

Changing inscriptions

The round columns originally bore the German name of the city and the date 1900-1901. After 1945, as part of the removal of German traces, the inscription "Gemarkung Breslau" was chiselled off, and on the pillar on Karkonoska Street the word "Wrocław" was carved in its place. During renovation in September 2003, the original German inscriptions were restored on the pillars on Mickiewicza Street and by the Trzebnickie Bridges.

Szczytnicki Park and the surrounding area

One of the surviving stones stands next to the tram loop in front of the Chrobrego Bridges, near Szczytnicki Park and the Centennial Hall. In this part of the city it is also worth visiting the Japanese Garden and the grounds of the Wrocław Zoo with its Afrykarium.

Practical information

• Location: the three surviving stones stand on Karkonoska Street (near TVP Wrocław), on Mickiewicza Street (near the tram loop in front of the Chrobrego Bridges), and by the Trzebnickie Bridges
• Getting there: by public transport to each point, the stones stand in public space beside busy roads
• What to expect: individual granite pillars bearing the Wrocław coat of arms, with no information boards or guided tours