Former City Prison in Wrocław

The former city prison in Wrocław stands at the junction of Więzienna and Nożownicza streets in the Old Town, a few hundred metres from the Market Square. It is a four-wing, single-bay building with a square courtyard, erected in the first half of the 14th century. Today it houses the Wrocław branch of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

From city prison to pawnshop

The building served as the main city prison until 1792, intended for people of lower social standing and those sentenced to death. After the prison closed, from 1818 it housed a pawnshop and philanthropic institutions.

A Gothic structure with Renaissance additions

The building has three storeys and has retained its Gothic character with elements of the Renaissance. Inside, a cross-ribbed vault dating back to the 14th century has survived, even though the building itself was rebuilt between 1683 and 1689. The site is listed in the heritage register under number 4, entered on 12 March 1960.

A PAN institute and a pub within old walls

The building now houses the Wrocław branch of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, along with a library, a reading room and guest rooms. Since the 1990s, a pub has also operated on the ground floor. The institute carries out its research work here, so the interior is not a publicly accessible tourist attraction. From outside you can view the building's structure, while without prior arrangement you can really only enter the pub.

A few steps from the Market Square

The building is very close to the main points of the Old Town: it is around 300 metres to the Town Hall and the Market Square, half a kilometre to the Market Hall, and a walk towards the Oder will take you to the Tumski Bridge.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Więzienna 6, at the corner with ul. Nożownicza, Old Town, Wrocław.
• Getting there: on foot from the Old Town, a few hundred metres from the Market Square.
• What to expect: the building is occupied by a PAN research institute, so it is mainly viewed from outside; a pub on the ground floor is open to visitors.