The alternative Poland on show in Wrocław

Hubert the anarchist is showing me around Centrum Reanimacji Kultury(CRK), a non-profit, post-punk commune epitomising the spirit of resistance in Wrocław (pronounced “Vrots-wav”), Poland’s fourth largest city. CRK’s courtyard is covered in street art, including early work by Mariusz Waras (aka M-City), and from rehearsal rooms I can hear violins and vocals that remind me of Warsaw Village Band.

Inspired by London’s Reclaim the Streets collective, Hubert set about developing this “DIY social/cultural centre” in Nadodrze, a downbeat former industrial area. Nowadays, he focuses on his band, Kurws, and, as a cultural activist, on protecting the right to drink alcohol outdoors on the city-centre island between two arms of the Oder river – home to summer gigs and screenings. Until recently, it was the only place in Poland where it was legal to drink in the open.

Next year, Wrocław becomes European Capital of Culture and World Book Capital City, and Hubert wants to see some of the official money find its way to Nadodrze: “Wrocław 2016 must leave a legacy for areas such as this, too – and not blow all the money on fireworks.’’

Under communist rule, Wrocław was the “fortress of Solidarity”, the centre of resistance when Poland’s epoch-making trade union was made illegal under martial law in the early 1980s, and that spirit remains in these post-punk venues, in former breweries and in big German hofs (courtyards), an architectural legacy of Wrocław’s time as German Breslau. It’s also there in the city’s alternative theatres, from the radical Song of the Goat Theatre to the acclaimed Teatr Polski and the Capitol musical theatre. Here are a few other places that keep that spirit alive.

Neon Side Gallery and Club

Through a courtyard a short walk from the main square, this bar offers beer, buzz and a great collection of discarded neon. External walls glow with huge signs, such as Wrocław Głowny (from the railway station), while inside Apteka (pharmacy) and Kino (cinema) signs carry photographs showing their original locations. At weekends, DJs play ambient tunes. (Those who favour Berlin-style drum’n’bass should head over the railway to Das Lokal on Solidarity Square.)
• facebook.com/neonside, Sun-Thurs 3pm-midnight, Fri-Sat 3pm-about 4am

Browar Mieszczanski

                         

This red-brick former brewery in a post-industrial zone 15 minutes from the centre has a village-like vibe. There are concerts, exhibitions, and artists’ and film studios within atmospheric halls of abandoned vats, peeling paint and rust. On Sundays, add a food market, bands, handicrafts, and Polish nibbles and craft beers. 

Konspira: Restaurant and Historical Education Centre

Just off Solny Square, this restaurant recreates the Wrocław of the Solidarity era, its candlelit brickwork lined with riot shields, political cartoons and newspaper cuttings bearing witness to the martial law of the early 1980s. Menus present information about Solidarity, as well as dishes such as “anti-communist pierogi’’ and ‘‘Workman’s Dinner’’ – chicken or pork with roast potatoes and salad (from £3.85), and a fine selection of bottled Mirosław beers (£1.40). Profits go to local social projects. 

Art Café Kalambur

With its stained-glass, art-deco mirrors, dark panelling, booths and half a spiral staircase, Kalumbur is a vision of bohemian late-night society. Weekend DJs play everything from 1930s swing to bossa nova to indie, so expect dancing until the small hours for a student and arty crowd. Be aware that it’s one of two places in the centre where smoking is allowed; the other is Kawiarnia Literatka cafe in the main square. 

BWA Gallery

In a neo-classical building designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans (architect of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate), BWA is Poland’s first institute of street art.Cedar Lewisohn’s 2010 Tate exhibition and book, Abstract Graffiti, has a chapter on Wrocław, and you can pick up a map of the best examples. Wrocław is also famous for glass and ceramics, and both feature at BWA. Other galleries to check out include the long-established Survival Street Artproject, and the small independentEntropia, just off the main square, And don’t miss a 10-minute tram ride to contemporary art museum MWW, in a former air-raid tower – the building alone is fascinating.

Polish Posters

Poland has long led the way in poster design, thanks to artists who do not so much promote a film or play as interpret them with strong, hand-crafted images. This independent gallery has a huge selection of classic film and theatre posters from the 1940s onwards, from as little as £5.25 to over £500, or postcard versions at a snip. 

Złe Mieso (Bad Meat)

If the belly-busting Polish meat or pierogi dishes are not your thing, try this new veggie haunt in a central courtyard. Cream of carrot soup with a hint of peanut butter costs £1.25, pizzas and oscypek (salted sheep’s cheese) salads from £3.85, or falafels and other mains from £4.20. Plastic crates for light-shades, wall doodles, huge portions, friendly service (some of the staff are commune-dwellers), and plenty of flyers about local indie goings-on make this the perfect place for a counter-cultural veggie curry. 

Kino Nowe Horizonty

Poland’s largest art-house cinema is a stylish affair with nine screens, a cafe-bar and shop, and a summer film festival. Behind the cinema, Shopiq sells vinyl and prints from local photographers. Up the road, KRVN is an elegant cafe with murals and locally sourced food. 

Where to stay

Leoapart has well-equipped, comfortable flats, most within walking distance of the main square, from £33 a night for two. The recently opened Puro Hotel in the Jewish district backs on to the city moat. Its smart modern rooms have lots of glass and Wi-Fi enabled TVs and the buffet-breakfast is enormous.

How to get there

Ryanair flies to Wrocław from East Midlands, Glasgow, Liverpool and Stansted from £18 one-way.