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The Cathedral Island (, , , ) is the oldest part of the city of
Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
in south-western
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. It was formerly an
island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
(
Old Polish The Old Polish language () was a period in the history of the Polish language between the 10th and the 16th centuries. It was followed by the Middle Polish language. The sources for the study of the Old Polish language are the data of the co ...
: ) between branches of the
Oder River The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through west ...
. Today it is the city's popular tourist destination. The Cathedral Island in Wrocław is one of the few remaining places in Europe where a lamplighter lights the gas street lamps every evening.


History

Archaeological excavations have shown that the western part of the Cathedral Island, between the Church of St. Martin and the Holy Cross, was the first area to be inhabited. The first, wooden church (St. Martin), dating from the 10th century, was surrounded by defensive walls built on the banks of the river. The island had approximately 1,500 inhabitants at that time. The first constructions on the Cathedral Island were built in the 10th century by the
Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...
, and were made from wood. The first building from solid material was St. Martin's chapel, built probably at the beginning of the eleventh century by
Benedictine monks The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, the ...
. Not long after the first cathedral was raised, in place of the small church. Religious buildings appeared in the Cathedral Island because during the
Congress of Gniezno The Congress of Gniezno (, or ''Gnesener Übereinkunft'') was an amicable meeting between the Polish Duke Bolesław I the Brave and Emperor Otto III, which took place at Gniezno in Poland on 11 March 1000. Scholars disagree over the details o ...
in
AD 1000 In the proleptic Gregorian calendar, it was a non-leap century year starting on Wednesday (like 1800). The year falls well into the period of Old World history known as the Middle Ages; in Europe, it is sometimes and by convention considered t ...
, it was decided to create a
bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
in
Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
. In 1163 the settlement was raided by Boleslaw I the Tall who had returned from his banishment. After taking control of the area and waiting for the political situation in
Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
to stabilize, he chose the Cathedral Island as his new capital. He began replacing the wooden defenses with brick ones and build a Roman-style residence. In 1315, the Cathedral Island was sold to the church. Since the island ceased to be under secular jurisdiction, it was often used by those who had broken the law in Wrocław, as a place of
sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...
. An interesting indication of the special status of the island was a ban on wearing any headdress by men, effective even on Tumski Bridge beyond the border pole of this small "ecclesiastical nation" (the law also applied to royalty). In 1503-1538
Nicolaus Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath who formulated a mathematical model, model of Celestial spheres#Renaissance, the universe that placed heliocentrism, the Sun rather than Earth at its cen ...
was a canon of the collegiate chapter of the Holy Cross in the Cathedral Island. In 1766 in the Cathedral Island,
Giacomo Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (; ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and pu ...
lived at the house of Father Bastiani. In the 19th century, the Breslau Moat was being covered up, which connected the Cathedral Island with mainland Breslau and causing it to cease being a proper island.


Gallery

File:Dominsel Breslau.png, The Cathedral Island in the 18th century (by Friedrich Bernhard Werner) File:Ostrow Tumski, Wroclaw (P1180414).jpg, St. Giles Church, built in the 1220s File:Wroclaw-katedra Jana Chrzciciela.jpg,
Wrocław Cathedral The St. John the Baptist Archcathedral (, ) is the seat of the Archdiocese of Wrocław and a landmark of the city of Wrocław in Poland. The cathedral, located in the Cathedral Island, is a Gothic church with Neo-Gothic additions. The current ...
File:SM Wrocław Kościół Świętego Krzyża ID 598588.jpg, Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross and St. Bartholomew File:Mikolaj Kopernik tablica.jpg, Memorial plaque to the Polish astronomer
Nicolaus Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath who formulated a mathematical model, model of Celestial spheres#Renaissance, the universe that placed heliocentrism, the Sun rather than Earth at its cen ...
File:Уроцлаўскія замалёўкі 17.jpg, Tumski Bridge File:Św. Jana Nepomucena (4022236730).jpg,
John of Nepomuk John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) (; ; ) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393) was a saint of Bohemia (a western part of what is now the Czech Republic) who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. Later accounts st ...
Monument File:Wrocław Pałac Arcybiskupi z 1794r..JPG, Archbishop's Palace File:MostTumski@2008~2010AndrzejJurkowski.jpg, The Cathedral Island as seen from the
Sand Island A sand island is an island that is mostly made of sand. The largest sand island in the world is K'gari, Australia. Other examples of large sand islands are Moreton, North Stradbroke and Bribie Islands which lie south of K'gari (Fraser Island ...
File:PL-DS, Wrocław, pl. Katedralny 14; Biskupi Konwikt Teologiczny Georgianum; A-1059.jpg, Wrocław Seminary, built in 1894 File:Wrocław - fotopolska.eu (269705).jpg, Monastery complex Sisters of Saint Elizabeth


See also

* Domfreiheit


References


External links

* *
Ostrów Tumski we Wrocławiu - Wyspa Katedralna
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostrow Tumski, Wroclaw Tourist attractions in Wrocław