Ten years of telling Wrocław’s story

‘The Depot History Centre is a place that the people of Wrocław not only visit but also help to create. They do so for themselves, for guests, tourists and everyone who wants to discover and understand the phenomenon of post-war and contemporary Wrocław. At the permanent exhibition “Wrocław 1945–2016”, history is no longer a set of dates and textbook entries but becomes a story about people, their choices, experiences and dreams. Historic objects, family keepsakes, modern exhibition design, multimedia and the symbolism of the site all make this a story as compelling as one told by Hollywood production,’ writes Andrzej JERIE

.The opening of the Depot History Centre on 16 September 2016 was one of the most important projects organised in Wrocław during its year as European Capital of Culture. It also marked the culmination of efforts by various groups to create an institution in the capital of Lower Silesia that would narrate the post-war history of Wrocław and its residents in an engaging, modern way. Over the past ten years, the Depot History Centre has become a permanent fixture on Wrocław’s cultural map and an important place for residents and tourists alike. Few people now remember that one of the locations considered for such an institution was the Piast Brewery on Jedności Narodowej Street, which was later sold to a private investor. The decision to select Bus Depot No. 7 on Grabiszyńska Street was partly shaped by the symbolic significance of the location, as it was the site where the August 1980 events sparked the birth of Solidarity in Lower Silesia. To this day, the depot remains a symbol of regained freedom in the minds of many people in Wrocław.

Once the site was no longer in use by city buses, the decision was made to convert the former depot into a museum. The depot hall was rebuilt and extended at a cost of more than PLN 36 million, 51 per cent of which came from grants under the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2009–2014 and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009–2014. The work also restored several architectural details destroyed during the siege of Wrocław in 1945 or lost in subsequent alterations, including the carved finials flanking the building’s north-facing front façade. The city government, in turn, funded the creation of a modern, interactive and exceptionally inclusive exhibition. The whole area covers 1,980 square metres, which is a significant number in itself. And it is just one among many meaningful references: One is the clock designed by Professor Leon Podsiadły, which once stood on Świdnicka Street as a gathering point for independent demonstrations and Orange Alternative happenings. A freight wagon used by post-war settlers offers a tangible reminder of the migrations that followed the war, while an Odra computer represents Wrocław’s achievements in engineering and science. In this exhibition, we give a voice to those whom history sought to reduce to a number or a dehumanised entry in a set of statistics. Here, history is no longer a set of dates and textbook entries but becomes a story about people, their choices, experiences and dreams, accompanied by the objects on display.

The route through the “Wrocław 1945–2016” exhibition tells the story of the city through experiences of those who came here after the war and began building new lives amid the ruins. It shows how Wrocław gradually re-emerged as a centre of science, culture, technology and design. It traces the path towards Polish-German reconciliation, the defining moment of which was the Pastoral Letter of the Polish Bishops to their German Brothers, written by Archbishop Bolesław Kominek and bearing the words that still resonate today: “we forgive and ask for forgiveness”. Another part of the exhibition explores social resistance: the opposition movements that emerged before August 1980, the birth of Solidarity and the underground networks of the 1980s. These movements brought together workers, university students, school pupils and people from many other walks of life. This history has particular significance here, at the birthplace of Solidarity in Wrocław and Lower Silesia. Finally, the route brings the story closer to the present. It covers the restoration of local self-government after 1990 and the rediscovery of Wrocław’s multicultural past, which once again became part of the city’s identity. It also recalls the summer of 1997, when the people of Wrocław came together to defend their city against the devastating flood.

“Wrocław 1945–2016” is the heart of the Depot History Centre, but the institution’s work extends far beyond the permanent display. Over the past decade, more than one million people have visited it or taken part in the various events held at the Centre. Including the events held by the institution at other locations, the total attendance exceeds three million.

In the last ten years, the Depot History Centre has prepared nearly 150 temporary exhibitions devoted to contemporary history, the heritage of Lower Silesia, the fate of Poles exiled to Siberia, the history of Solidarity, culture and social change. Their titles alone show the remarkable range of subjects explored: “Seven Wonders of Wrocław and Lower Silesia”, “Taking Root. The Western and Northern Territories. The Beginning”, “The World of Tytus, Romek and A’Tomek by Papcio Chmiel – Professor Talent’s Institute of Marvellous Inventions”, “The Communists’ Earthly Paradise”, “The Depot Is on Strike”, “Pilgrimage of Hope”, “The Machines of Leonardo da Vinci”, “The Oder: A Bridge, a Border”, “The Slavic World of Kajko and Kokosz”, “The Genocide of Ukrainians That Went Uncondemned: History Repeating Itself”, “Freedom Climbers – Wrocławianie w Górach Wysokich”, “Green Dress. Through Russia and Kazakhstan in the Footsteps of Family History” and “Reconciliation for Europe”.

Outdoor events attracting thousands of participants have also become an integral part of the Centre’s work. The largest include the Joyful Independence Parade, a colourful procession through the streets of Wrocław on 11 November; rock concerts held each August to mark the anniversary of the birth of Wrocław’s Solidarity; successive commemorations of August 1980, which bring together participants in the strikes of the early 1980s; events featuring the historic Jelcz 043 bus, popularly known as the “Ogórek” [Cucumber]; and projects organised as part of the Night of Museums and Wrocław Day or around the “Golgotha of the East” exhibition. Located in Wrocław’s Biskupin district, the latter presents the fate of Poles deported by Russia and the Soviet Union.

Over the course of a decade, the former bus depot on Grabiszyńska Street has hosted hundreds of projects, including educational debates, museum lessons, workshops, conferences and meetings with authors, above all, the authors of books published by the Depot History Centre (the “Remembrance and Future” Centre). Nearly 160 such publications have appeared in the past ten years.

In 2025, the Centre helped organise the Year of Reconciliation, one of its most important recent projects. The events reflected on the end of the Second World War, the legacy of Archbishop Bolesław Kominek’s letter and the history of Solidarity. Through them, the Depot History Centre once again became a place for discussing the values at the heart of its mission: dialogue, solidarity, freedom and responsibility for the community. They also brought Kominek’s message back into public discourse, offering hope that it might change the way people speak to one another.

.During this anniversary year, it is important to remember that the Depot History Centre was established to share the history of people and history as told by people. Ten years on, the stories of Wrocław’s residents continue to live here, inspiring conversations about the city’s past, present and future. Thousands of objects, hundreds of witnesses to history, temporary and outdoor exhibitions and countless meetings with residents all show that history can indeed provide a space for people to meet, build a shared identity and strengthen their local community. The former depot, a witness to some of the most important events of the twentieth century, has become a place that does more than tell Wrocław’s story: it helps each new generation to understand and experience it.

Andrzej Jerie