Where is the Contemporary Museum bunker situated and why is there a locomotive?

The lecture will outline the history of changes of Strzegomski Square and its direct surroundings – the western part of Przedmieście Mikołajskie suburb. This area used to be situated in front of Mikołajska Gate, one of the most important entrances to the city. In the Middle Ages it connected Wrocław with the most important European trade route, the Via Regia, and in modern times this gate was used by the emperor’s retinue to enter the city. The symbolic rank of this place was confirmed by situating here three crosses that marked the finish line of the Rochwist – the first horse race in Wrocław, inaugurated in 1531. After the demolition of city fortifications in 1807, the suburb was quickly developed with tenements, the monumental St. Paul church, and to the south-east of today’s Strzegomski Square – an industrial district. In 1858 the renowned train car production facility Linke-Hoffman moved here. The 1942 air-raid shelter housing the collection of Wrocław Contemporary Museum is the most important link connecting this area, which was completely redeveloped after the second world war, with history.