The capital of Lower Silesia created a tourist campaign last year: Wrocław – the city of adventure, for which it has just received the FilmAT Festival award in Warsaw in the category of the best film concerning Tourism/City Promotion!
Benedictine Abbey, the sarcophagus of Piotr Włostowic, the Ołbin Treasure, and mystery. Add to that chases, undergrounds, and a history encapsulated within the city walls – this is the story that tens of thousands of cinema-goers in the largest Polish cities have witnessed. Additionally, hundreds of billboards inviting people to… Wrocław.
The campaign “Wrocław – the city of adventure” was initiated in May 2023 with a special commercial spot featuring popular actors, including one of the most prominent figures in Polish cinema and theater – Daniel Olbrychski, along with excellent actors of the younger generation: Marianna Zydek and Piotr Nerlewski. During the film, viewers were taken to the most popular places in Wrocław – to the Centennial Hall, the National Forum of Music, Dunikowski’s Boulevards, and the Wrocław Market Square.
As part of the nationwide campaign, the city promoted its offer in Warsaw, Poznań, Kraków, Katowice, Łódź, Gdańsk, and Szczecin through the commercial spot displayed on 170 cinema screens, an outdoor campaign on over 260 billboards (in the same cities), and online. The campaign is being continued this year and expanded abroad (the city has prepared commercials distributed with dubbing in English, German, Czech, and Spanish). Additionally, specially created tourist routes for various target groups serve as an extra attraction.
“Wrocław – a city of meetings, 100 bridges, sunflowers, the European Capital of Culture, the Venice of the North, and since last year also the city of adventure – a city where adventure awaits around every corner. The awarded commercial spot, which was the cornerstone of the campaign we conducted last year in 7 cities – in cinemas, on billboards, and online. This award is extremely important for us because it shows that what we strive to do is objectively evaluated at such a high level! Without a doubt, Wrocław is one of the strongest tourist brands in Poland – this award and nearly 6 million tourists annually confirm this,” said Alfred Wagner, Deputy Director of the Department of City Promotion and Tourism at the Wrocław City Hall, after receiving the award.
“By presenting Wrocław as the ‘City of Adventure,’ we wanted to attract more visitors to Wrocław in a very attractive way. We hoped that they would feel the unique atmosphere of our city, its charm, wonderful spots, and the vibrant life that pulsates from morning till night. The analyses of our campaign so far confirm that we were not mistaken. We are delighted with the recognition received and hope that for many, Wrocław has indeed become such a ‘city of adventure.’ We warmly invite more tourists to Wrocław. For an adventure!” added Wagner.
The existing numbers and statistics in this regard do not lie! Among the major attractions of Wrocław, one can mention, for example, Afrykarium in the Wrocław Zoo. From 2019 to 2023, Afrykarium was visited by over 7 million tourists. The revenue from tickets last year amounted to over 82 million PLN, which naturally corresponds to the consistently high attendance. The high attractiveness of Wrocław as a tourist destination is also evidenced by the numbers of the Wrocław Airport. Last year, new flight connections were launched, including to Seoul and Valencia. Wrocław Airport ended the year 2023 with the highest number of handled passengers in its history. Record-breaking results in each subsequent month amounted to a total of 3.9 million passengers!
In turn, over 2 million guests visited the Wrocław Aquapark in 2023, which enjoyed even greater popularity than in 2022.
What was the idea behind the whole campaign? A story about the history of an extraordinary treasure and its fate! In the 1930s, the current Ołbin district of Wrocław was a village. It was there that an extraordinary Benedictine abbey was founded. After several hundred years of existence, fearing the invasion of the Turks, it was dismantled, and fragments of architecture, columns, and sculptures were embedded in existing buildings in Wrocław to this day. The former Ołbin Abbey was something unheard of in that part of Europe at that time. What remains of it today already deserves the title of treasure. At the same time, there is a legend circulating that there was a treasure in the grave of Piotr Włostowic buried in the abbey. And even if not, Wrocław itself is a peculiar treasure worth discovering.
It is worth noting that the campaign involved, among others: Daniel Olbrychski, who played the sinister seeker of the Ołbin Treasure. Other well-known figures associated with Wrocław also joined the campaign, convincing why this city is worth seeing and visiting.
Daniel Olbrychski: “Wrocław? These are beautiful memories that have lasted for almost 60 years! Friendships, memories from work, but at the same time, with each passing year, especially recently, increasing admiration for the city, which has changed so much over the years – for the better!”
Mrozu, a musician, a laureate of 5 Fryderyk awards: “For every good day, good evening, and good night I spent in Wrocław, I am grateful!”
Robert Makłowicz, a renowned culinary critic and Ambassador of the Year of Good Relations with Wrocław, cherishes some of the most beautiful memories of his life in this city.
“For all these moments, I thank Wrocław, I thank the people of Wrocław,” says Makłowicz.
Marek Krajewski, the author of bestselling crime novels set in Wrocław, also emphasizes the uniqueness of the city:
“As the author of crime novels set in Wrocław, I know that this city has a lot to offer both in terms of history and adventure. This campaign showcases the full range of experiences that await anyone who visits Wrocław. It is worth being swept away by this adventure and getting to know the city from a completely new perspective.”
Partners of the Wrocław City of Adventure Campaign include the Wrocław Tourism Organisation, Wrocław Zoo, Wrocław Aquapark, and the National Museum in Wrocław.
