Archaeological findings indicate settlement on the site as early as the Stone Age, several thousand years ago. Wrocław originated in the 10th century AD at the crossroads of the amber trade route between the Roman Empire and the Baltic Sea and the trade route linking the Black Sea to western Europe; it was administered by the Polish Piast kings. In 1000 King Bolesław I (the Brave) fortified the place and established a bishopric on Ostrów Tumski (“Cathedral Island”). In 1109 a major attack by German forces was repelled at nearby Psie Pole. In 1138 Wrocław became the first capital of all Silesia under the rule of the Piast prince Władysław II (the Exile). Much of the city south of the Oder River was devastated during the Mongol invasion in 1241. At the invitation of Silesian authorities in the 13th century, many Germans migrated to Wrocław. The city received self-governing rights in 1261, when it adopted the Magdeburg Law (Magdeburger Recht), a civic constitution based on German law. Wrocław again flourished as an economic centre. Nearby to the east a “new town” was developed; it was united with the older city in 1327. In 1335 Wrocław passed to Bohemia with the rest of Silesia, and in 1526 it passed to the Habsburgs. In 1741 it fell to Prussia under the rule of Frederick II (the Great) and eventually became part of Germany.

The city grew physically with the razing of its fortifications, and by 1910 its inhabitants numbered more than 500,000. By that time its population had become largely German as a result of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck's efforts to Germanize the area. During World War II the Nazis refortified the city, holding it until May 1945, when Soviet troops defeated the remaining German forces. In August 1945 Wrocław became part of Poland. The city's German inhabitants fled westward during 1944–45 or were evacuated in subsequent years, and thenceforth the population was exclusively Polish.

As a direct result of fighting during World War II, 90 percent of the city's industry and 70 percent of its residential area were heavily damaged or entirely destroyed. Reconstruction of the city began immediately, and by 1950 more than 50,000 new houses had been built, with an additional 50,000 by 1965. The university and many other fine architectural monuments were reconstructed, and modern industrial districts were built to house the growing population. The present-day city prides itself on its numerous parks and restored historical treasures.

Wrocław contains Poland's largest flour mills, an electronics and data-processing industry, foundries, heavy-machinery plants, textile mills, the Hutmen copper plant, and food-processing facilities. It is a major communications centre, having international rail connections, an international airport, and river transport.

A cultural and scientific centre, Wrocław contains numerous educational institutions (including the University of Wrocław, founded in 1702 and rebuilt in 1945), museums, theatres and music centres, and a botanical garden and zoo. Buildings of historical interest include the cluster of churches at Ostrów Tumski, the Gothic town hall, and the Aula Leopoldina, a Baroque assembly hall at the university. Centennial Hall (1911–13), a noted example of reinforced-concrete architecture, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006. The city hosts the Jazz on the Oder Festival and the “Wratislavia Cantans,” an oratorio and cantata festival that ranks as one of the most important music events in Poland. It was the home of the Polish Laboratory Theatre, which was internationally famous for its innovative approaches to actor training and dramatic production in the 1960s and '70s. Pop. (2002) 640,367.