Cathedral Island, Wroclaw

Ostrow Tumski, Cathedral Island, is where Wroclaw began more than a thousand years ago. The river channel that once made it an island was filled in on one side long ago, but the district still feels like a separate, older quarter. It is the quietest and most atmospheric corner of the city, a cluster of churches and clergy houses across the water from the busy centre.

This is the historic root of Wroclaw and a complete change of pace from the market square. The lanes are cobbled and low-key, the buildings are red brick and stone, and in the evening the whole quarter slows right down. It pairs naturally with the market square on a circuit of the old centre, and works best as an unhurried walk rather than a tick-list.

You reach the island across the Tumski Bridge, an ornate nineteenth-century iron span hung with lovers' padlocks. It links the cathedral quarter to Sand Island (Wyspa Piasek); beyond it, the small island of Wyspa Slodowa fills with students and picnics on warm evenings.

On the far side rises the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, a Gothic church with two tall towers. A lift carries visitors up one tower to a viewing platform for a wide look over the rooftops and the Oder. Around it stand a cluster of older churches, the archbishop's palace and the buildings of the church district, along with the botanical garden a short walk on.

A bishopric was founded here in the year 1000, and for centuries the island was church land, separate from the merchant town that grew on the far bank. That long split is why the two halves of Wroclaw still feel so different. The gas lamps that light the lanes are a survival from the nineteenth century.

A lamplighter still lights the gas lamps of the island by hand at dusk in the cooler months, dressed in a long coat and cap, moving lamp to lamp with a pole. It is a small ritual, and it makes the hour around sunset the best time to cross over.

Allow forty-five minutes to an hour for a walk around the island and its churches. Add time if you climb the cathedral tower or continue to the botanical garden next door.

Late afternoon into early evening is the loveliest window, especially from autumn to early spring when the lamplighter makes his round at dusk. Sundays and church holidays are busier around service times. The island is worth seeing in any season, but the gas lamps are the reason to come at dusk.

The island is a fifteen-minute walk east of the market square, along the Oder and across the Tumski Bridge. Several tram lines stop close by on the mainland side. For planning the rest of your stay, see the Wroclaw guide.

The lanes are cobbled and uneven, which can be hard going for wheelchairs and prams. The cathedral tower is reached by a lift, but check its running times before you rely on it, as it does not always operate. The bridges and main paths are step-free.

The island sits between the market square and the eastern parks:

• The market square and Old Town Hall, about fifteen minutes west.
• The Tumski Bridge and Wyspa Slodowa, right beside the island.
• The Centennial Hall and the eastern parks, a short tram ride on.

It sat on a real island in the Oder for most of its history. One of the river channels was filled in during the nineteenth century, so it is no longer surrounded by water, but the name and the separate feel have stuck.

Yes. A lift runs up one of the two towers to a viewing platform over the city and the river. It is ticketed and does not run at all times, so check before you go.

He lights the gas lamps by hand at dusk during the cooler part of the year. Arrive shortly before sunset from autumn to early spring to catch the round.