Wrocław (; , ,
[bʁɛ
s̬laʊ
]; ) is the largest city in western
Poland. It is on the River
Oder in the
Silesian Lowlands of
Central Europe, roughly from the
Baltic Sea to the north and from the
Sudeten Mountains to the south. Wrocław is the historical capital of
Silesia and
Lower Silesia. Today, it is the capital of the
Lower Silesian Voivodeship. At various times in history, it has been part of the
Kingdom of Poland,
Bohemia,
Hungary, the
Austrian Empire,
Prussia, and
Germany. It became part of Poland in 1945, as a result of the
border changes after the Second World War. The population of Wrocław in 2014 was 634 487, making it the fourth-largest city in Poland.