Bridge of the Penitents

Address Mary Magdalene Church towers, Wrocław

A 16th-century covered stone walkway 45 metres above the streets connecting the twin towers of St Mary Magdalene Church. The climb up the 247 narrow stone steps inside one tower delivers a small high-perched view across the rooftops of central Wrocław; cross the open bridge and descend the other tower.

Best on a clear day; the bridge is exposed, so not a place to linger in wind or rain. The ticket also gives admission to the church.

things to do sight
A story
Local legend says that the bridge between the towers of St Mary Magdalene was patrolled by the unmarried daughters of strict families as a penance for vanity — condemned to walk back and forth between the towers until they earned their place in heaven. On windy nights you can supposedly still hear them sighing. The story dates from the 19th-century German Romantic period and has nothing to do with the bridge's actual medieval origins.