Piwnica Świdnicka

Address Rynek 1 (Town Hall cellar), 50-101 Wrocław

The 13th-century beer cellar beneath the Town Hall, claiming to be the oldest in Poland and arguably the oldest in Europe. The cavernous stone vaults are entered down a flight of steps from the Rynek; inside, a long room with stone walls and arched ceilings serves beer at long communal tables.

The cellar closed in 2017 for a long renovation and reopened in 2024. The food and atmosphere are now more polished than the rough beer-hall of decades past, but the history alone justifies a visit.

bars and cafes bar
A story
Piwnica Świdnicka claims a continuous operating history since 1273, which would make it one of the oldest restaurants and beer cellars in Europe. The hall has been used by Habsburg emperors, Polish kings, Prussian generals, the writer Heinrich von Kleist (who got drunk here in 1801), and millions of less illustrious customers in the centuries since.