Świdnica, though best known as home to one of the Churches of Peace, is itself well worth a day trip from Wrocław. A fine medieval town that survived the ravages of the 20th century more or less intact, it is in the classic central European mould, spread around a colourful Rynek (market square). Dominated by a 16th century Town Hall (with a climbable tower, free for visitors), the square is just a short 5 minute walk from the town’s main train station, Świdnica Miasto. There is a reasonably helpful tourist information office on one of the Rynek’s inner streets, near the Town Hall Tower (Ul. Wewnętrzna 2). While on the Rynek, look for a bench with a bronze female statue - this is the likeness of Maria Cunitz, the 17th century’s most famous female astronomer. This polymath, known for her book of astronomical tables titled Urania propitia, once gazed at the heavens from the roof of her house on Świdnica’s Rynek, much to the disapproval and suspicion of town councillors.
