in front of the station (designed in 1960) The station was built in 1855–1857, as the starting point of the
Oberschlesische Eisenbahn (
Upper Silesian Railway), as well as the line from
Breslau to
Glogau via
Posen. It replaced the earlier complex of the
Oberschlesischer Bahnhof (Upper Silesian Railway Station, built 1841–1842). Its designer was the royal
Prussian architect
Wilhelm Grapow, and in the mid-19th century, it was located near the southern outskirts of the city, as the areas to the south had not yet been urbanized. The original concourse was located where the passenger hall now is and was adjacent to the station yard. When construction finished in the mid-19th century, the station only had one platform, but the platform hall was some 200 meters long, and it was regarded as one of the biggest structures of this kind in
Europe. By the entrances were luggage lockers, telephone, and telegraph facilities. In the station complex were a restaurant and three waiting rooms (1st, 2nd, and 3rd class). There was also a special room and a separate hallway for VIPs. In the late 19th century, when the government of the
German Empire heavily invested in railway construction, the station was extended. Prices of real estate around the station grew, as the city began to develop southwards. In 1899, the construction of five new platforms began, four of them covered by a large roof. The number of passenger platforms within the station grew to 13 and all were elevated. The façade of the main hall was remodeled in 1899–1904. in 1943 During
World War II,
Polish resistance from the group
Zagra-Lin successfully attacked a Nazi troop transport on the station on 23 April 1943. A commemorative plate honoring their actions was placed after Nazi Germany was defeated and the city was incorporated into Poland. On 8 January 1967, the popular Polish actor
Zbigniew Cybulski died on platform 3. Cybulski was trying to jump into a train that was already departing, but fell instead under its wheels. On the 30th anniversary of this event,
Andrzej Wajda unveiled a plaque on the platform in memory of Cybulski. In 2010–2012 the station was extensively refurbished for the
Euro 2012 championships. In 2025, Wrocław Główny scored 98.5 on
Europe's best railway station index, which placed the station in second place of the best railway stations in Europe by the Consumer Choice Center, ahead of
Bern and
Berlin but behind
Zürich. ==Train services==