Oratorium Marianum

Oratorium Marianum, or Marian Oratorium of Latin Congregation, is the Baroque hall in the main building of the University of Wrocław. The interior was designed by Johannes Petner and Joseph Frisch. Paintings were made by none other than renowned Baroque painter Johann Christoph Handke. Concerts are organized here to this day.

Oratorium Marianum is famous for its perfect acoustics. It was valued by musicians back in the 19th century. The most prominent artists who gave concerts here were Henryk Wieniawski, Anton Grigoriewicz Rubinstein, and Ferenc Liszt. A great event was the world premiere of Academic Overture by Johannes Brahms in 1881. The plaque commemorating this event is placed in front of the entrance to the building.

The hall was almost completely destroyed during the bombardments in 1945. After the war, the building was rebuilt, however, Oratorium could no longer serve its original purpose so its space was divided into smaller halls. Its former glory was regained in the 1990s.