Titled ‘Wrocław City of Adventure,’ the three-minute video mimics the style and spirit of the Indiana Jones films to weave a story around Piotr Włostowic, a wealthy medieval nobleman who was entombed—along with his treasures—in the city’s Ołbin Abbey.

Fearing the town’s capture by the Turks, city authorities dismantled the abbey in the 16th century to prevent it from being ransacked, and its more valuable elements were embedded in buildings around the rest of Wrocław. This, says the video, was the last time the sarcophagus was sighted.

The film hangs its plot around this subtext, telling viewers that Włostowic’s riches have been hunted in the centuries since, “by Turks, Nazis, and the Soviets.”

Following the finest traditions of the Indy trailers, the video has it all from slick, sweeping action shots to a soaring orchestral score, all neatly linked by a gravel-voiced narrator.

Presenting Marianna Zydek and Piotr Nerlewski as the protagonists—her as the feisty damsel, him as the cavalier hunk—the duo find themselves tracked by a shadowy villain played by the acclaimed actor Daniel Olbrychski as they hunt for the tomb.

Flanked by henchmen, we see Olbrychski pursue the couple in a high-speed boat chase before leaving them bound together in a spooky, candlelit cellar. Gloriously filmed, the fast-paced caper features no shortage of striking shots of the city’s best-loved landmarks.

Among others, we see the vast Centennial Hall, the charming market square, and Wrocław Zoo’s glass underwater tunnels.



Wildly good fun but also beautifully produced, the video has been met with a wave of acclaim. Aside from their latest triumph in Cannes, this summer saw the film awarded gold at Spain’s Terres Film Festival and silver at the US International Awards.

Justifying the video’s production, the mayor, Jacek Sutryk, said: “Almost six million tourists visited Wrocław in 2023, but we don’t want to stop at that. By presenting Wrocław as a ‘City of Adventure,’ we want to attract even more visitors.”

He added: “We hoped they would feel the unique climate of the city, its atmosphere, its wonderful corners, and the life that teem from morning till night.”

Dubbed in English, German, Czech, and Spanish, the film has left international audiences thrilled and elevated the city’s exposure.

Enjoying a bumper year for tourism, 2023 saw the city register a 7% increase in tourists as well as a record 115,000 visitors to its Christmas Market.

According to data released by the city, attendance records were also broken by the zoo, which saw 1.7 million visitors, the Aquapark (2 million visitors), and the airport (3.9 million passengers).