Solved! Museum identifies mysterious woman caught in a photo

A young dark-haired woman stands on a balcony of one of the tall buildings at the so-called Wrocław Manhattan. She stands in full sun and runs fingers of her right hand through her hair, or wipes sweat off her brow. Immersed in thought, she looks straight. It's hot summer of 1982. Chris Niedenthal aims his lens at the woman. A soon-to-become-famous photograph comes into being.

Until now the identity of the mysterious woman was unknown. The Museum of Architecture in Wrocław asked media and internet users for help in finding out who she was.

The search did not take too long. On Sunday (April 18) the museum announced on Facebook: "WE'VE MADE IT!!!!". Museum employees admitted that it took them only three hours after launching the search to identify the woman from Chris Niedenthal's photo. "At the same time, however, a number of other leads appeared, which we also wanted to verify. Since yesterday the mystery is solved!" - we read in the Facebook post.

It turns out the dark-haired woman from the photo taken nearly 40 years ago currently lives in Kłodzko. She is a dentist, and in 1982 she was studying for entry exams to Wrocław Medical University. She lived in Grunwaldzki Square building number 8 together with a friend. "She remembers that day as unusually hot; she went out onto the balcony to take a break from studying and catch some fresh air. On a balcony on the 9th floor of the neighboring building stood Chris Niedenthal himself..." - the museum wrote.

The search for the mysterious dark-haired woman from the picture has been sparked by a documentary "Po polsku Manhattan" telling the story of the famous Wrocław estate. Currently, an extended version of the film is being produced, with the search of for the mysterious woman as leit motif.

In 1963, architect Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak was tasked with designing a residential estate that would be located at the Grunwaldzki Square. The project took 5 years during which a few versions were prepared. All shared residential and functional characteristics.

Originally the buildings were supposed to have 11 floors. Later it was decided to make them taller, in order to emphasise their big-city character.

The construction began in late 1960s, and the investors had to face many difficulties. According to an urban legend, the construction was nearly stopped and cancelled. But Polish United Workers' Party chairman Edward Gierek and a French delegation were visiting Wrocław at the time. The foreign guests were said to have been charmed with the growing buildings and allegedly that was what saved them.