Here is a proposal for those who have already seen the "official" Krakow - Old Town with...
Here is a proposal for those who have already seen the "official" Krakow - Old Town with the Market Square and Wawel. Today we are going to visit the Kazimierz district - this is where Jewish culture once flourished, the preserved traces of which have survived to this day.
Szeroka Street is the centre of old Jewish culture surrounded by old synagogues, palaces and majestic houses from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
The Old Synagogue – Museum of Judaism is the oldest preserved synagogue in Poland and one of the most valuable monuments of Jewish religious architecture in Europe.
The Remuh Synagogue is the second oldest Jewish prayer house in Krakow. The synagogue and the adjacent cemetery form a unique and priceless complex of Jewish architecture and sacred art.
The Kupa Synagogue is the last synagogue built during the existence of the Jewish town. It was also known as the Hospital Synagogue because of its close proximity to the former Jewish hospital or the Poor Synagogue because the poorest members of the Jewish community prayed there.
Plac Nowy – The New Square is a site of a daily food, vegetable, antique, craft and flea market of Kazimierz. Surrounded by cafes, bars and restaurants it is one of the most vibrant places on the map of Krakow.
The Tempel Synagogue is one of the four active synagogues in Krakow, but services are held sporadically, it is also a thriving center of Jewish culture, which hosts numerous concerts and meetings, especially during the Jewish Culture Festival.
The Corpus Christi Church is distinguished by its size, importance and architecture. Its beauty is best shown in the interior of the temple, where the gothic stone walls harmonize with the gold of the baroque.
The Father Bernatek Footbridge is a unique place in Podgórze, built in 2010 on the site of the former Podgórze bridge, it connects Kazimierz with Podgórze.
We will visit the exhibition "Krakow Under Nazi Occupation 1939-1945" located in an historical place - the building of the former enamel factory owned by Oskar Schindler. Although it is not a biographical museum devoted to the figure of a German entrepreneur known from a timeless film, it is still worth spending time visiting this place to understand many aspects of people's life under the Nazi rule. We invite you to take part in a tour with a professional guide around this unique place.
During the tour and thanks to it:
- You will learn facts from the history of World War II through their impact on the everyday life of ordinary people in multicultural Krakow.
- You will see the real headquarters of Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik and hear about its owner, Oskar Schindler - an entrepreneur, known from the Oscar-winning Spielberg film, who saved many of his employees from inevitable death.
- The heroic deed of Oskar Schindler resembles his office, happily preserved in the factory administration building, which houses a symbolic "ark of survivors" made of thousands of pots, like those made by his employees during the war.
- Thanks to the modern multimedia installation, you will walk along the cobbled streets of the city, enter the photographer's atelier, look at the hairdresser, get on the tram, as well as see a typical apartment in the Jewish ghetto, and then find yourself with its inhabitants in the Płaszów camp.
- On the "memory machine" (stamping machine) you will make a stamp related to one of the important events in the history of occupied Krakow, taking the "time document" with you.
- At the end you will see the punch line of the exhibition - a sculptural installation - "Hall of Choising" - a symbol of military dilemmas and ethical attitudes. Rich with this knowledge, you will look at Krakow differently as you continue your tour.