What to see in Krakow's Jewish Quarter: synagogues, Schindler factory

In your highly recommended Krakow visit, to the southern Poland, you cannot miss the visit to the Jewish quarter Kazimierz.

This outstanding corner of Krakow you find it outside the large circular garden ring Planty Garden Ring that surrounds the entire largely walled area of ​​the medieval city.

Neighborhood Kazimierz shows you the characteristic atmosphere of a Jewish neighborhood, with its narrow streets and synagogues, and with reminiscences of the time of the second world warl, in which its population suffered the consequences of the Nazi extermination.

Since the 80s, the Kazimierz neighborhood has experienced a rebirth and has become an area with a great cultural nightlife,

In this way, now in that place you can see very busy restaurants and cafes and a style somewhat similar to that of the Latin Quarter from Paris.

The result is that it is currently a highly visited area by those of us who travel to Krakow, as it offers us a much less touristic and commercial environment than the area located around the great city. Marketplace.

Specifically, in me trip to Krakow I had the opportunity to stay in a hotel located in the Jewish quarter, and I really recommend it because of the great artistic and intellectual atmosphere that exists there.

Curiosities history of the Kazimierz Jewish Quarter of Krakow

This Krakow neighborhood It has its origins in the 14th century, when the king Casimir the Great created a new small town next to the walled enclosure of the medieval city of Krakow, near the wawel hill, which he called Kazimierz (Casimir, in Polish).

He gave this small independent city a commercial style and, to give it more splendor, he built two immense gothic churchesThat of Santa Caterina and of Corpus Christi.

Starting in 1495, the Jewish population of Krakow was transferred, concentrated in Kazimierz, which during later centuries caused this city to acquire the style of a Jewish neighborhood.

After Second World War, Kazimierz neighborhood It was almost deserted, but after its rebirth, those of us who visit Krakow consider it a must-see.

What to see in Krakow Jewish Quarter

The reflection of this presence of the Jewish population is found in the various synagogues that there is still in Kazimierz.

Old Synagogue in Jewish Quarter of Krakow

Without a doubt, the most notable is the Old Synagogue, the oldest in Poland.

With similar characteristics to the Old-New Synagogue of the Josefov Jewish Quarter from Prague, the  Old Synagogue of the Jewish Quarter of Krakow  It dates back to the second half of the 15th century, when the place began to be occupied by Jews.

La Old Synagogue It is located in the other nerve center of the Kazimierz neighborhood (together with marketplace), The Szeroka Square, which is also a pleasant area of ​​Polish and Jewish restaurants.

The current building dates from 1557, when the synagogue was rebuilt with a mix of Gothic and Gothic styles. Renacimiento.

During the Second World War, the synagogue was used by the Nazis as a warehouse, and most of the liturgical objects, tapestries, paintings and relics inside were looted.

In 1961, after its restoration, it was opened to the public, incorporating a Jewish museum, which is where you should focus your visit to the Old Synagogue Krakow, and which you find on the upper floor of the synagogue.

El Krakow Museum of Jewish History and Culture It shows a wide exhibition of objects and information panels that allow you to understand the lifestyle of said community, from its religious to the most everyday aspects.

Remuh Synagogue in Krakow Jewish Quarter

In the same Szeroka Square You can also visit the only synagogue still active in Krakow, the Remuh Synagogue and its history Jewish cementary.

When you go to the Remuh SynagogueAfter passing under an arch, you will see a small building that has a long history dating back to 1553, when it was founded.

It was then known as the New Synagogue, to differentiate it from the nearby Old Synagogue.

Next to the Remuh Synagogue A cemetery was established that was used until the year 1800, when the new one was built. Jewish cementary de Kazimierz.

During the Second World War, Remuh Synagogue It was used by the Nazis as a warehouse, so the building was not destroyed.

However, many of the stones from the cemetery's tombstones were fragmented and used to pave the streets.

After the Nazi occupation, these fragments were recovered and with them a wall was built in the cemetery, which is known as the Wailing wall.

On your visit to the Remuh Synagogue You will see in the access patio numerous plaques as a memorial for the victims of the Nazi occupation.

And inside the small building, the highlight is the ark where the scroll of the Torah, which dates back to the initial period of the synagogue, specifically, to 1558.

How to visit and what to see in Krakow Jewish Ghetto

Of course, if you want to see the streets of the former Jewish Ghetto and Factory of Oskar Schindler which Spielberg made famous with his film dedicated to the drama of the Nazi extermination, Schindler's List, you must go to the other side of the river, to the area of Podgorze.

El Jewish Ghetto It is the neighborhood where during the Second World War The Nazis concentrated the entire Jewish population within a completely walled area.

As soon as you cross the river bridge from Kazimier , you arrive at a large paved square where you will be surprised by the metal sculptures that are distributed throughout, which represent chairs.

This square is where ghetto jews They were grouped by the Nazis, forming long lines, with the purpose of being sent to the concentration camp of Auschwitz.

This square, Bohaterów Gettase, is known as the Ghetto Heroes Square and has become a memorial in honor of the Jews who lived in the Ghetto.

Schindler's Factory in Krakow's Jewish Quarter

Near this square you find the only section that still remains of the great wall that closed the streets of the Krakow Jewish Ghetto.

When we see this wall and the street behind it, the tremendous images from the movie quickly come to mind. Spielberg, which showed us how the Jews lived in that place of Krakow.

Nothing remarkable if it weren't for the fact that we know that in that place up to 1.300 Jews from the Krakow Ghetto they were working for Oskar Schindler, manufacturing ammunition.

Once again we are reminded Schindler's List.

Finally, I will tell you that at night the Jewish quarter becomes an ideal area to dine in a charming Polish or Jewish restaurant in the aforementioned area. Szeroka Square, and have a few drinks on one of the numerous terraces of the busy cafes of the marketplace.