There are many wonderful sights to see in Krakow, exploring the old town, the nearby Planty Park or the historic Wawel Castle. However, despite a history stretching back 20,000 years it is mostly remembered for its sad part in history during the World War II.

A tour of sadness awaits visitors to Krakow. It is the destination of mans inhumanity to man and a place that people should see to truly experience the incomprehensible. While staying in a hotel in Krakow, you should strive to learn more about some of humanity’s darker past. Tourists of Krakow are constantly made aware of the terrible fate that awaited many of the city’s Jewish residents during the Second World War and a walk around the old Jewish Quarter serves as a reminder, lest we forget.

Krakow’s Jewish History Tours
The Oscar Schindler Factory, made famous by the 1990 Steven Spielberg film “Schindler’s List” is one of the most visited places in Krakow. It is now preserved as a museum to the efforts taken by Schindler to save many Jews during the war and also to detail the reality of wartime Krakow. It is a thought provoking experience that leaves many with more questions than answers.

Kazimieriz is the area of Krakow, which had a sizable Jewish community from the 1500’s onwards. During the war the population were moved out on mass into the ghetto and from there to the concentration camps. Walking around the streets and squares, visiting the synagogues, shops and bars gives you a sense of this districts immense history and importance. There are regular walkabout tours every Sunday afternoon that you can simply join and have Kazimieriz’s story explained.

Galicia Museum in Kazimieriz also details life in the Jewish quarter before the war and with paintings, photographs and individual accounts add a very personal and moving picture to a commonly known historical event. Lots of people as a result of visiting these areas take the decision to make a trip out to Auschwitz so that they area able to have the complete picture of the enormity of Krakow’s place in the history of Poland’s Jewish community.

Jewish Ghetto, the Podgorze district of Krakow was designated as the ghetto in March 1941 and 15,000 people were moved into a secured area that previously held 3,000 residents. A wall, which can still be seen in parts, surrounded the area and any outward facing windows were ordered bricked up.

Krakow is in spite of its dark, disturbing past an incredibly interesting, lively and friendly place to visit with lots for visitors to try, new experiences to be had and different tastes to sample. There are excellent shopping opportunities around the streets of the old town and every Sunday there is a flea market in Plac Nowy or you can take a pleasant cruise along the River Vistula. You will definitely have an unforgettable time wandering around Krakow’s historic centres.