Krakow Jewish Heritage: Kazimierz, Podgorze, and Why This History Matters

Krakow has one of the most significant Jewish heritage landscapes in Europe. This is partly because the city survived the Second World War largely intact (unlike Warsaw, which was systematically destroyed), and partly because of the specific history of the Jewish population in Galicia and southern Poland over several centuries. The sites span two distinct areas: Kazimierz (the historic Jewish quarter) and Podgorze (where the Nazi occupation concentrated and then liquidated Krakow's Jewish community).

The History in Brief

Jewish settlement in Krakow dates to the 13th century. In 1495, Jews were expelled from Krakow proper by King Jan Olbracht and settled in the adjacent town of Kazimierz, which became one of the most significant centres of Jewish culture and scholarship in Europe — the home of Rabbi Moses Isserles (the Remuh), whose commentary on the Shulchan Aruch made him one of the defining authorities of Ashkenazi Jewish law.

By 1939, approximately 65,000 Jews lived in Krakow — around 25% of the city's population. The Nazi occupation began in September 1939. In 1941, the Jewish population was forced into a Ghetto in Podgorze. The Ghetto was liquidated in 1943; most of those deported went to the Belzec and Auschwitz extermination camps. Fewer than 2,000 Krakow Jews survived the war.

Kazimierz: What to Visit

Old Synagogue (ul. Szeroka 24): the oldest surviving synagogue in Poland, 15th century, now a Jewish history museum. Entry 15 PLN.

Remuh Synagogue and Cemetery (ul. Szeroka 40): still an active synagogue; the cemetery contains graves from the 16th century including Rabbi Moses Isserles. Entry 15 PLN. Dress respectfully.

Tempel Synagogue (ul. Miodowa 24): a 19th-century Reform synagogue with the most ornate interior of the Kazimierz synagogues — gilded coffered ceiling, gallery for women. Entry 10 PLN.

Galicia Jewish Museum (ul. Dajwor 18): a photographic museum documenting the remains of Jewish life in Galicia — what survived, what was destroyed, what has been built over. A different kind of memorial from the synagogue museums.

Jewish Community Centre (ul. Miodowa 24): the active centre of Krakow's small present-day Jewish community — events, Shabbat dinners, education programmes. Worth checking what's on during your visit.

Podgorze: The Ghetto Sites

Ghetto Heroes Square (Plac Bohaterow Getta): 70 empty metal chairs installed as a memorial to those deported from this square. No entry required.

Eagle Pharmacy (ul. Bohaterow Getta 13): the pharmacy that operated within the Ghetto. Its owner, Tadeusz Pankiewicz, chose to stay with the Jewish community when he was not required to. Museum; 15 PLN.

Schindler's Factory (ul. Lipowa 4): the full exhibition on the Nazi occupation. Book in advance.

Ghetto Wall Fragment (ul. Lwowska / ul. Limanowskiego): a surviving section of the wall that enclosed the Ghetto, preserved as a memorial.

Guided Tours

A guided tour covering both Kazimierz and Podgorze is one of the most informative ways to engage with this history — the physical evidence is scattered and the connections between sites require explanation. Multiple tour operators work this route; Viator lists both walking tours and private guide options.

Our Take

Spend a full day on Jewish Krakow. Remuh Cemetery in the morning (quiet, affecting, often overlooked). Kazimierz synagogues through the morning. Lunch on Plac Nowy. Podgorze in the afternoon: Ghetto Heroes Square, Eagle Pharmacy, Schindler's Factory. This is the most important history Krakow has to tell.