If you happen to wander through Jewish District of Kazimierz, don't miss these stylish & kickass…read more"Kazimierz Historical Murals" by Piotr Janowczyk, right outside Pub Wręga. Ever since their creation in 2015, as a part of a beautification effort (on the mural front), they've attracted quite a following. The murals depict five portraits of Polish historical figures: Emperor Józef Hapsburg II, Helena Rubinstein (born in the district), Karol Knaus (local architect, artist, and conservator), Esterka (the lover of King Kazimierz the Great), and finally King Kazimierz the Great himself. How beloved is Kazimierz? Poland's growth under his peaceful reign was memorialized in a popular saying to the effect that "(he) inherited a Poland built of wood but left the world a Poland built of stone". We're so fond of him we also put him on our 50zł bill! P.S. While in Kazimierz you must, simply M U S T bite your teeth into a zapiekanka, the iconic polish street food. Simply head over to Plac Nowy, where you'll find Okrąglak (rotunda), an iconic 19th-century landmark.

For a small museum and one that is entirely focused on photography, I enjoyed visiting for an hour…read more The main exhibit shows signs of the Polish Jewish community once the Soviet Union fell. It's Holocaust heavy, but the detailed description of each photo is helpful and makes you think. Even if you don't buy a ticket, go. The bookstore and kosher cafe inside are inviting. There's an excellent collection of books and several tables to enjoy a coffee. There's even a kids play corner with toys.

This is the Jewish Museum. We stayed about 25 mins. After all the other museums this one was…read morebare-bones. It was mildly interesting, but I can't highly recommend.

One of the things that surprised me most was learning that the factory wasn't originally…read moreSchindler's. It began in 1937 as "Rekord," an enamelware factory founded by three Jewish businessmen before the German invasion. After Poland was occupied in 1939, the business was confiscated through the Nazi expropriation process and became Schindler's Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik (DEF). Schindler himself is a fascinating contradiction--a Nazi Party member and war profiteer who gradually risked everything to protect more than 1,000 Jewish men and women by employing them in his factory and shielding them from deportation. The exhibits are immersive, emotional, and incredibly well designed. Every room serves a purpose. By the time you reach Schindler's office, where the famous "list" was created, you understand that it wasn't just paper--it represented lives.

This is an extraordinary museum in Krakow. It really is much more than a museum about Oskar…read moreSchindler's life, the people he saved and the factory. It covers decades of history. You get to see Schindler's actual desk and some of the ceramic pots that were manufactured here. I definitely learned a lot about him. But the scope of the museum is much broader than just the factory. It goes into a lot of depth with what Schindler did to save Jewish people, the factory laborers, what happened in the Holocaust and basically decades of the Polish history surrounding it, building up to it, and why it happened, what happened in Krakow, etc. Everything is so detailed and well done and you could spend hours here because the exhibits are so multi faceted and there are so many videos and things to watch. Make sure to buy your tickets in advance. I was really lucky because I went off-season in the middle of the week and waited in line for about half an hour and was able to get tickets, but I don't think it's going to be that easy if you go in the summer at peak times. It's definitely worth visiting and it's so easy to get to from old town Krakow. It's walkable here from the old town, about 35 minutes. The area surrounding the museum is quite trendy and has some great art museums. There's actually a fabulous modern art museum attached to this museum. And there are all kinds of coffee shops and some interesting shops around the neighborhood. It was really a very deep and moving experience to visit this museum and I highly recommend it. Just try to get your tickets in advance if you can, otherwise go early in the morning and you probably will be able to get in if you wait in line during the mid week.

Yelp Review 2023 #278:…read more There are 4 bridges for vehicles (with a narrow path for pedestrians) that connect Kaziemerz to Podgorze across the Vistula River, and only one footbridge. I highly recommend crossing Kladka Ojca Bernatka ("Father Bernatek's Bridge") at least once if walking is not an issue. It is named after a founder of a hospital in Krakow...and that's all I know. People are fascinated by putting padlocks on bridges especially in Europe. They put their name and their partner's name on the padlock and attach it to the bridge. I guess to symbolize or hope for "love forever". But before go off on a tangent, let me focus on this bridge...aside from the padlocks, you'll see sculptures of acrobats. The bridge itself is shaped like a leaf. Share the bridge with cyclists so, pay attention! From a landmark in Kaziemerz (let's say a museum) to another landmark in Podgorze (Colorful Staircase) only took me 15 minutes including stopping for pictures. So, the walk across is not bad at all. If you happen to be with somebody who's not a huge fan of walking, you can walk to the middle of the bridge and enjoy the view and the calmness of the place then, continue on. There are cafes on both sides of the bridge. Right after sunset, this bridge is empty. At night, this bridge is illuminated by LED lights. It's nice either way.

One might say that Kładka Ojca Bernatka (Father Bernatek Footbridge) simply links the Kazimierz…read moredistrict with Podgórze, and that's all there is to it. But over the years since it was built back in 2010, it clearly has become a vital part of the urban landscape. A place where Cracovian couples hang their padlocks on its railings, a place where sculptures by Jerzy Kędziora hang in midair while being gently caressed by the wind, a place that illuminates at night, and gets reflected by the Wisła (Vistula) river below. For reference: it's about a 15-minute walk from Zamek Królewski na Wawelu (The Wawel Royal Castle) and a 30-minute walk from St. Mary's Basilica (Bazylika Mariacka) in Stare Miasto (Old Town).