Jewish Cracow

Prior to WW2 Cracow had a thriving Jewish population that was centred around the Kazimierz district of Cracow.

The Poles and Jews co-existed amicably. Many Jewish people had Polish names like Grzegorz, Jarek and Annia

Other places to visit in this part of Poland:

• Wieliczka and the salt mines
• Auschwitz (Oswiecim in Polish)
• Zakopane and Tatra National Park
• the Dunajec River and white water rafting
• Lake Czorsztyn

Jewish Restaurants and Cafes

There are still a few remaining Jewish restaurants in Szeroka street, plus a few shops owned by Jews in the small street off of it leading to ulica Bartosza.

The Jewish Heritage Route is well-signposted leading to all synagogues, the old and new Jewish cemeteries, museums and cultural centre. It is marked by a green dotted line on the map (click for larger image).

Anyone with an interest in the history of Cracow would enjoy following the Jewish Heritage Route - there's plenty to see and experience. The High Synagogue offers a photographic exhibition of former Jewish Cracowians. The thing that struck me when visiting was how similar the Jewish community was to Poles; they held Polish names and appeared to integrate with Polish life; their children belonged to scout groups, they went skiing in Zakopane, enjoyed holidays in Poland, just like everyone else.

A photo of Oskar Schindler is included in the display plus people he saved through his list.