We spent all day in those two areas, and there is so much more that I haven't seen that I know I'll be back again. We decided to go to Podgorze by tram. I love trying out public transportation in foreign cities. It makes me feel like an experienced traveler and part of the community, even if I'm not. Besides, the worst that can happen is that I get lost and have to find a taxi. Kazimierz is easy to walk to from anywhere near Krakow's Rynek. Podgorze is just on the other side of the Wisla (Vistula) across from Kazimierz.
The tram dropped us off just two blocks from the Under the Eagle (Pod Orlem) Pharmacy museum. This was a pharmacy owned by a Polish Catholic during the time the Germans turned Podgorze into the Jewish ghetto. He used the pharmacy to help the Jews by giving them medicine, acting as a courier to the outside, hiding Jews, and helping some escape from the ghetto. The museum is only three small rooms, but tells the story of what the Germans did to the Jews remarkably well. There are many photos, artifacts and videos that are heartbreaking to see. There is an audio guide for 10 zloty, which was a bit more informative than just the signs, but one can easily do this museum with just the signs.
Just across the street from Pod Orlem Pharmacy is the Plac Bohater Getta, the center of the ghetto. Today, a display of empty chairs scattered across the square are a reminder that the Jews had to carry their belongings, including furniture, when forced to move to the ghetto.
From Pod Orlem Pharmacy, we got directions to walk to the Oscar Schindler Factory Museum. It's only a ten-minute walk from Pod Orlem to Schindler's Factory , but it's not well marked, and the museum is in a predominantly industrial area - after all, it was a factory. That's something Krakow needs to work on. Krakow is a very walkable city, but it needs a few more direction signs to make it easier to find some of the sites. But after asking a native Krakowian if we were headed in the right direction, it was easy to find.
The Schindler Museum only recently re-opened after a major renovation. If you're not that much interested in either Jewish history or World War II, then you can cruise through the museum in an hour or so. But if these areas are of interest, you can easily spend hours here. We spent 3 hours, and were literally the last ones out of the building. There is a 30 minute movie to give an overview of the history of the factory. The rest of the museum is on multiple levels. I'm not sure what facilities have been provided for people who can't do stairs, but I think that behind some curtains that I noticed near staircases one will find elevators. Like most modern museums, this one has many interactive kiosks where one can read or listen to historical information and interviews. There are countless displays of what life was like in the ghetto and what was done to the Jews. As I said, we spent 3 hours, and towards the end we started to skip some kiosks simply because we were getting worn out.
We walked over the Wisla to Kazimierz, talking with a young lady from Australia who was on. 50 day tour of Europe. Tired and hungry, we headed straight to the tiny restaurant, Pierozki U Vincenta. "Vincenta" is Vincent Van Gogh, and this place is worth a visit just to see the "starry sky" ceiling. But it's also worth a trip because of the extensive menu of pierogis. We had pierogi Vincenta, the house specialty, which was stuffed with minced meat and kielbasa, pierogi Gorale which was stuffed with the Highlander smoked sheep cheese and potato, pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms, and for dessert apple pierogi dusted with powder sugar and cinnamon. Oh, and Zywiec!
Do zobaczenia!
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