Kazimierz was once a separate town — founded in 1335 by King Casimir the Great — that became the centre of Jewish life in Kraków for over 500 years. By the outbreak of World War II, 65,000 Jews lived here in a community of synagogues, schools, theatres, and markets that was one of the most vibrant in Europe. The Holocaust destroyed almost all of it. What remains — and what has grown back — is one of the most emotionally complex neighbourhoods in any European city.
The district spent decades after the war in neglect, its synagogues empty, its buildings crumbling. The revival began in the 1990s, partly driven by Spielberg's Schindler's List (much of which was filmed here), and Kazimierz has since become Kraków's coolest neighbourhood — a labyrinth of bars, galleries, vintage shops, and restaurants occupying buildings whose walls still bear traces of Hebrew inscriptions and mezuzah marks.
The Old Synagogue on Szeroka Street — the oldest surviving synagogue in Poland, dating to the 15th century — is now a museum of Jewish history. The Remuh Synagogue next door is still active, and its Renaissance-era cemetery contains tombstones that were used as paving stones by the Nazis and later recovered and reassembled. Plac Nowy, the neighbourhood's scruffy central square, is famous for zapiekanka — a baguette-sized open-faced sandwich loaded with mushrooms and cheese that's become Kraków's signature street food. Come during the Jewish Culture Festival in June and the streets fill with klezmer music, lectures, and a spirit of remembrance and celebration that captures exactly what Kazimierz is.
Verified Facts
Kazimierz was founded in 1335 by King Casimir the Great
Approximately 65,000 Jews lived in Kraków before World War II
The Old Synagogue dates to the 15th century and is Poland's oldest surviving synagogue
Much of Schindler's List was filmed in Kazimierz
The Jewish Culture Festival takes place annually in June
Get walking directions
Kazimierz, Kraków
