Krakow & Auschwitz: A Jewish Traveler's Guide to Remembrance

There is no way to write cheerfully about visiting Krakow and Auschwitz. This is not a vacation in the conventional sense. But for many Jewish travelers, it is among the most important trips they will ever take — a pilgrimage, a memorial, a confrontation with history that cannot be experienced through books or films alone. Krakow's Kazimierz district was once one of the great Jewish neighborhoods of Europe, home to a vibrant community that produced scholars, artists, and generations of families. That community was annihilated during the Holocaust, and the nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex is the most potent symbol of that destruction. Today, Kazimierz has been partially revived — paradoxically, as a trendy neighborhood of cafes, bars, and cultural venues built atop the ruins of Jewish life. Whether this revival feels respectful or exploitative is a question every Jewish visitor grapples with. What is undeniable is that walking these streets, standing in these buildings, and visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau leaves an imprint that no other experience can replicate. Our Eastern Europe heritage guide covers the broader regional context.

Kazimierz was established as a separate town in 1335 and became the center of Jewish life in Krakow. By the early 20th century, roughly 65,000 Jews lived in Krakow, many in Kazimierz. The Old Synagogue (Stara Synagoga), dating to the 15th century, is now a museum of Jewish history and culture. The Remuh Synagogue on Szeroka Street is the active synagogue — it holds Shabbat services and its adjacent cemetery contains graves from the 16th century, including that of Rabbi Moses Isserles (the Rema), whose halachic rulings are printed alongside the Shulchan Aruch. The Galicia Jewish Museum takes a contemporary approach, documenting traces of Jewish life that still exist in the Polish landscape. Schindler's Factory, now a museum about Krakow under Nazi occupation, is deeply affecting and well-curated. The Ghetto Heroes Square in the Podgórze district (across the river from Kazimierz) features 70 oversized empty chairs — a memorial to the Jews who were deported from the Krakow ghetto. Walking from Kazimierz to Podgórze, crossing the bridge that ghetto residents were forced to cross, is a powerful experience.

Krakow's kosher food options are limited but functional. Chabad Krakow on Szeroka Street operates a kosher restaurant and deli — it's the most reliable option and serves Israeli and Jewish-style food. They also run excellent Shabbat meals that draw a mix of tourists, students on heritage trips, and the handful of Jewish residents. The Remuh Synagogue holds Shabbat services — attending Shabbat morning davening in a 16th-century Polish synagogue is a profound experience, though the congregation is small. Several restaurants in Kazimierz serve "Jewish-style" food (think: cholent, gefilte fish, herring plates), but these are aimed at tourists and are NOT kosher. They're run by non-Jewish Poles serving what they imagine Jewish food to be. The food ranges from okay to bizarre, and the cultural dynamics are complex. Some Jewish visitors find them offensive; others see them as a well-intentioned (if awkward) attempt to honor vanished neighbors. For continuing to Warsaw, note that Warsaw also has Chabad and a small but active Jewish community.