Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Zygmunt Bell, which dates from the early 16th century. The bell is rung only occa-
sionally to mark highly significant moments, such as the death of Pope John Paul II
in 2005.
Wawel Hill. & 012/422-26-43. Admission 10 zl ($3.30/£1.75); museum 5 zl ($1.65/90p). Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun
12:15-5pm. Museum closed Mon.
Lost Wawel A high-tech exhibition to give visitors a feel for how Wawel castle
looked in its very earliest days. The exhibit includes parts of the Rotunda of the Vir-
gin Mary, which was the first church to be built in Kraków.
Wawel Hill. & 012/422-51-55. Free admission. Tues 9:30am-4pm; Wed 9:30am-3pm; Thurs 9am-3pm; Fri
9:30am-4pm; Sat 11am-5pm; Sun 10am-3pm.
Royal Chambers The highlight of a visit here is 136 Flemish tapestries com-
missioned by King Sigismund August. The rooms hold vast collections of paintings,
sketches, frescoes, and period furnishings. One of the more memorable rooms, on the
top floor, is the Assembly Room, complete with the king's throne and a wooden ceil-
ing carved with the likenesses of Kraków residents of the time.
Wawel Hill. & 012/422-51-55. Free admission. Tues 9:30am-4pm; Wed 9:30am-3pm; Thurs 9am-3pm; Fri
9:30am-4pm; Sat 11am-5pm; Sun 10am-3pm.
Treasury and Armory Exhibitions of what's left of the Polish royal jewels,
including the coronation sword. An impressive show of medieval fighting instru-
ments, including swords and full complements of knights' armor.
Wawel Hill. No phone. Free admission. Tues-Sat 9:30am-3pm.
EXPLORING KAZIMIERZ
Kazimierz, the former Jewish quarter, is an absolute must that defies easy description.
It's at once a tumbled-down, decrepit former ghetto, filled with the haunting artifacts
of a culture that was brutally uprooted and destroyed a generation ago. It also happens
to be Kraków's coolest nightclub district, filled with cafes, cocktail bars, and trendy
eateries that would not be out of place in New York's Soho or East Village. The juxta-
position is enlivening and jarring at the same time. To their credit, the Kraków city
authorities have resisted the temptation to clean up the area to make it more present-
able to visitors. Don't expect an easy, tourist-friendly experience. It's dirty, down at the
heel, and at the same time thoroughly engaging.
Kazimierz began life as a Polish city in the 14th century, but starting from around
1500 onward it took on an increasingly Jewish character as Jews first decided to live
here and then were forced to by edict. The original Jewish ghetto incorporated about
the northern half of modern-day Kazimierz, bounded by a stone wall along today's
Józefa street. In the 19th century, the Jews won the right of abode and the walls were
eventually torn down. Many elected to stay in Kazimierz, and the 19th century,
through World War I and the start of World War II, is regarded as the quarter's heyday.
The Nazi invasion put an end to centuries of Jewish life here. The Nazis first
imposed a series of harsh measures on Jewish life, and in 1941 forcibly expelled the
residents across the river to the newly constructed ghetto at Podgórze. At the Isaak
Synagogue you can see special films of this deportation shot by the Germans them-
selves for propaganda purposes. By 1943 and 1944, with the liquidation of the
Podgórze ghetto, nearly all of Kazimierz's 60,000 Jews had been killed or died of star-
vation or exhaustion.
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