KRAKOW CULTURE TRIPS
Jewish Heritage Tour to Krakow
Jewish Krakow
Prior to the Second World War Krakow was the biggest Jewish community in Poland, where Jews constituted 65 000 inhabitants. The meaning of Krakow was particular for Jews of Eastern Europe. Kazimierz - the Jewish quarter - was one of the most important cultural and religious Jewish centres. Famous rabbis lived and worked here, one of them was Moses Isserles “Remuh”. His tomb is the pilgrimage place for Jews from all over the world. In the north of Krakow there were numerous orthodox shtetls. The Chassids lived in the east of Krakow.
All that remains of the Jewish presence are synagogues and cemeteries in small towns, Kazimierz - the best-preserved former Jewish district in Europe, the memorial places and people aware of the duty to preserve the memory of their Jewish co-inhabitants.
Auschwitz
A small distance from Krakow is the biggest concentration camp set up by the Nazis during the Second World War. More than 1 million people were murdered there. W.W.II put an end to the Jewish community in Poland.
Trip Highlights:
- Visit to the remembrance museum - Under the Eagle Pharmacy
- Excursion to the past shtetls located in the North of Krakow: Dzialoszyce, Pinczow, Chmielnik, Szydlow, Checiny
- Tour of the multimedia exhibition “Krakow under Nazi occupation 1939 – 1945” in the former Oskar Schindler Factory
- Trip to Auschwitz- Birkenau - the world’s largest Nazi extermination camp
- Visit to Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue and the Jewish Centre in Auschwitz
Itinerary:
1st day Old Town
morning Arrival
afternoon City sightseeing tour of the Old Town (the Main Market Square, St. Mary’s Church, the Jagiellonian University, the Royal Route, the Wawel Castle).
evening Dinner with a concert of klezmer music in a restaurant in Kazimierz.
2nd day Jewish district and Podgorze
morning “From Paradisus Judeorum…”- a visit to Kazimierz district - historical centre of Krakow’s Jewish religious and social life. There you will admire the best-preserved synagogues and the examples of the pre-war Jewish architecture.
afternoon “… to the extermination” - a tour of the past ghetto site in Podgorze district with an entrance to the remembrance museum - the Under the Eagle Pharmacy. The place was in the very heart of the Krakow ghetto for Jews during the Nazi occupation. The museum presents a permanent exhibition Krakow Ghetto and Plaszów Camp and organises lectures for school youth on the Holocaust in Krakow. There you see the sites, which Steven Spielberg used for his location shots of the Oscar-winning “Schindler’s List”.
evening Dinner in a hotel. Leisure time.
3rd day Shtetls - following the traces of Jewish villages
morning & afternoon Excursion to the past shtetls located in the North of Krakow. A trial to reconstruct the lives, structures and the customs of Eastern European Jews living in shtetls prior to W.W.II.
Route: Krakow - Dzialoszyce - Pinczow - Chmielnik - Szydlow - Checiny - Krakow.
evening Return to Krakow. Dinner and leisure time.
4th day Auschwitz - topography and logic of extermination
Whole day stay in Auschwitz.
morning Visiting of the concentration camp in Auschwitz I called Stammlager.
afternoon Visiting of Auschwitz II called Birkenau.
evening Return to Krakow. Dinner and overnight.
5th day Auschwitz - topography and logic - cont.
Whole day stay in Auschwitz.
morning Options: a visit to the Auschwitz archives department and meeting with the scientist from the museum or a visit to one of the educational centres and discussion about the current Jewish-Christian dialogue’s condition. Free time for individual exploration.
afternoon Visit to Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue and the Jewish Centre in Auschwitz, where you see an exhibition and watch a documentary film about the Jewish community in Auschwitz before the Second World War.
evening Return to Krakow.
6th day - Krakow
morning Meeting at the Jewish Culture Centre in Kazimierz. A discussion about the current situation of the Jewish community in Poland and Polish-Jewish relationships.
afternoon Leisure time.
evening Dinner in one of the Old Town restaurants.
7th day
Departure
Services included:
- 6 night's accommodation in Krakow in a hotel chosen by you on bed and breakfast basis
- All transfers as per above mentioned itinerary
- Private English speaking guide as per the itinerary
- Entrance fees for all sightseeing
- Meals as per the itinerary
Services not included:
- The journey to and from Poland
- Tour guide
- Public transport
- Insurance
- Personal expenditure, tips, etc.
- All other services not mentioned in the itinerary
Price on request.