Krakow
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The main city of southern Poland – and a place with a particularly rich history. For the dark tourist, it's especially important as the usual base for excursions to Auschwitz, the world's No. 1 Holocaust tourism site. But Kraków itself has a lot to offer in the dark department too, ranging from a (former) Jewish quarter/ghetto to traces of the city's role during the communist era and its downfall. >Combinations with other dark destinations
>Combinations with non-dark destinations
More background info: Kraków, Poland’s second largest city (after Warsaw), for much of its history used to be the capital of the country (the current one, of course, being Warsaw). The eminent Wawel Hill was chosen as the residence of Poland’s kings a millennium ago, and has also long been the seat of the archbishops. The most famous of these in modern times was Karol Wojtyła, the later Pope John Paul II (from 1978), whose image is encountered frequently in the country and in this city especially.
The very origins of Kraków go back even further than the 11th century, possibly to the 8th century, but are shrouded in mystery. Allegedly it was founded by the mythical king Krak, who some believe is buried under the Krakus Mound in Płaszów (> non-dark combinations). But archaeological finds suggest otherwise.
Anyway, for our dark-tourism perspective, it is naturally Kraków’s modern history that makes the city important. And this included some very dark chapters, in particular during the Nazi German occupation when Kraków was chosen as the administrative capital of the so-called ‘General Government’, with the Wawel appropriated as the residence of the city’s Nazi governor Hans Frank who directed a veritable reign of terror from here (see also under Schindler’s factory).
The arrival of the Nazis shortly after the start of WWII spelled tragedy in particular for Kraków’s once large Jewish community (ca. 25% of the population at that time). Many were deported early on and the remainder still living in the city, some 17,000, were from March 1941 forced into a specially established ghetto in the district of Podgórze, across the river from the former main Jewish quarter of Kazimierz (see also Eagle Pharmacy). Two years later the ghetto was ‘liquidated’ in March 1943, with most Jews either shot on the spot (especially the infirm) or sent to death camps (esp. Auschwitz). Those still deemed fit for slave labour were mostly sent to Kraków’s own concentration camp of Płaszów. Only a tiny fraction of Kraków’s Jews survived the Holocaust. One prominent example is film director Roman Polanski, who as a young boy managed to escape the ghetto and under cover make it through to the end of the war (see also Eagle Pharmacy).
One well-known story of the time is also that revolving around Oskar Schindler who managed to save about a thousand Jews from the Holocaust by employing them at his enamel factory and moving them with the factory to Czech lands in 1944. The story was brought to worldwide attention through the movie blockbuster “Schindler’s List” directed by Steven Spielberg and set (and partially filmed) in Kraków (again see also under Schindler’s factory and also Płaszów).
One positive aspect of the Nazis choosing Kraków as their administrative centre of occupied Poland was that it was spared the level of destruction that other cities like Warsaw or Gdańsk suffered. In fact, Kraków’s Old Town survived WWII almost intact. Hence it is today one of the world’s most significant UNESCO World Heritage Sites of this type (Historic Centre).
The post-war era under the Soviet-imposed new communist regime brought some neglect to the city's historic heritage (by now all rectified again) but also saw the construction of the Stalinist new town of Nowa Huta to the north-east of the centre, purpose-built for housing the tens of thousands of workers (and their families) who were employed at the also newly built adjacent steelworks, the largest in the country.
The steelworks later played an important role in the Solidarność movement, which was instrumental in ending the communist era in Poland (and, as a knock-on effect, across the Eastern Bloc). In fact the protests and actions of the Nowa Huta Solidarność movement are seen as second only to those in Gdańsk (see Solidarity Centre). Ironically, perhaps, both the Gdańsk shipyard, where Solidarność originated, and the steelworks in Nowa Huta were named after Lenin (and both names were changed after the end of the communist era).
Since the end of the communist period Kraków has seen a lot of development. In 2000 it was one of the millennium year’s European Capitals of Culture. Tourism has also boomed over the past few decades and Kraków is now one of the prime city destinations in Eastern Europe.
What there is to see: Quite a bit. The following are the dark-tourism sites that are given their own individual chapters here:
- Płaszów
- Nowa Huta (with command-post shelter)
In addition, Kraków is also the most important jumping-off board for tours to Auschwitz.
The city itself also has yet more, smaller-scale dark aspects of interest, not least in the area of the former Jewish ghetto in Podgórze south of the Vistula River, where some remnants of the old ghetto wall can be seen, as well as an impressive monument on Plac Bohaterów Getta – see also Eagle Pharmacy.
Just to the north across the river is the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, where plenty of traces of Jewish life can be found, not least historic synagogues and cemeteries. Some degree of Jewish life has also returned, and for visitors this is most evident in the form of a number of Jewish restaurants – some of which have very much a museum-like atmosphere in themselves. You also encounter Jewish symbols like stylized menorahs or Stars of David a lot here. In addition there’s the Galicja Jewish Museum, which hosts temporary exhibitions often on Shoah-related themes (when I was there in 2008 it was a photo exhibition showing large numbers of more or less ruined and abandoned former Jewish sites across Poland).
The Wawel Castle Hill also features some darkish aspects. The Cathedral was the domain of the archbishop Karol Wojtyła before he became Pope and an important figure in Poland’s departure from communism. His tomb is in the Vatican, but buried in the crypt of the cathedral are many eminent figures of Polish history. This includes former president Lech Kaczynski, who died in a plane crash in 2010, as well as a particularly tragic figure of Poland in WWII, General Władysław Sikorski who had also died in a plane crash, namely in 1943 off Gibraltar and under suspicious circumstances (see also Europa Point). Outside the Wawel stands a modest Katyn memorial (cf. Katyn Museum, Warsaw). And the St Bernard's Church just to the south of Wawel Hill is home to an impressive “Danse Macabre” painting – for those into such things.
For those with a taste for abandoned buildings and modernist/brutalist architecture a special treat is the former Forum Hotel located prominently on the southern banks of the Vistula River facing central Kraków. Erected from 1978 it used to be an ultra-modern 4-star hotel in the late socialist era. Sold to an international hotel chain after the end of that era, the hotel continued receiving guests until 2002 when it was closed for good. Allegedly some construction fault was to blame for this that resulted in frequent basement flooding. The building’s future is uncertain, but it seems definite that it will never be a hotel again, given that the hotel rooms would no longer fit current regulations. And so they remain abandoned, and you can see plants growing on the balconies.
For many years, the front of the building served as Kraków’s largest billboard, covering the entire length of the river-facing facade. At the time of the burial of president Lech Kaczynski in 2010 the billboard on the Forum Hotel advertised a beer brand as “Zimny Lech”, meaning ‘cold Lech’, and the possible reinterpretation of this as referring to Kaczynski caused some controversy, so it was soon taken down again. Much more recently, the city government of Kraków banned such large-scale advertising banners altogether, so now the actual front facade of this marvellously modernist edifice in its abandoned state can be seen in full. The building is not completely abandoned, though. The ground floor houses a food hall, bars and clubs and outside is Kraków’s largest beer garden (joined in season by a Ferris wheel and a tethered observation balloon). The upper floors of the abandoned hotel are unfortunately off limits. So no urbexing here.
More dark attractions in Kraków that I have not yet visited, and hence not covered on this site, include the Nowa Huta Museum, the administrative buildings of the associated steelworks, more nuclear shelters and the Home Army Museum. Enough to warrant another return visit.
All of this makes a few days in Kraków very worthwhile for the dark (and not so dark) tourist. Recommended!
You can also book a specialized package centred on Kraków offered by this small London-basd outfit (sponsored page)
Location: in the south of Poland, some 160 miles (255 km) south of Warsaw, 120 miles (190 km) south of Łódź and 140 miles (230 km) south-west of Lublin, but only 42 miles (68 km) east of Katowice and around 40 miles (60 km) north from the border with Slovakia.
Google Maps locators:
Wawel: [50.0545, 19.9352]
Ghetto wall remnants in Podgórze: [50.04466, 19.95754]
Plac Bohaterów Getta with chairs monument: [50.0466, 19.9544]
Kazimierz main square: [50.0525, 19.9481]
Galicja museum: [50.0509, 19.9497]
Former Forum Hotel: [50.0452, 19.9359]
Rynek Głowny (main Old Town square): [50.0617, 19.9376]
Main train station: [50.0681, 19.9478]
Bus station: [50.0679, 19.9497]
Access and costs: quite easy to reach; no longer especially cheap, but not necessarily super expensive either.
Details: Kraków can easily be reached overland by train, e.g. from Berlin, Vienna or from within Poland. Driving your own car there is also an option but within the city parking can be quite a problem, so it’s not really recommended.
Kraków also has its own international airport (named after Pope John Paul II, of course) with many connections to other European destinations, including by budget airlines. The airport is located outside the city to the west, but has super convenient and cheap connections to the city centre by train.
Getting around within Kraków is often possible on foot, at least for the centre and Kazimierz. For getting further afield there’s a good network of public transport, in particular trams, which are convenient and affordable. Short distances cost the least and tickets are valid for 20 minutes, for longer journeys you need to buy tickets a category up, which are then valid for 60 minutes. You can buy tickets at machines at many tram stops or on board the tram itself. Remember you have to stamp your ticket as soon as you get on by means of the little machines provided.
Accommodation options cover a very wide range these days, from budget hostels to plush Grand Hotels (yes, there are several that include the epithet “grand’), with good mid-range compromises in between the extreme ends of the scale. Location may be the main aspect when choosing an option. Shop around.
As for food & drink, Kraków offers similarly wide choices for eating out, from street food (I particularly like the small grilled smoked mountain cheeses with cranberries – but most stalls offer more meaty options, and lots of those) to sit-down restaurants ranging from traditional Polish fare to ethnic non-European options (although the latter are not always particularly authentic), in all price categories. One of my all-time favourite restaurants used to be in Kraków, but alas it is no more. However, the craft beer scene has conquered Kraków, like many Polish cities, and the choice is great in some places (but not in all those that have jumped on the bandwagon). If you want specific tips, contact me. Polish-grown wines have also become much more widespread than ca. a decade or so ago. Cafes are abundant too. Tap water is regarded as safe to drink (but is quite hard).
The air quality in this part of Poland, however, is one of the poorest in all of Europe, thanks to the low-lying location and the old industrial belt around the city (people with respiratory problems may feel this in particular), though it’s no longer as bad as it used to be in the 1990s.
And if you'd like a specialist package tour including Kraków's dark aspects as well as an excursion to Auschwitz, then consider the small London-based outfit Explorabilia (sponsored page)!
Time required: To do everything covered on this website above you need at least three or four days, longer if you prefer a more leisurely pace.
Combinations with other dark destinations: Already mentioned and the most obvious combination would be an excursion from Kraków to Auschwitz. Many book a day return tour, but you can also reach Auschwitz independently by train or bus and that also gives you the option of staying longer, ideally with an overnight stay in Oświęcim itself.
For more see under Poland in general.
Combinations with non-dark destinations: Kraków has a wealth of non-dark attractions, the Wawel Castle being the most prominent. The gravitational centre of tourist Kraków is the central large market square Rynek Głowny with its grand Cloth Hall in the centre and the iconic St Mary’s Church on the north-eastern corner. There are also the old City Walls (and the Barbakan fortress), lots and lots of further historic buildings, churches, museums and galleries galore and whatnot. This is not the place to list all this – go to more mainstream online sources for that. But it’s definitely worth researching ahead!
For more outside the city see under Poland in general.
