Kazimierz.

Community Highlights Europe Kazimierz.

Yesterday I ate a lot for breakfast and very little for dinner. Peter ate almost no breakfast and no dinner. Today he was willing to eat a bit and I was eating a little because I felt I should be hungry, but actually I wasn't. When we got back to the room, Peter wasn't feeling too bad, but I was in agony. My stomach was sooooo painful!! I even drank salt water in an attempt to throw up, because I was in so much pain, but it didn't work. I needed to go back to sleep for a couple of hours in the hope that I might start feeling better. When I woke up, the pain had eased. I hated to waste a day when we were only in Krakow for a short time. I offered to take Peter out. He said he didn't want to go and needed more rest. I said I'd just go for a short walk.

Of course my short walk didn't stay a short walk, and we both knew it wouldn't. I so hate to waste holiday time due to illness. I had intended to visit Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter of Krakow, today and that was just what I was going to do.

When I reached Planty Park, I knew I should go left, but I hadn't explored the park off to the right, so that was what I decided to do. I was glad I did, because there were lots of statues, monuments, flowers, ponds and all of it was shaded, which was brilliant as there was another intense heat warning in force.

One of the first things I saw was a statue of a man inside a rectangular frame. This was very close to The Barbican, but I had missed it the previous day. It turned out that this was a monument to Jan Matejko, who is considered to be one of Poland's greatest painters. Among other things he painted some of the interior of St Mary's Basilica.

Monument to Jan Matejko.

Next I found a statue of Bohdan Zaleskiego, Poland's most famous romantic poet sitting with a child. This statue was created by sculptor P.Welonski.

Bohdan Zaleskiego.

I noticed an interesting building on the edge of the park. This turned out to be The House under the Globe, which was built between 1904 and 1906 as the seat of The Krakow Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It was designed by Tadeusz Stryjeński and Franciszek Mączyński.

The House under the Globe.

Next I saw The Monument of Queen Jadwiga and King Ladislaus Jogaila. This monument was made in Rome by Oskar Sosnowski in 1886. It celebrates the quincentenary of the Union of Krevo between the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

The Monument of Queen Jadwiga and King Ladislaus Jogaila.

There was an attractive pond with a fountain and some pretty flowers.

Pond with fountain.

Flowers.

Then I came to another statue. This one was Lila Weneda, a character in a play by Juliusz Slowacki. This statue was created by sculptor Alfred Daun in 1885.

Lila Weneda.

I came to an area with colourful flowers.

Colourful flowers.

Next I came across a statue to Artur Grottger, a renowned Polish painter, who tragically died of TB at the age of thirty.

Statue to Artur Grottger.

I passed another monument surrounded by roses, but I'm not sure what it was and some impressive buildings belonging to Jagiellonian University.

Monument and roses.

Monuments and roses.

Jagiellonian University.

There was a statue of Nicholaus Copernicus, who theorised that the sun, rather than the Earth, was the centre of the universe.

Nicholaus Copernicus.

Eventually I came out of Planty Park next to Wawel Castle. I didn't want to visit the castle again, so I just passed by the bottom of it to the church I had walked by yesterday. This was St. Bernard's Church and it was founded by St. John of Capistrano, a Franciscan priest who lived from 1386 to 1456. Mass was taking place when I went inside, so I just sat quietly at the back.

St. Bernard's Church.

Entrance to the church.

Inside the church.

Statue outside the church.

I knew that Kazimierz was off to my left, but I wanted to walk by the river a bit, too, so after leaving the church I went straight, then off to the right. There was a large church called The Church of the Conversion of St Paul across the road from me.

Church of the Conversion of St Paul.

I knew I must be nearing the Jewish area of Kazimierz, as I saw a shop selling little models of Jewish musicians. There were also some old black and white photos of the Jewish community of Kazimierz.

Jewish musicians.

Old photos of Jewish Krakow.

When I turned right, I noticed some street art. I thought I was looking at the lead singer of Dire Straits, but I was wrong. The image showed Andrzej Bieniasz, a Polish musician, guitarist, composer and songwriter who was co-founder of the bands Düpą and Püdelsi. I had never heard of him, because I know nothing about Polish rock music. There was other street art, too.

Andrzej Bieniasz.

Street art.

I passed some rather attractive apartment buildings, then I was at the river. There were great views back towards the castle. If I had approached it, I think I would have seen the dragon statue, but I didn't. We saw it on our earlier visit. There were some attractive apartment buildings near here.

Angel Wawel. Apartments in Krakow with a view of Wawel.

Wawel Castle from the banks of the Vistula.

Many people were walking or cycling along the banks of the Vistula. There were a lot of boats and some were restaurants or bars. It was possible to walk across the river via a bridge, but it was just too hot and would have led me away from Kazimierz.

On the banks of the Vistula River.

Restaurant boats on the banks of the Vistula River.

Restaurant boats on the banks of the Vistula River.

On the other side of the river though, there's Ghetto Heroes Square and Oskar Schindler's Factory. Ghetto Heroes Square with its sculptures of empty chairs was where thousands of Jews were herded before being deported to concentration camps. Oskar Schindler's Factory, of course, featured in the film 'Schindler's List.' Maybe I will visit these on a future trip.

I found a statue of a dog enclosed in a giant pair of hands. Although I hadn't been looking for this, I had come across it when looking up unusual things to see in Krakow. The statue shows Dżok, a black mongrel, whose owner died of a heart attack at a nearby roundabout. For about a year afterwards Dżok waited every day at the roundabout for his master's return. Locals fed him snacks and then eventually one took him in, but she also died and Dżok was left to fend for himself once again. A few days later he died under the wheels of a train. Such a depressing story!

Dżok The Dog monument.

Dżok The Dog monument.

At this point I headed away from the river to Kazimierz. I passed the rather pretty Church of St Agnes.

St Agnes's Church.

At one time Jewish people thrived in Krakow. They had been granted freedom of worship, trade and travel by Bolesław the Pious in his General Charter of Jewish Liberties in 1264. Later in the fourteenth century, King Casimir III, who was also very pro-Jewish, founded a new town on an island in the Vistula River. This new town was called Kazimierz after the king. Many Jews were resettled here in 1495 when King John I Albert ordered them out of Krakow. Although there were Christians living in Kazimierz, too, it became predominantly Jewish in the north eastern part of the island. At one point there were even walls around the Jewish area. This area was separate from Krakow until the nineteenth century. Nowadays Kazimierz is a suburb of Krakow and it's no longer an island, as the northern branch of the Old Vistula River has been filled in.

In 1941 during the Nazi Occupation the Jewish population of Kazimierz were forcibly relocated to the Krakow ghetto just across the river in Podgórze (where Heroes Square and Oskar Schindler's Factory are located.) Most ended up being deported to concentration camps where they were killed. After the war, in Communist times Kazimierz was largely left to crumble. The Communist regime ended in 1990. Then in 1993, Steven Spielberg shot his film 'Schindler's List' in Kazimierz, even though most of the events in the film actually took place in Podgórze on the other side of the river. This sparked renewed interest in the area and many restoration projects of important historical sites were carried out. An important Jewish cultural festival was held here. Also at this time many restaurants, bars and hotels moved into the area. Some Jewish people of Polish origin,who had been living in Israel or the USA, even came back and settled here, though the number of Jews living here is way less than before the war. Now Kazimierz is an interesting place to visit with lots of history and many places to eat and drink.

As I walked into Kazimierz, I could see the tower of Corpus Christi Church in front of me.

Corpus Christi Church.

I didn't really know what to expect in Kazimierz. To be honest I hadn't researched it much before my visit, so it would just be a case of wander around and hope I find things to see. The first site I came to was The Tempel Synagogue. It cost 15 zloty to go in and I decided not to go in.

The Tempel Synagogue was designed by Ignacy Hercok in Moorish Revival and Rundbogenstil Style. It was completed in 1862. During World War II this synagogue was desecrated and used for storing ammunition. It was restored between 1995 and 2000. Nowadays it plays an active part during The Krakow Jewish Culture Festival.

Tempel Synagogue.

Tempel Synagogue.

Near the Temple Synagogue there was a little vintage gallery called Galerie LueLue and some brightly coloured street art.

Galerie LueLue.

Street art.

I continued onwards and found the wall of the Remuh Jewish Cemetery. Again there was some street art in this area. I decided to follow the wall around to find the cemetery entrance.

Looking into the Jewish cemetery.

Street art.

Street art.

I was glad I had followed the cemetery wall because I ended up in the heart of Kazimierz on Szeroka Street. Here I found synagogues, restaurants and shops. I decided since I had walked around the Jewish Cemetery, I may as well pay the 15 zloty to go in. This cemetery is called Remuh Cemetery and it is all around Remuh Synagogue, which is also covered by the entry fee.

The Remuh Synagogue is Krakow's smallest but most active synagogue. It was built in 1558. It was called after Rabbi Moses Isserles who wrote important commentaries on the Code of Jewish Law. Some people believe Rabbi Moses Isserles' father founded the synagogue in honour of his son. Others believe it was built in memory of Isserles’ mother, Malka.

Entrance to Remuh Synagogue.

Remuh Synagogue sign.

Remuh Synagogue exterior.

Inside the Remuh Synagogue.

Inside the Remuh Synagogue.

Inside the Remuh Synagogue.

Inside the Remuh Synagogue.

Inside the Remuh Synagogue.

The cemetery around the synagogue was in use until 1800. It was allowed to get overgrown and ruined during the Nazi Occupation. One of the few graves to survive completely intact was that of Rabbi Moses Isserles. In fact there's a legend that a Nazi soldier tried to damage the grave and was struck dead by lightning. During restoration work after the war, many graves were repaired. Fragments of those that couldn't be repaired were made into a wailing wall. Some of the cemetery was quite overgrown with nettles. I saw one grave covered with pieces of paper. I wonder if that was the grave of Rabbi Moses Isserles, as I read people often leave written requests there.

The Remuh Cemetery.

The Remuh Cemetery.

The Remuh Cemetery.

Nettles in the Remuh Cemetery.

Fragments of graves in the wailing wall in the Remuh Cemetery.

Doorway in Remuh Cemetery.

Walls in the Remuh Cemetery.

Back outside on Szeroka Street I found a memorial to the Jews who died in the Holocaust.

Memorial to Jews murdered in the war.

Memorial to Jews murdered in the war.

There were also several Jewish restaurants.

Ariel Restaurant.

Ariel Restaurant.

I didn't know it at the time but one of the houses here used to be the home of Helena Rubenstein, who founded a huge cosmetics empire.

Szeroka, the green house was the childhood home of Helena Rubenstein.

Szeroka, home of Helena Rubenstein.

The Hotel Rubenstein nearby is named after her.

I noticed a book shop and subsequently found out that this was contained within an old synagogue called the Wolf Popper Synagogue. This was founded by Wolf Popper in 1620, but it went into decline after his death. Nowadays it is a book store and an art gallery. There was some lovely artwork outside it. The art gallery on the upper floor was closed during my visit.

The Wolf Popper Synagogue.

Book shop in The Wolf Popper Synagogue..

Book shop in The Wolf Popper Synagogue .

Book shop in The Wolf Popper Synagogue.

Artwork outside Wolf Popper Synagogue.

Artwork outside Wolf Popper Synagogue.

At the end of Szeroka Street was The Old Synagogue. I suffered a case of deja vu when I got here, because I recognised it from our first visit here in the nineteen nineties. It cost eighteen zloty to go in, but I didn't go in. I remembered it. This was a synagogue, now it's a museum. It had a display of all the usual disturbing images associated with the Holocaust like Jews being herded into trains and taken off to the concentration camps, but what had disturbed me most when we visited was a school photo. I had originally found it cheerful amongst all the depressing images of war and death. I had looked at all the smiling, hopeful faces of the children in it then read the caption that said it was taken in 1937 and a few years later all these children were dead. I had started to cry at that point and I had no intention of revisiting. It's an experience etched into my brain.

The Old Synagogue.

Old Synagogue.

Wandering around more I passed The Kupa Synagogue, which is now a museum, the market place and many restaurants.

The Kupa Synagogue.

Market, Kazimierz.

Jewish man.

Sababa Jewish Restaurant.

Szara Kazimierz.

Typical house in the Jewish quarter.

I passed an interesting looking Polish restaurant/beer garden called Wrega and a restaurant with a Singer sewing machine on each table.

Wręga on Ul Josefa.

Wręga on Ul Josefa.

I had had too much sun again, so I walked back to Planty Park but after cooling down a bit I had one last look at the Old Town. I passed Holy Trinity Church, Larischa Palace, St Francis Church, sculptures and a house called Under the Bells.

Holy Trinity Church.

Larischa Palace.

Church of St Francis.

St Francis.

Sculpture in the Old Town.

Under the Bells' House.

Back home, after a rest, I managed to get Peter to agree to a meal out. We ended up eating in the hotel. He had soup and I had a burger. The food was very good.

Meal out.

Meal out.

This featured blog entry was written by irenevt from the blog Trip To Europe 2024.
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