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Poland
Galicia was once the heart of Eastern European Jewish culture. This museum gives a great introduction and interesting overview of this fascinating culture.
The permanent exhibition, Traces of Memory, is a contemporary look at the Jewish past in Poland. The exhibition features the work of the late photographer Chris Schwarz. Over a period of twelve years, he travelled together with Prof. Jonathan Webber (UNESCO Chair of Jewish and Interfaith Studies, University of Birmingham, UK) town by town and village by village. Their work offers a special way of looking at the Jewish past that was destroyed in Poland. I enjoyed the exhibition as very informative and thought-provoking.
Check the changing current exhibition as well!
The International Festival of Alternative and Experimental theatres is one of the oldest theatre festivals in Poland. It has been organised continuously since 1975. Always taking place in April, it is a good opportunity to combine a spring city break and cultural event. The weather in spring is usually bit more friendly than in London and you will enjoy spending the first nights out, having a drink.
The festival is an opportunity to get a first glance at the new season's productions. It uses the theatre in an attempt to make us aware of a problem that concerns us all from an unknown and extraordinary angle.
Krakow is a truly beautiful city that I am lucky enough to call home.
People often refer to it as the 'new Prague' and I'm never really sure what they mean by this. It is becoming a popular stag destination but it hasn't grown to a level that overshadows the cultural and historic atmosphere that the city has. Thankfully Krakow hasn't developed the rash and mercantile tourism enterprises found in Prague either. Only time will tell how this will all work out.
Whether you are coming to Krakow on a weekend break, business trip or backpacking adventure a good all-round guide I can recommend is www.cracow-life.com which has all the information you could need. I even find it handy as expat as it lists local news, events and weather.
I think the best time to visit Krakow is in December when the Christmas market is in full swing on the main market square. It's setting in the medieval streets, with a bit of snow thrown in, is perfect for a bit of festive magic.
On the edge of the Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz), this small museum houses reconstructed home interiors, an impressive collection of traditional costumes and probably the best display of decorated eggs you'll ever see. No photography allowed, unfortunately.
ulica Krakowska 46;
tel: 12 430 60 23
This collection of 360 tapestries was begun by Zygmunt I and continued by his son, Zygmunt August. The tapestries were commissioned for specific places on the walls of the Royal Castle on Wawel and, thus, were tailor-made to fit the exact dimensions of the area where they were to be hung. The themes of the tapestries range from biblical stories, animal and landscapes to mythical creatures, coats of arms and allegorical scenes.
Catherine the Great appropriated the tapestries for herself, having them transported to Russia. They were returned in 1921 but removed to Canada at the start of the Second World War. The tapestries were finally returned to Krakow in 1961.
They really are amazing pieces of art. Huge, intricate and finely detailed. The amount of work that must have gone into creating them is stunning. Examples of the tapestries can be seen in the State Rooms and Royal Apartments of the castle
Wawel Castle, Wawel Hill
The Remu'h Cemetery was established in 1533. The adjacent synagogue, Krakow’s only active Orthodox Synagogue is named after Rabbi Moses Isserles (nicknamed Remu'h, the word his initials spell in Hebrew) whose grave is still in the cemetery and which is still a place of pilgrimage for Jewish worshippers.
The cemetery, though damaged, managed to survive the Nazi occupation when other cemeteries were almost entirely destroyed. Excavations in the past years have revealed many buried gravestones and tombs and although it was suspected that this may have been due to neglect or vandalism it appears that they were deliberately buried to save them from an earlier threat, possibly Swedish invasion in the 19th century.
Some of the gravestones are decorated with motifs and topped with metal coverings. Many have stones or candles placed on them holding pieces of paper on which prayers and blessings are written.
Walking around the cemetery it is easy to contemplate things such as the human race’s capacity for inhumanity, for resilience, for fortitude, for kindness, for forgiveness and for reconciliation. A profoundly moving yet peaceful place.
Szeroka 40, in the Kazimierz Quarter;
Open: 9.00am-4.00pm Mon-Fri;
Vistors are expected to show respect and cover ther heads
The recently reopened and renovated Gallery of 20th Century Polish Art in Krakow's National Museum is a wide-ranging and eclectic exhibition showcasing Polish Artists and the different influences and styles of art that have emerged or been reinterpreted since the beginning of the last century.
The gallery is composed of a series of interconnecting rooms each with a heading - such as “Avant Garde”, “Colourism” and “This is what Poland is Like” - under which the art in that room is grouped. Within some of the rooms are dividers which, I assume, are to allow more space to hang exhibits, but which also provide the viewer with pleasant little nooks and crannies to explore. It also helps to break the rooms into smaller, bite size pieces and avoid the overwhelming sensation that sometimes comes when walking into a huge rectangular room brimming with paintings. Particularly important as this is a large exhibition with a lot to see.
Some of the early 20th Century pictures, particularly those of a Romantic, Symbolic and Impressionist nature, have one foot in the 19th Century and it is interesting to compare these with the paintings held at the Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art in the Sukiennice. Indeed, the artist Jacek Malczewski has pieces in both galleries. However there is also a large body of work covering such styles as cubism and modernism as well as art forms such as animation, graphic art and - on video - performances art.
As well as Malczewski's wonderful symbolist - and other - paintings there are also works by Wyspianski, the designs for stained glass to be used in Krakow Cathedral are amazing, Tadeusz Makowski - we particulary liked his “The Musicians” - and the very evocative and effecting "Execution" by Andrzej Wroblewski.
It is a fascinating exhibition, provocative and challenging at times, very traditional at others. With so much on show in terms of both the number of exhibits and the different art styles and forms, one which appeals to a broad range of tastes.
National Museum, Al. 3 Maja 1;
633 53 31
It may not sound like the most obvious tourist attraction, but this socialist-realist settlement and steelworks (the latter ironically now owned by Mittal) offers a fascinating insight into life in pre-1989 Poland. Plonked onto Krakow by the party in an effort to stamp out the city's Catholic/conservative tradition, Nowa Huta had the opposite effect, with anti-Communism here being as strong as anywhere else.
The centre of the satellite town is actually rather pleasant, with its classical 1950s architecture and tree-lined streets, a sort of Communist garden suburb. The central square (plac Centralny) is a showpiece of socialist town planning.
Nowa Huta is north-east of the city centre. Tram Nos 4 and 15 run from the city centre to plac Centralny
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