The city of
Krakow is divided into districts that sometimes differ in architecture and atmosphere that is created by its inhabitants and visitors. Apart from
the Old Town, one of the most popular districts is
Kazimierz that used to be the Jewish quarter. Jewish community lived in this part of Krakow since its very beginnings - when Kazimierz (named after the king
Casimir the Great who founded it) was a separate town with its own
Main Market Square (today's
Plac Wolnica) and authorities.
Kazimierz is not much younger than
Krakow itself - as it was
founded in 1335. It had its own city walls but, due to convenient situation, it was also protected - from the invaders - with the river. The city had its
Christian and
Jewish part. In result of
Holocaust and later political situation in
Poland, there was no Jewish cummunity anymore and
Kazimierz became
ubandoned,
devastated part of the city.
Since about 15 years the former
Jewish quarter has undergone the revival - thanks to investors and sponsors of cultural events that take place there. Although it is perceived by many as the Jewish quarter (due to synagogues that are there and Jewish culture that is cultivated there in many ways) it is actually a place where there are no Jews living - as the ones who stayed in Krakow are scattered around the city.
The distrct has, however, a lot to offer to those who would like to get to know Jewish culture better. There are
7 synagogues (in differect architectural styles), exhibitions of photos depicting how life used to look like in the district and local restaurants regularly give concerts of
Klezmer music. In the streets one can very often see
Orthodox Jews who come to Kazimierz to visit a grave of
Moses Isserless (called
Remuh) and see the place where the Jewish life used to flourish.
The restaurants, pubs and cafes feature exceptional atmosphere - as many of them are designed as dark, mysterious places. Also the
hotels in Kazimierz district seem to differ from others in Krakow - even the names remind of Jewish culture (among them there are:
Ester hotel,
Eden hotel,
Kazimierz hotel,
David hotel...) while their interior design creates atmosphere as one would go back to the times when Jewish life was still ordinary thing - not a tourist attraction.
Read more on
Kazimierz district on
EverydayKrakow.com
