Images kindly provided by Jo Malcolm – https://anythingtoavoidwriting.wordpress.com/page/2/
Words by Jane Daniell
It is one of the oldest cities in Poland, dating back to the 7th century. It is also a city in the company of a tragic but resilient modern past. Today, though, it celebrates its art, culture, food and vibrancy so well that it is considered one of Europe’s most beautiful & interesting cities to visit.
With a current population of around 800,000, UNESCO awarded Krakow World Heritage status in 1978. The city has historically been, (since the 19th and 20th centuries), and is currently referred to as a symbol and centre of culture and art.
During World War II, the city remained relatively unscathed, unlike its razed sister city, Warsaw.
But of course, no story about Krakow can be complete without including the sinister history of German occupation throughout World War II and the associated Nazi-German ghettoisation and extermination of Polish Jews and Intellectuals.
The infamous ghetto was constructed on around 20 hectares of land built in Podgórze on the southern bank of the Vistula River, at the foot of Lasota Hill. To commemorate this dire time in its history, there are many memorials dotted around Krakow. Two of which are mentioned below:
- An annual March of Memory is held on the anniversary of the liquidation of the ghetto in March 1943. The march is attended by thousands of local and ex-pat Krakovians and their descendants to commemorate the final walk Jews and intellectuals were forced to take from the ghetto to waiting transports bound for concentration camps.
- A poignant and beautiful memorial of the events of the ghetto stands in Bohaterów Getta Square, where deportees congregated before being transported away.
Below are photos showing visitors commemorating in March 2024.
Today, modern Krakow, as described by Mary Novakovich in her July 2024, The Times article “22 of the best things to do in Krakow” – ‘as elegant and stately as you would expect the former royal capital of Poland to be, with magnificent architecture, castles and museums as well as an engrossing Jewish heritage. But there’s an engaging liveliness too, seen in its buzzing restaurant and bar scene — in the summer out on café terraces, in the winter getting cosy in underground cellar bars.
Sounds like a city for all seasons.
If you would like to know more about Krakow or this story, please feel free to contact me at janeco@mytravelroom.co.nz
