Kraków/Kazimierz

Kazimierz är en del av Gamla Stan i Krakow, Polen.

Fakta om Kraków/Kazimierz

Kazimierz

Staden Kazimierz grundades av Kasimir III 1335 på en ö i floden Wisła omedelbart söder om Kraków. Kazimierz var en självständig stad lydande under polske kungen fram till 1791. Polen upphörde då att existera som nation och de nya härskarna, ärkehertigdömet Österrike, konverterade Kazimierz till en stadsdel i Kraków. I början av 1800-talet fylldes den gren av Wisła igen som separerade Krakóws Gamla Stan och Kazimierz. Denna gräns återfinns idag som ul. Dietla.

Judarna i Kraków förflyttades 1494 med tvång till östra Kazimierz. Delningen av Kazimierz mellan de kristna kvarteren i väster, runt pl. Wolnica och st. Mikaels kyrka, och de judiska, runt Pl. Nowy och ul. Szeroka, upprätthölls av en mur. De judiska kvarteren utgjorde till ytan en femtedel av Kazimierz, däremot utgjorde judar hälften av Kaziemierz befolkning. I många århundraden levde judar och kristna fredligt tillsammans i Kazimierz. Detta fick ett abrupt slut 1941 då de tyska ockupationsstyrkorna förflyttade alla judar till Krakóws judiska getto i Podgórze på andra sidan Wisła. Idag uppgår den judiska befolkningen i Kraków till endast några hundra personer. Däremot är Kazimierz idag ett livaktigt centrum för judisk kultur. Den judiska festivalen i slutet av juni lockar varje år tiotusentals besökare.

Det finns fyra synagogor i judiska kvarteret som är byggda av rika judar. Under varje sabbat är en synagoga aktiv. Under andra världskriget förstördes en del av Kazimierz. Gravgården förstördes och en del av gravstenarna ser man nu som mur på Kazimiers torg. På torget kan man även se ett monument till de judar som dödades under andra världskriget. Det som har gjort Kazimierz känt är att filmen Schindler’s List filmades där. Statsdelen är även känd för sina vackra smala gator och små affärer.

Förflyttning

Från Gamla Stan en kort promenad söderut längs ul. Stradom eller Starowiślna. Från Podgórze likaså kort promenad norrut över Wisła på gång- och cykelbron Kładka Bernatka.

Att se

Museer och gallerier[edit][add listing]

• 1 Etnografiska museet, Stadshuset, Plac Wolnica 1, 'Esterka', ul. Krakowska 46, ☎ [12 430 55 75]. Ligger i Kazimierz stadshus från 1400-talet. 7 - 13 PLN. Måndag stängt, tisdag - söndag 10:00 - 19:00.
• 2 Stadens tekniska museum (Muzeum Inżynierii Miejskiej), ul. św. Wawrzyńca 15, ☎ [12 428 66 00]. Ligger i de gamla spårvagnshallarna vid de tidigare gas- och elverken. Historiska utställningar om Polens biltrafik, allmänna kommunikationer, radio och TV, industrier för hushålls- och kontorsmaskiner. Upplevelsecentrum. Pedagogiska utställningar. Lämpligt även för yngre besökare. 6 - 15 PLN. Måndag stängt, tisdag - torsdag 9:00 - 16:00, fredag 9:00 - 18:00, lördag - söndag 10:00 - 18:00.
• 3 Judiskt kulturcentrum (Judaica Foundation), ul. Meiselsa 17, ☎ [12 430 64 49]. Utställningar, konserter, seminarier och workshops om judisk kultur. Kafé med takterass och bra antikvarisk bokhandel i källaren.
• 4 Galiziska judiska museet, ul. Dajwór 18, ☎ [12 421 68 42]. Fotoutställning med bilder på temat Förintelsen. Bokhandel, kafé. Arrangerar bussutfärder till Auschwitz. 11 - 16 PLN. Måndag - söndag 10:00 - 18:00.
• Judiskt folkcentrum, ul. Miodowa 24, ☎ [12 370 5 770]. Utställningar, möten, undervisning om judisk kultur och språk.

Synagogor och bönehus

Old Synagogue, 15th century High Synagogue

Before 1939 there were several dozen synagogues in Kazimierz. After the war most of them were destroyed or converted to residential or public use buildings and their previous function is, after remodeling, imperceptible. Some are still functioning as prayer houses or museums:

• 5 Gamla synagogan, ul. Szeroka 24, ☎ [12 422 09 62], Built sometime during the 15th century, the synagogue is the oldest still standing synagogue in Poland. It was ransacked by the Nazis during World War II and was renovated between 1956 and 1959. Currently, it serves as a museum documenting Jewish life in Kraków. Adults: 8 zł. Discounted: 6 zł. edit
• 6 Remuh Synagogue (Synagoga Remuh), ul. Szeroka 40. Su. - F. 9AM - 6PM. The synagogue and adjoining Jewish Cemetery with the grave of Moses Isserles. Adults: 5 zł. Discounted: 2 zł. edit
• 7 Tempel Synagogue, ul. Miodowa 24. Built in 1860 - 1862. Reform synagogue that is open to the public. Since it's an operational synagogue male visitors are expected to wear yarmulke and women should dress somewhat conservatively and have their shoulders covered. During the Nazi occupation, the synagogue was used as a horse stable, but was eventually rededicated to its religious mission. Inside, the synagogue is beautiful, it has a monumental example of Aron Kodesh made from Carrara marble and 43 stained glass windows. edit
• Bne Emuna Synagogue (corner of ul. Meiselsa and pl. Nowy). The building of Judaica Foundation – Centre For Jewish Culture. edit
• Chewra Thilim Synagogue (corner or ul. Meiselsa and Bożego Ciała). Today an exhibition space with rare, well preserved polychrome. edit
• 8 Izaak Synagogue (Isaak Jakubowicz Synagogue) (corner of ul. Kupa and Izaaka). Built in 17th century. Was considered the most beautiful in Krakow, after the war it was a theater, warehouse and sculpture workshop. Since the 1980s it has been renovated and serves as Jewish Education Centre. Since 2007 it had also been used for religious purposes. edit
• 9 Kowea Itim le-Tora Synagogue, ul. Józefa 42. Built in 1810 and renovated in 1912 (these dates are written in Stars of David put on the facade). Devastated by Nazis the building became residential after the war. edit
• 10 Kupa Synagogue, ul. Warschauera 8. Also called Hospital or Poor Synagogue as these were the people it mostly served. After the war it was a warehouse and shoe factory, today it is one of the venues for religious ceremonies and cultural festivals, Jewish Culture Festival among others. edit
• Mizrachi Synagogue, ul. Kupa 18. Built in 1930s right next to Izaak Synagogue. Since the 80s it serves as a Jewish Culture Centre. edit
• 11 Wolf Popper Synagogue, ul. Szeroka 16. Was one of the most splendid buildings in Kazimierz, devastated during the Nazi occupation. Today a cultural centre with workshops on dance, art classes, lectures, film screenings, etc. edit
• 12 High Synagogue (Synagoga Wysoka), ul. Józefa 38. Called "high" because the prayer room is on the second floor (this is the only example of that kind in Poland). Third synagogue built in Kazimierz, in Renaissance style. It's in bad condition but conservators are working on the building. It is open to public and photo exhibitions are sometimes put there. editGreat Mikveh building

• 13 Great Mikveh, ul. Szeroka 6. Building from 1567 rebuilt at the beginning of 20th century, today Klezmer Hois restaurant and rooms. Ritual bath in the basements, around 40 steep stairs below ground level, can be visited. edit

Churches[edit][add listing]

St. Michael's Church

• Bożego Ciała Church (Corpus Cristi Church) — corner of ul. Bożego Ciała and pl. Wolnica. Gothic Church erected by Kazimierz the Great in 1340. The greatest Italian artist of the Renaissance, Bartholomaeo Berrecci, is buried here. The interior is baroque with a marvelous, high baroque altar and maybe the most beautiful baroque stalls in Central Europe.
• Katarzyny Church (St. Cathrine's Church) corner of ul. Augustiańska and Skałeczna — Gothic Church erected by Kazimierz the Great in 1363 for the Augustinian Order. There is a beautiful baroque altar and the Renaissance grave of bishop Spytek Jordan inside the church.
• Michala Church (St. Michael's Church). ul. Skałeczna 15. With the monastery of the Paulins, one of the oldest in Poland. The defensive position of the "Church on the Rock" (Skałka) brought settlement already in the 9th century. Bishop St. Stanislaw is said to be killed there by King Boleslaw II in 1079. The garden pond is traditionally believed to have served for pagan sacrifices. Many famous Poles like Jan Długosz, Stanisław Wyspiański, Adam Asnyk, Karol Szymanowski, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Jacek Malczewski, and Czesław Miłosz are buried there. edit
• Church of Holy Trinity (Church of Merciful Hospitalers) - ul. Krakowska 48. Constructed in 1741 by the Trinities friars in late baroque style, according to a project of architect Franciszek Placidi. The interior of the church was ornamented with rococo stucco decorations and illusion style polychrome.

Cemeteries[edit][add listing]

• 14 Remuh Cemetery, ul. Szeroka 40. Old Jewish cemetery of Kraków. Located next to Remuh Synagogue was established in 1535. It closed when the new cemetery at Miodowa was opened in year 1800. The most notable person buried at Remuh Cemetery is Rabbi Moses Isserles, others include rabbis of the Jewish communities in Vienna, in Prague and in Kraków and heads of Kraków Talmudic Academy. During Nazi occupation the place was destroyed and tombstones reused as paving stones (in Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp). After the war restoration of the cemetery was attempted, but not many tombstones could be found and today only small fraction of the monuments stands again. edit
• 15 New Jewish Cemetery, ul. Miodowa 55. Founded in 1800 and operational until around 1920 when it filled. Nazi Germans closed the cemetery and sold the most valuable tombstones to masons for reuse. After the war some of these were returned. Today cemetery has over ten thousand headstones, renovated brick mortuary, lapidarium and a monument dedicated to Holocaust victims. Many notable people are buried here: rabbis, tzadiks, Jagiellonian University professors, writers and painters (Maurycy Gottlieb). edit