Kraków/South



Southern part of Kraków consists of six districts. Most interesting are Podgórze and Dębniki, located on the Vistula river bank opposite the Old Town. Districts further south (Łagiewniki, Kurdwanów, Bieżanów) are mainly residential.

Understand
Podgórze was granted city status in 1784 and until 1915 was an independent city. In 1915 it become a district Krakow and at that time it was one fifth of the whole Krakow city size.

In 1941 the Kraków Ghetto was established in Podgórze by Nazi occupation authorities. In 1943 the ghetto was 'liquidated' and inhabitants were moved to concentration camps. The monument located on the Ghetto Heroes Square (Plac Bohaterów Getta) is inspired by the moment when deported Jews were forced to leave their belongings (furniture, etc.) on the square before mounting trains headed to the camps. See Steven Spielberg's award-winning film Schindler's List, shot in Krakow in 1993, to catch a glimpse of life conditions in Krakow Ghetto and KL Krakow - Plaszow and understand the story behind Oscar Schindler's enamel factory. There are some props left from shooting the film in Liban work camp, but it's important to know those are not the real thing.

Podgórze to this day remains one of the most 'industrialized' districts in Krakow, but lately a kind of gentrification process takes place with new cultural (like Museum Of Contemporary Art Krakow) and housing projects appearing in former industrial areas.

Get in
Stroll from Kazimierz through the bike/footbridge called "The Father Bernatek's Footbridge" (in Polish "Kładka Bernatka") at the end of ul. Mostowa. This footbridge will deliver you nearby to the Rynek Podgórski (Podgórze Market) surroundings.

A small number of intercity calls as well as many regional trains call at Kraków Płaszów railway station. However in general it's much more convenient to take a train to the main station, Kraków Główny.



Podgórze

 * Ghetto walls. There are two places where you can still see remains of the wall shaped like a row of matzevas (Jewish tombstones). One at ul. Lwowska is fitted with memorial plaque, the other, less known, is behind the school at ul. Limanowskiego 60 - 62.
 * Ghetto walls. There are two places where you can still see remains of the wall shaped like a row of matzevas (Jewish tombstones). One at ul. Lwowska is fitted with memorial plaque, the other, less known, is behind the school at ul. Limanowskiego 60 - 62.
 * Ghetto walls. There are two places where you can still see remains of the wall shaped like a row of matzevas (Jewish tombstones). One at ul. Lwowska is fitted with memorial plaque, the other, less known, is behind the school at ul. Limanowskiego 60 - 62.
 * Ghetto walls. There are two places where you can still see remains of the wall shaped like a row of matzevas (Jewish tombstones). One at ul. Lwowska is fitted with memorial plaque, the other, less known, is behind the school at ul. Limanowskiego 60 - 62.
 * Ghetto walls. There are two places where you can still see remains of the wall shaped like a row of matzevas (Jewish tombstones). One at ul. Lwowska is fitted with memorial plaque, the other, less known, is behind the school at ul. Limanowskiego 60 - 62.

Museums and galleries

 * In Podgórze you can find pieces on modern art on the street: murals by Polish and foreign authors (including BLU on ul. Józefińska) and sculptures: a seesaw dedicated to Polish absurdist writer Witold Gombrowicz (ul. Józefińska as well) or Auschwitzwieliczka by Mirosław Bałka next to the passage below rail tracks.
 * In Podgórze you can find pieces on modern art on the street: murals by Polish and foreign authors (including BLU on ul. Józefińska) and sculptures: a seesaw dedicated to Polish absurdist writer Witold Gombrowicz (ul. Józefińska as well) or Auschwitzwieliczka by Mirosław Bałka next to the passage below rail tracks.
 * In Podgórze you can find pieces on modern art on the street: murals by Polish and foreign authors (including BLU on ul. Józefińska) and sculptures: a seesaw dedicated to Polish absurdist writer Witold Gombrowicz (ul. Józefińska as well) or Auschwitzwieliczka by Mirosław Bałka next to the passage below rail tracks.
 * In Podgórze you can find pieces on modern art on the street: murals by Polish and foreign authors (including BLU on ul. Józefińska) and sculptures: a seesaw dedicated to Polish absurdist writer Witold Gombrowicz (ul. Józefińska as well) or Auschwitzwieliczka by Mirosław Bałka next to the passage below rail tracks.
 * In Podgórze you can find pieces on modern art on the street: murals by Polish and foreign authors (including BLU on ul. Józefińska) and sculptures: a seesaw dedicated to Polish absurdist writer Witold Gombrowicz (ul. Józefińska as well) or Auschwitzwieliczka by Mirosław Bałka next to the passage below rail tracks.
 * In Podgórze you can find pieces on modern art on the street: murals by Polish and foreign authors (including BLU on ul. Józefińska) and sculptures: a seesaw dedicated to Polish absurdist writer Witold Gombrowicz (ul. Józefińska as well) or Auschwitzwieliczka by Mirosław Bałka next to the passage below rail tracks.

Cemeteries
Jewish cemeteries in Podgórze were destroyed during the occupation and today it's hard to find them. There are only symbolic monuments in grass fields in the area of Plaszow camp.

Dębniki




Dębniki
- one of the nicest recreational areas in Krakow. In summer lots of people go there to swim, have barbecues etc. The legality of these actions is disputable and the owner of the area wants to prevent them and builds fences.

Buy
If you really like going to shopping malls, you can visit Bonarka City Center mall located nearby Podgórze centre. To get there, you should approach Rondo Matecznego (Mateczny Roundabout) and take any bus going via Kamieńskiego Street. After two stops you will see a big building with a high chimney standing nearby. This chimney remains from the Bonarka chemical factory, located on this area in the 20th century. When it is after dawn, you can notice that the top of the chimney is illuminated with colourful lamps.