Former Jewish Ghetto

Now a rapidly gentrifying area, with modern apartment buildings and some stylish boutiques, Krakow’s former Jewish Ghetto, located in the Podgórze district, was one of the biggest ghettos established by the Nazis during World War II. In 1940, Nazi Governor General Hans Frank ordered the expulsion of 50,000 Jews from Krakow, roughly 16,000 of whom ended up packed into just over 300 buildings in the Krakow Ghetto, located across the Vistula river from Krakow’s Old Town. The ghetto was emptied of people by 1943, and while today it is being developed with modern apartment buildings, important landmarks do remain. It is best to tour this area with a guide to learn about the Righteous Gentiles (non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the war) that ran businesses in the ghetto or helped those interned there. There is also an impactful memorial in the main square.