“Krakow is one of my favourite destinations in Eastern Europe. Its quaint charm, medieval architecture, wholesome food, and friendly people make it memorable. But not far beneath the surface of this university city, Krakow bears the scars of a dark past. In what remains of the Jewish Ghetto, Schindler’s Factory prevails as a memorial to a brave act of humanity in the face of unspeakable adversity.”
The wonderful city of Krakow was spared wholesale destruction in the Second World War but the same cannot be said of its infamous Jewish Ghetto – and with Auschwitz only a short drive away, the city was a focal point for the prosecution of the Holocaust. We managed to find an Airbnb apartment inside the old ghetto that sits across the river from the old Jewish quarter. On the same ashen sidewalks and cobblestone alleys where entire families were murdered or sent to their deaths in the liquidation of the Ghetto, the eerieness to this day is remarkable. Little remains of the walled Jewish Ghetto aside from Schindler’s Factory, the once industrial area is now home to families and young professionals where contemporary apartment blocks and small businesses are commonplace.
In 1993, Steven Speilberg immortalized the real-life deeds of the German named, Oskar Schindler in the Academy Award-winning film, Schindler’s List. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made and it is almost entirely accurate.
Oskar Schindler was an industrialist before the Second World War and as a member of the Nazi party and also German Intelligence, he intended to wield his influence in Poland to make a fortune. In the wake of Germany’s invasion, he appropriated the Enamel factory from Jewish businessmen and put together a workforce. While the decision to use the Jews began as a pragmatic one, Schindler soon became very close to those in his employ, and doubly, after witnessing the horrendous actions of the SS, he came to realise the inevitable fate that his workers were destined. He used his considerable wealth to buy protection for them and their families, and his wife’s contribution to the health and wellbeing of the workers cannot be understated. Schindler bribed countless Nazi administrators to keep his workers from the death camps to turn a blind eye to his obvious divergence from Reich policy.
But as Hitler’s war machine committed to a long and bloody Russian campaign, the SS began a terrifying campaign of extermination. Any Polish Jews not working toward the German war effort were sent to camps or shot dead in the streets. Hemorrhaging money, Schindler took in as many people as he could without arousing suspicion. As the war turned against the Germans, it became increasingly difficult for Schindler to ensure his people sanctuary, going to extraordinary lengths to keep the SS at bay. To hide the factory’s lack of productivity, Schindler purchased munitions on the black market to then on-sell to the Nazi’s. There was an instance where much of his female workforce was accidentally sent to Auschwitz for extermination, and at the last minute, he managed to bribe officials over the phone to return the train to Krakow. By the end of the war, Oskar Schindler’s intervention had saved the lives of 1200 Jews.
Schindler’s factory in Krakow is now a museum, and I have to admit, it is the best World War 2 museum I have ever seen. Although Schindler and his workers are featured prominently in the museum, it goes beyond them to richly detail Krakow in every aspect during the period with an emphasis on education. Not one inch of the space is wasted as you’re shown the war years and the aftermath. The dimly lit area dedicated to the names of the Holocaust is particularly moving. In some sections, the corridors and rooms can be an unsettling sensory experience, but I was blown away by the set pieces, the multimedia displays, screening rooms, and overall immersion. There is a particularly disturbing corridor where you have to pass through three tall Nazi flags to reach a room completely tiled in swastikas as you hear the beaming the music of the victorious German soldiers. It felt like you were moving through history with each turn of the corner and nothing was hidden or shied away from, it was all on the table. It was an unforgettable experience and I would return in a heartbeat.
Signing off.
writersblocktravels 