Galicia Museum

The Galicia Jewish Museum

A breath of fresh air is perhaps not the term that you would expect to leap to mind about a museum that explores Poland's Jewish heritage. Many museums of this kind focus solely on the Holocaust. This one attempts to bring a whole world to life through exhibitions, lectures, concerts of Jewish music old and new, and even forays into the work of emigre film directors. The inaugural exhibition, 'Traces of Memory', by the late and great museum director and photographer Chris Schwarz showcases many years work exploring the towns and countryside of this region of Poland. Ruined synagogues and cemeteries make a powerful impression, as do many other thought-provoking images that explore the Jewish question in Poland. A masterpiece. The smartly renovated building also boasts an excellent bookshop and cafe, and there are a host of intriguing ideas for future developments. One to root out. (Open 10am-7pm)

Don't miss this place if you are visiting Kazimierz.

A wonderful museum, that is well worth visiting. There is also a nice cafe area, and lots of interesting publications to read and purchase. The photographs are tremendous.

we went to an exhibition opening here during the festival, but I have to say the whole place was amazing. Incredible photographs and seems very well-geared towards english speakers like myself.

A very moving exhibit that explained a lot about Poland's Jewish history. Stunning photographs.

i thought this was smashing. my name is ruth spencer. i am smashing.

Moving and at the same time not morose. Well worth a visit.

Wow! A first rate, top notch museum. A wonderful starting place for a tour of that section of Krakow. I would go back again and again and again.

Must see museum .... beautifully laid out .... very thought provoking .... we saw it after a long walk around Podgorze and the Kazimierz districts, it pulled it all together thoughtfully and, actually, with some optimism.

This is important place for seeing about horror of Oswiecim (Auschwitz). Please see when you travel in Krakow.

Truly excellent. A must-see in the Kazimierz district. Would love a book of the exhibition - will have to come back when it is published!

At long last - a museum of Jewish History that is short on morose nostalgia or propaganda and long on the hard-hitting reality of a shattered culture and people. This museum presents the facts and lets the visitor draw their own horrified conclusions. The museum's clean contemporary design and upbeat cafe adds a positive, forward-looking note which is not only welcome, but heightens the shock of the images displayed. A must-visit in Krakow.