Ten years ago, Cracow's Kazimierz district, erstwhile hub of the city's Jewish community, was a woefully forlorn labyrinth of crumbling houses and lifeless synagogues. Petty crime was rife, and the district had still not shaken off its post-war links with prostitution. The renaissance that occurred in the last decade salvaged the area as one of the most invaluable - and beautiful - vestiges of Jewish culture in the whole of Europe. Synagogues were renovated, the yearly Festival of Jewish Culture went from strength to strength, and above all, life returned to the streets and alleys.
In the Spring of 2004, Chris Schwarz, a British photographer of Polish/Jewish descent, opened a museum in the heart of Kazimierz that swiftly took its place as a beacon for Poland's Jewish culture. The Galicia Museum brought a breath of fresh air to the area, and Chris energetically promoted a plethora of local and international talent. Writers, singers, historians, musicians and statesmen from across the globe all took part in events at the museum, helping to revitalise Polish-Jewish dialogue. However, the showpiece of the enterprise was the founder's own exhibition - 'Traces of Memory' - an extraordinarily evocative record of the Jewish heritage of Galicia. Chris had spent over a decade compiling this collection, rooting out remote hamlets to capture his images. He had made frequent trips to Poland ever since covering the Solidarity revolution in 1981, and he eventually settled in Cracow in 2004.
It is a shock to have to record the passing of someone who seemed so very much in his prime. Chris's work was one of the best things to have happened to Kazimierz in recent years. He was not a partisan, but a creative thinker who was open to debate. And although he dwelt in a tragic heritage, he retained a lively wit, and created an optimistic tone in his dialogue about the future. This quality shone through in both the exhibitions themselves, and in his choice of guests at the museum. His shots of the historic landscapes of Galicia will endure as one of finest records of the fallout of the Second World War on Poland's seven hundred year Jewish heritage. Cracow will be a poorer place without Chris, and we sincerely hope that there will be a way to keep his work alive and flourishing. At this time of mourning we would also like to express our very deepest sympathies to Chris's immediate family and staff.
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