Krakow: Former Concentration Camp Plaszow Guided Tour
Plashow is a Nazi concentration camp in the southern suburbs of Krakow, founded by the Nazis shortly after the German invasion of Poland. Originally, Plashow, opened in 1940, was planned as a forced labor camp, but in 1941 the camp was expanded and subsequently converted into a concentration camp, where from October 28, 1942, deportation of Jews from the Krakow ghetto began. Plashow was known as a concentration camp, supplying several military factories and a quarry with labor. The camp and life in it are shown in the Schindler's List movie (1993) about the life of Oskar Schindler. The area which held the camp now consists of sparsely wooded hills and fields, with one large memorial to all the victims, erected in 1964 and few smaller. As the Plaszow area is now a nature preserve, so the director Steven Spielberg built a camp replica in the Liban Quarry, some hundred meters away. We will visit all this points during our tour.
Options
English group tour
Group Tour with an ENG Guide: Small Group
What's included in Krakow: Former Concentration Camp Plaszow Guided Tour
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
Plac Bohaterow GettaPass-by Only
Though after the war the name of Plac Zgody was changed to Plac Bohaterów Getta (Ghetto Heroes Square) and a small monument was erected, the space’s historical significance never felt more pertinent than its post-war use as a public toilet or parking lot. Finally, after decades of neglect, Plac Bohaterów Getta was renovated in 2005, sparking significant controversy over the design. Laid out with 70 large well-spaced metal chairs meant to symbolise departure, as well as subsequent absence, the entire square has essentially been turned into an odd, but iconic memorial to the victims of the Kraków Ghetto.
Plaszow Concentration Camp
While thousands of tourists use Krakow as the starting point for visiting Auschwitz, few are aware that Krakow actually has a former concentration camp in its own backyard. On the other side of the river, in the depths of Podgórze, the vast area is almost undeveloped, despite the fact that it is located in one of the most desirable commercial and residential districts of the city - on the main communication artery (Wielicka Street), opposite a large shopping center (Bonarka) and not far from main tourist attraction (Krakus Mound). It is the former seat of the `` Konzentrationslager Plaszow bei Krakau '' - the German Nazi concentration camp in Płaszów, today a wild, uneven space of land, which until recently did not indicate its own existence, let alone its wartime history.
Ghetto Wall FragmentPass-by Only
Kraków’s most prominent evidence of its ghetto is this 12-metre stretch of the original ghetto wall. In 1983, a commemorative plaque was raised, which reads in Hebrew and Polish: “Here they lived, suffered and died at the hands of the German torturers. From here they began their final journey to the death camps.”
Inclusions
- Professional Guide
- Tram ticketis not included (~4 PLN)
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
You will make your own way to the meeting points
Meeting Points
- At the entrance of Apteka Pod Orlem, Plac Bohaterow Ghetta 18. The guide with the "excursions.city" sign.
End Points
- bus stop at 57, Kamienskiego street
