Kazimierz tales

(The Jewish District in Cracow)

Szeroka street (Broad street)

Kazimierz is flourishing nowadays. It has not always been like this. The Jewish district of the city of Cracow was not a place to be in the 90s of the 20th century. When I was a teenager and visited a friend in Szeroka street  (picture above) for a late evening get together of my class mates, my mom would be terrified. My class mates would bring me to the cab parked at the front door, because going one meter in Kazimierz after the sunset was not safe. 

Szeroka street: Ester is a popular name in the district, according to many sources, Estera was a Jewish mistress of king Kazimierz.

There is a police office at Szeroka street. I have been there several times in summer 2008. Friends from Germany came along on a vacation trip to Cracow. In one of the Kazimierz pubs, the purse of a friend got stolen on the first evening. So we had to go to the police station and report. 

The inside of the police department was a wrecked place. We followed the bored officers into the interrogation room. They were bored because stuff like this happens to tourists all around the clock. So here we go, testifying for protocol. The letter "B" is not working on the keyboard of the old fashioned huge PC... And my friend used to live in the Berrenrather Street...

The Old Synagogue at Szeroka street

So here we go, testifying and it takes a long time. A pale light is burning on the desk of the female police officer. The high walls of the old building stare at us back, paint falling off. I am starting to worry about the rest of our friends who are stranded in the waiting room, the place bare of everything but a bench to sit. They would be rather enjoying the night life of Kazimierz, goes through my head, rather than hanging around at the police station. I felt embarassed that my friends had a bad experience in my city.

Szeroka street 

But how little did I know them? They were during the entire time playing charade guessing titles of movies. Just when Vanessa and me got out of the "computer room" one of our friends was performing "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Don't ask me to describe this in words. I think that the stuff of the police station watches till now regularly the surveillance camera recordings from that day, summer 2008.

Ciemna street (intersection of Szeroka, Dark street)

We had to return to this police department for numerous times because we forgot to mention something important to the protocol. It became a daily routine during this holiday.

How Australia got their first beauty salon 

To the right - facade of Szeroka street 14

What I have also learned about Szeroka street is that the very famous Helena Rubinstein, the founder of the cosmetic imperium was born in Szeroka street, Number 14. She was the oldest of eight sisters. She was born into a wealthy Jewish family and received a good education. She started studying medicine, however very soon she realized how bad idea it was. She was not able to stand the sight of blood. She has fallen in love with a poor medicine student. Too poor for her daddy's aspirations. She was not allowed to marry her student love. So she left for Australia, and stayed at her uncle's. Her mother gave her a creme bought from some Hungarian salesman on Kazimierz's market. The creme she took along for her journey to Australia made a sensational impression on Australian women. They envied Helena for her pale skin and bought the creme in tons from her. Soon, instead of importing the creme, Helena started producing her own cosmetics. She opened the first beauty salon in Australia. This is how the story of the famous cosmetic line begins.

When in doubt, ask a Rabbi. (Please, stand up!)

The oldest Jewish cemetery in Cracow, Szeroka street

Here you see the oldest Jewish burial site in Cracow. It is a place where my father worked while he was employed at an art conservation company in Cracow. They were restoring the ancient cemetery. My father would always talk to people running places like that and bring anecdotes home. For lunch. So, once he asked the Rabbi why Jewish people were buried in an upright position. Rabbi answered him that when Messiah will come, they would be the first to stand up...

The husband's List

One day my aunt, the wife of the head of the art conservation company, had found the to-do-list of my uncle's in his jeans' pocket. So this is more or less how it went:

- Buy groceries

- Pay the bills

- Accomplish the tax declaration

- Bury the Jew

- Scold the priest

These are the things that a wife of an art conservator has to cope with. She asked her husband for explanation. Well, the first three tasks were obvious. 

The burying of the Jew: there was a burial that stopped the renovation works at the cemetery. Before the member of the Jewish community was buried, the conservators were not allowed to continue to work. Yet, due to some family or burocratic issues the burial got delayed. So the conservators, in order not to waste money and time decided to mediate within the conflict to accelerate the process. The scolding of the priest had to do with some other object of art. it is very common that priests on parishes delay or postpone the payment for conservation works. 

Spielberg's charts

When Spielberg was making "Schindler's List" at the beginning of the 90s, Cracow became a movie set. Especially the district Kazimierz. It was an honor back then that Mr. Spielberg was visiting a poor Eastern European country, everybody in Poland was ashamed because of the post-communist poor infrastructure in the country. For Steven Spielberg though, it was the best thing that could ever happen to his production: no facades had been renovated yet. The set for the film was perfect.

Spielberg attended some cultural events in Cracow, among others a concert of a Klezmer band Kroke, in Ariel (a bar-restaurant at Szeroka street). He was so impressed by the three musicians that he invited them to play during the Polish premiere of Schindler's List. Even better, he called his good friend Peter Gabriel and told him to listen to their music. From then on, the career of the band gained an enormous speed. But not only Kroke won here. Klezmer music in general started to rapidly gain popularity among Polish people. It is very common nowadays in Poland to listen to Klezmer, to attend concerts and festivals. Of course, still the best place for Klezmer is Kazimierz in Cracow. By the way, Peter Gabriel and Kroke still make music together - here some evidence from 2012 that I found on youtube. The three guys with hats are Kroke.

Tourists from Canada in the Izaak Synagogue waiting to attend a Klezmer concert, Cracow Kazimierz

A concert of a Klezmer band, Izaak Synagogue

Catholic and hedonistic Kazimierz

Kazimierz is not exclusively a Jewish district. In fact, Kazimierz was founded as a medieval city of its own, a christian foundation by the king Kazimierz the Great (that explains the name of the settlement), on an island on the river Vistula, in a direct neighborhood to Cracow. Kazimierz only gradually turned more and more into a Jewish place. And only since 19th century it is not an autonomous city anymore but a part of Cracow. There is however a city called Kazimierz also founded by the same king, still existing in Poland. But it is indeed a different story (though worth seeing).

Trinity Church, Krakowska street

The king Kazimierz has given many freedoms and privileges to Jews who back then were escaping to Poland from persecutions in many other countries in Europe. Rumors say that the privileges given by the Polish king to the Jewish  community were a result of his weakness for Jewish women. He had many mistresses, among those there are legendary names of Estera and Sara known from ancient chronicles. However, the historians were not able to confirm the existence of both Jewish concubines for one hundred percent. Still, there are many places in Poland that remind of king's hedonist life style - houses most probably offered to Estera and Sara standing in different cities. Above all, there is the last will of the king still existing. It is the document proving that the king had offspring. He left no legal heir to the throne though. He had illegal children to whom he distributed his private properties.

Corpus Christi Church, not to be mistaken with St. Catherine's which stands in direct neighborhood and looks alike.

And there is, furthermore, a historical evidence of Marcin Baryczka's trial. Marcin Baryczka was an unfortunate priest who happened to be sent to the king with a monition concerning his immoral life style. Women were no topic the king was willing to discuss with the church. Baryczka got killed on king's command - drowned in the Vistula river. The legend says that St. Catherine's was founded by Kazimierz the Great as expiation for the killing.

Miodowa Street (Honey street)

The Synagogue in Miodowa street

Clockmaker in Miodowa street

Miodowa street, mural graffiti

Society for Polish-Hawaian Friendship "Baywatch" - my WTF-discovery in Kazimierz!

La Habana, my favorite pub

La Habana has to me an aura of legendary. Here, in a dark wrecked place, the owners had gathered objects related to Cuba. The menu is in Spanish. There are three dishes you can order. They have these exotic sounding names. The regulars know however - the first - the thick and heavy - dish is from the bottom of the jar, the second offer a la carte is more watery and is from the middle of the jar and the soup on the list is from the upper part of the jar. If you are a regular, it is indeed legitimate to order from top or bottom or the middle of the jar. Nobody feels offended. And all three dishes taste very good. 

Here in a shady light, there are frequently two older regulars hanging out who seem to be glued to the bar. They seem not to see the sunlight ever, they seem not even to know the day time. They have been around for decades, their livers dealt with many beverages over the years. 

They sit there, talk to the bar tender but mostly they exchange their thoughts with each other. When they talk, it is emotional. They use so many curse words. (Big Lebowski fans should be now aware we are entering a world of pain here). So here we go, my German family and me, sitting there and talking in German. The men go on and on about something, one of them is trying to shush down his friend who is cursing louder and louder "Shush, stop swearing! There are tourists around!". It helps only very little. We have our fun, that is for sure. I am trying to get the scratches of their conversation and translate. And then, only when we are about to leave the place, the guys turn around. And the guy who was swearing looks at us, raises his finger pointing that he will say something important and everyone is turning silent in the place in attendance of something very important to be said. In this very moment it is clear to everyone that the brain of the guy is working on some foreign language formulation he would like to say to us as a farewell. And only this one thing comes - still very meaningful - out of his mouth: "Rosemary's baby...". We leave the pub, everybody in the place laughing out loud, bar tender in convulsions.

Pubs

Bars, clubs and cafes in Kazimierz are anyway all legendary - they have crazy names, crazy equipment and the people of service are freaks too. It takes a mad man to work in Kazimierz's bars. Especially in summer people would not leave until the sunrise.

According to the sign, Legless Sheep-parties offer the cheapest alcohol in town.

Black hawk graffiti in the pub Eszeweria, Jozefa street. They offer niches with old beds as arrangements to sit down. These are occupied by teenagers in love mostly. 

Pub Singer, quite legendary, equipped with old sewing machines. The whole interior is completely dark, only candles burn here and there. But not many. When you come inside from a sunny street, you dive into an unexpected dark atmosphere.

In Kazimierz it pays off to keep an eye on details:

Wrecked places are the best for photographers

A glimpse into Meiselsa Street

 The flea market - impressions:

Kazimierz is a great place to watch people:

Tourists in Szeroka street

Locals (weird locals) in Corpus Christi street

Nowy square, outside "Singer" (named after the sewing machine brand)

The board above the man's head says "Quit smoking!"

Sunset in Jozefa street

Jozefa street is great for shopping - plenty of tiny shops with antiques and clothes. But when the sun covers the facades in the golden glimmer, it is a kick start for the party in the district.

Eat Drink Sleep

Kazimierz is today the place to enjoy life.

Make sure you get your coffee on time to stay up through the night (Cafe Mlynek - Cafe Mill).

A Zapiekanka will help you too, especially to neutralize an overdose of alcohol.

You will have a drink in La Habana most probably (they mix decent Mojitos, I bet when you ask for a White Russian, they will also not say no!).

If you manage to find a place in the most known bar of Kazimierz Alchemia, have a drink there too - sitting in rooms furnished like old fashioned country house. In the dark of course.

And at some point, when your head gets dizzy and heavy, you know, you had a Kazimierz quality time.