On Day 4 (June 19th) of the Eastern European Tour the Schindler's Factory Museum is mentioned as an option. While highly touted, possible crowd size is mentioned several times. Understanding full well I am asking for subjective opinions, I am curious -- is the information given unique to only this location, or can most be gathered at other stops / by other means, and those unstructured hours maybe should be used in other pursuits. Once more I am curious as to personal inputs / experiences -- with the understanding that the crowd size is an unknown and the depth, or lack of my interest in this topic is unknown. Not really overly concerned, as options seem plentiful, and an actual priority ranking seems insane -- I cannot see everything, all will be new to me. Thank you.
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
2622 posts
Is your question Is The Schindler Factory Museum Worth It?
Then, yes. Absolutely. One of the top museums of my life. Buy your ticket in advance or you'll never get in.
It's not just a museum with artifacts from concentration camp survivors - it actually has a design flow that analogizes the journeys of the prisoners. Don't want to ruin the impact of experiencing it so I won't say more. But do go.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
Although I love history, I usually get bored in museums. The Museum of Krakow under the Nazi occupation (aka "Schindler's Factory Museum" though the museum has almost nothing to do with him) was an exception - it's definitely one of the better museums I've visited. Far from being just another World War II museum, it focuses on the local history during the war - what Krakow itself was like. Everyone knows the Nazis invaded Poland to start the war, but what was Krakow like during those years? It's also a fairly modern museum, with digital displays, not stuffy at all. I'd highly recommend it.
Posted by
Missouri
94 posts
We were on the Eastern Europe tour in 2017. We visited the Schindler Museum and felt it was excellent. Our guide got us on the right trolley and he had gotten the tickets ahead for those that were interested. We paid him for the tickets. Yes there were a lot of people, but you go through at your own pace and we did not feel rushed or crowded. It was very interesting and worthwhile. We enjoyed the entire Eastern Europe tour very much. Enjoy.
Posted by
akron, ohio
503 posts
I also took this tour in 2016 and thought the Schindler's Factory Museum was on of the highlights of the trip and would encourage you to take the time to go. If I remember correctly our RS guide got the tickets for us and gave us directions as to how to get there. Yes, it was crowded but no more so than any other famous museum. You can go at your own pace and if a room is too crowded either move or wait until the crowd diminishes a bit. Totally worth any inconvenience the crowd may present. You asked if the information given can be seen elsewhere. To my knowledge, no, because it is about the Nazi occupation of Krakow and I doubt if there is a duplicate museum in Krakow and very much doubt if another city would have so much information about Krakow.
Posted by
Washington DC
27104 posts
I visited the museum last summer, by which time the museum tended to sell out every day, so you must assume it will be crowded. However, it's very well-done, and I didn't feel like I missed any of the information due to the crowds. I believe Krakow is the only Polish destination on the tour, so I don't think there's an alternative sight covering the same material, though there are naturally other history museums elsewhere in Europe that address life under the Nazis from their own local perspective. But the Poles have done a magnificent job with their many new museums. I don't think there are better ones on the same subjects anywhere.
If you are especially interested in Schindler's activities, take advantage of the audio devices with remembrances of some of the people he saved. I believe they're in the second half of the museum visit.
There's a glass factory across the street that's worth a visit. You have to pay to see the (small) museum and glass-blowing process, but the shop is free.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15582 posts
I think the Schindler Museum is the #1 sight in Krakow. Since ticket sales are limited, it isn't uncomfortably crowded in the museum - just be sure to get tickets in advance. The name is because the museum is housed in the old Schindler factory. Except for a side exhibit, there's nothing about Schindler in this very well done museum about WWII in Poland.
Posted by
OP
86 posts
Thanks to all. Have requested my ticket just waiting for email confirmation.
Posted by
Auckland, New Zealand
91 posts
I am in Krakow at the moment and visited the museum this morning. I can only repeat what others have said about how good this museum is. There were quite a few people there but the crowd thins out about half way through the rooms you walk through as some people basically take a quick look at what is being displayed, do not stop to read and move on. It is an engrossing account of how Krakovians and particularly the Jewish residents were affected by the German occupation. Yesterday I went on a guided tour of the Jewish district of Kazimierz was was very informative in terms of the history of the Jews in Krakow and their persecution under the Nazi regime. Kazimierz is a really interesting place to wander around in terms of its history.