Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow: visitor guide

The Galicia Jewish Museum stands on Dajwór Street in Kazimierz, Krakow's former Jewish district. It was created to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and to present Jewish history and culture from a new perspective. Its main exhibition, Traces of Memory, is a contemporary look at the Jewish past in Poland, told in colour photographs.

What is the Galicia Jewish Museum?

The museum occupies a restored pre-war mill, a post-industrial building where glass, metal and pale wood meet the original structure. It is not a city or state institution: it is a registered charity that relies largely on its supporters. The museum states its aim as challenging traditional stereotypes about the Jewish past in Poland and helping Poles and Jews understand their own history. In 2019 the museum had more than 70,000 visitors.

History of the Galicia Jewish Museum

The museum was founded in April 2004 by Chris Schwarz, a British photographer who first came to Poland in 1981 to photograph the Solidarity movement. In 1993 he began working with the British anthropologist Jonathan Webber on a project called Traces of Memory. In February 2004 Schwarz drove to Poland in a car loaded with computer and photographic equipment, and the museum opened within seven weeks.

Chris Schwarz died in 2007, aged 59. The museum went on to open a second permanent exhibition in 2014, and in 2016 it presented an updated and enlarged version of Traces of Memory during the Jewish Culture Festival.

What to see at the Galicia Jewish Museum

• Traces of Memory: A Contemporary Look at the Jewish Past in Poland: the main exhibition, by Chris Schwarz and Jonathan Webber. It is divided into five parts. In the first four there are no people in any photograph, a choice meant to underline the absence of Jews. The last part, Revival of Jewish Life, is devoted entirely to people.
• An Unfinished Memory: Jewish Heritage and the Holocaust in Eastern Galicia: the second permanent exhibition, created and curated by Jason Francisco. Its photographs and texts look at Jewish heritage in what is now western Ukraine.
• 10 Polish Cities, 10 Jewish Stories: ten personal stories of people born in the first decades of the 20th century. Seven of the cities are in Poland today and three are in Ukraine.
• KEF Means Fun! A newer permanent exhibition for the youngest visitors, which explains basic ideas of Judaism and Jewish tradition through illustrations and interactive elements.
• Bookshop and cafe: the museum describes its bookshop as one of the largest of its kind in Poland. The Lauder-Szancer Cafe serves coffee, tea, sandwiches and sweets, with kosher products on the menu and a garden in warmer weather.

Galicia Jewish Museum tickets and opening hours

The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00, and the last entry to the exhibitions is half an hour before closing. A standard ticket costs 35 PLN, a ticket for seniors and students 25 PLN and a family ticket 55 PLN; children aged 6 and under enter free. Tickets bought online are not tied to a date or time. The museum does not publish a list of closed days, so check its website if you are visiting on a public or Jewish holiday.

The building is step-free, with wide passages and an adapted toilet, and the museum describes itself as fully accessible to wheelchair users. There is a children's corner at the front, coats and bags go in the cloakroom, and dogs are welcome. The museum offers guided tours in several languages; ask at reception or contact the museum for details. Details checked in October 2026; see the Galicia Jewish Museum website for anything that may have changed.

How to get to the Galicia Jewish Museum

The address is ul. Dajwór 18. The museum gives the walk from the Main Market Square as 20 minutes. From Plac Nowy in the Kazimierz Jewish quarter it is about seven minutes on foot, and from the Remuh Synagogue about four. The tram stop for the museum is Miodowa. Our electric cart tour of Kazimierz is a good way to get your bearings in the district first.

Tips for visiting the Galicia Jewish Museum

Read the captions: the texts that accompany the photographs were written by Jonathan Webber. Notice the colour as well. Ruined synagogues and abandoned cemeteries had been photographed before, but in black and white, and colour is what set Schwarz's pictures apart. The museum also arranges meetings with witnesses to history, Holocaust survivors or Righteous Among the Nations, but only by prior arrangement through its request form, not for walk-in visitors. To continue the story across the river, see our page on the Podgórze ghetto district.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Galicia Jewish Museum about?

It commemorates the victims of the Holocaust and presents Jewish history and culture from a new perspective. Its main exhibition, Traces of Memory, is told in colour photographs.

How much are tickets to the Galicia Jewish Museum?

A standard ticket costs 35 PLN, seniors and students pay 25 PLN and a family ticket is 55 PLN. Children aged 6 and under are free (prices checked in October 2026).

What are the opening hours?

The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00. The last entry is half an hour before closing.

Is the museum suitable for children?

The museum has a children's corner and a permanent exhibition, KEF Means Fun!, made for its youngest visitors. The permanent exhibitions also deal with the Holocaust, so parents should decide what is right for their child.

How far is it from the other sights of Kazimierz?

The Remuh Synagogue is about four minutes away on foot and Plac Nowy about seven. From the Main Market Square the museum gives the walk as 20 minutes.

Photo: Lesnydzban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.