The McDonald Family Adventures: Kazimierz

There is a neighborhood within Krakow called Kazimierz, which is the old Jewish quarter. Inside (or next to?) this area is where the Nazis created a Jewish ghetto and forced all of the Jewish people in Krakow to live during World War II. Most of them died within the ghetto or were later killed or sent to concentration camps. Some of the area was destroyed during the war (side note - most of Krakow was untouched during the war, the story I have heard is that a German general who was based in Krakow considered it an important historical city and ignored Hitler's orders to destroy it but I'm not sure if that's true). Anyway, the area used to be pretty run-down and had a bad reputation but in recent years it has been coming around - now there are lots of little cafes, restaurants and bars all over. The area is still pretty dismal looking but I guess that is part of its charm. One afternoon we took a little walk around the area (Ava wasn't happy because she prefers to be on the main square) and then had dinner. Since then we have been back a few times on our own and have found some good restaurants and fun bars. It really reminds me of being back in New York City (except that everyone speaks Polish!)