Eagle's Pharmacy (Apteka pod Orlem)

Tucked into the corner of Plac Bohaterów Getta (Heroes of the Ghetto Square), this small pharmacy carries one of the most extraordinary stories of moral courage to emerge from World War II. It isn't just a museum — it's a testament to what one person chose to do when doing nothing would have been far easier.

History & Background

When the Nazis established the Kraków Ghetto in the Podgórze district in 1941, they forced over 15,000 Jewish residents behind its walls. Tadeusz Pankiewicz, a Polish pharmacist, found himself suddenly inside the ghetto boundary — and made the remarkable decision to stay. He became the only non-Jewish person permitted to live and work within the ghetto, running his Eagle's Pharmacy (Apteka pod Orłem) until the ghetto's brutal liquidation in March 1943.

Pankiewicz used his unique position to provide medicine, shelter, forged documents, and vital information to ghetto residents. He and his staff witnessed and carefully documented the deportations and killings they were powerless to stop. After the war, he wrote a memoir, The Kraków Ghetto Pharmacy, which became an essential historical record. In 1983, Yad Vashem recognized him as one of the Righteous Among the Nations — one of history's highest honors for non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jewish people during the Holocaust.

What to Expect

The pharmacy itself has been preserved and transformed into a deeply moving branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków. The original wooden counters, shelving, and pharmaceutical equipment remain largely intact, giving the space an eerie, frozen-in-time quality. Exhibits combine photographs, personal testimonies, artifacts, and documentary film to reconstruct daily life inside the ghetto — the fear, the resilience, and the small acts of humanity that defined Pankiewicz's work.

Plan to spend at least 60–90 minutes here. The experience is quiet and contemplative rather than large-scale. Entry costs just 14 PLN, making it one of the most affecting and underpriced cultural visits in all of Kraków.

Insider Tip

Before or after your visit, take a slow walk around Plac Bohaterów Getta itself. The 33 oversized empty chairs installed across the square represent the Jews who were ordered to gather there during the ghetto's liquidation — each chair a person stripped of their belongings and home. Combining the square with the pharmacy visit creates a far more powerful experience than either alone, and most visitors rushing between Kazimierz and Schindler's Factory entirely miss this connection. Give yourself that extra 15 minutes outside — it's worth every moment.