Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory

Few places in Krakow carry the emotional weight of this building. Standing on ul. Lipowa 4 in the industrial Zabłocie district, this is not a recreation or a tribute — it is the actual factory where Oskar Schindler defied the Nazi regime and saved more than 1,100 Jewish lives during the Second World War.

History & Background

Oskar Schindler acquired the former enamelware factory in 1939, initially as a business venture using cheap Jewish labor from the nearby Kraków Ghetto. Over time, driven by growing horror at what he witnessed, he transformed the factory into a sanctuary. By listing workers as essential war personnel, he shielded them from deportation to the death camps. His story — later immortalized in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List — is one of extraordinary moral courage born in an ordinary industrial building. The factory reopened as a museum in 2010, managed by the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków, and has since become one of the most acclaimed WWII museums in Europe.

What to Expect

The permanent exhibition, "Kraków Under Nazi Occupation 1939–1945," goes far beyond Schindler's personal story. Through immersive reconstructed environments — including a wartime apartment, ghetto streets, and factory floor scenes — personal photographs, testimonies, and thousands of artifacts, the museum places you inside the lived experience of Kraków's residents under occupation. Plan to spend at least two to three hours here; rushing through does the exhibition a disservice. The emotional depth builds gradually, and some rooms — particularly those documenting the liquidation of the ghetto — are profoundly affecting. Children under 14 may find the content overwhelming.

Tickets cost around 32 PLN for adults and 24 PLN for students, with free entry on Mondays (though Monday hours are limited — check the current schedule).

Insider Tip

Book your tickets online at bilety.mhk.pl well in advance — ideally one to two weeks ahead during peak season. The museum sells out virtually every day and walk-up tickets are rarely available. One thing most visitors miss: after your visit, walk two minutes south to the Eagle Pharmacy (Apteka pod Orłem) on Plac Bohaterów Getta in the former ghetto district of Podgórze. This smaller, quieter museum tells the equally powerful story of pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz, the only non-Jewish resident permitted to remain in the ghetto. Together, the two museums give you the fullest picture of this chapter of Kraków's history — and the combination is unforgettable.