Podgórze — neighborhood guide
South of the Vistula, Podgórze used to be a separate town until 1915. Today it is the most important district in Kraków for the modern history of the Holocaust, and the location of two of the city's best museums — the Schindler Factory and MOCAK.
Updated: 2026-04-14
What to see and why
Three sights make Podgórze worth the tram ride. Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory has been turned into a powerful museum about Kraków under Nazi occupation (1939-1945). MOCAK, the Museum of Contemporary Art, sits literally next door and uses the former factory complex as exhibition space. And Plac Bohaterów Getta — a square covered in dozens of empty bronze chairs — marks the deportation point of the Kraków Ghetto.
The Krak Mound
On the southern edge of Podgórze stands the Krak Mound, a prehistoric earthen mound about 16 metres tall. The exact age and purpose are still debated by archaeologists, but the panorama from the top is the best 360° view of central Kraków, and entry is free. Plan 30-40 minutes for the walk up.
Rynek Podgórski
The original main square of old Podgórze is dominated by the neo-Gothic St. Joseph's Church. It is quieter than anything in the centre, with a few decent cafés and a feeling of being in a different city — which historically you would have been.
Less obvious
If you walk west from MOCAK along Lipowa Street, you reach the area being redeveloped as Zabłocie — old factories converted into restaurants, design shops and offices. Worth half an hour.
What to see
- Schindler's Factory museum (book online — sells out daily)
- MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art
- Plac Bohaterów Getta and the empty chairs memorial
- Eagle Pharmacy (Apteka pod Orłem) museum
- Krak Mound (free)
- Rynek Podgórski and St. Joseph's Church
Where to eat
- Zakładka Bistro (Józefińska 2) — small French-leaning place with daily menu
- Drukarnia (Nadwiślańska 1) — café in a former print shop, weekend brunch
- Pizzeria Del Corso (Kalwaryjska 39) — surprisingly authentic Italian
How to get there
From Kazimierz cross the Bernatka Footbridge — 8 minutes. From the centre take tram 3, 19, 24 or 50 to Plac Bohaterów Getta or Limanowskiego. By Bolt from Rynek: 15-22 zł.
Where to stay nearby
For budget stays: hostels and apartments on Booking.com in your price range. For guided tours nearby: guided tours or hotels in the area (affiliate links).
Related guides
The medieval centre, anchored by the largest medieval town square in Europe. UNESCO since 1978. This is where most visitors spend …
Kraków's historic Jewish quarter and, since the 1990s, the city's most interesting nightlife district. Slower than the Old Town, d…
Wawel Hill is the symbolic heart of the Polish state — a fortified limestone outcrop above the Vistula that has held a castle, a c…
A planned socialist-realist city built from scratch in the 1950s as the workers' counterweight to bourgeois Kraków. Half an hour e…