How about a stroll through time? Welcome to Szeroka Street. It lies in the heart of Jewish Kazimierz. Szeroka Street pulses with history. Its significance is clear. Four synagogues once stood here. This was unheard of anywhere else in Europe.
King John Albert decreed in 1495 that Jews should leave Kraków. They settled here. The Oppidum Judaeorum was formed. This Jewish City was separated from Kazimierz by walls. Szeroka Street has been its center since the 17th century. It is an elongated square. It features characteristic sacred architecture.
The Old and Remuh Synagogues still operate here. The Popper Synagogue was founded in 1620. Wolf Popper was a financier of European magnitude. It was rumored to be the richest in Kraków. Today, the building houses a branch of the Staromiejskie Youth Culture Centre.
The synagogue “Na Górce” belonged to Natan Spira. He was a cabalist and miracle worker. It was destroyed during World War II. People say a light flickers in the window of No. 22. This is Natan Spira studying holy books. He reveals the depths of the cabal. One night his candle burned out. Rabbi Spira departed for eternity. His grave is in the Remuh cemetery.
On the northern side of Szeroka Street, find the ritual bath. It is the mikvah at No. 6. Its pool was fed by a spring. In 1567, ten women drowned when the floor caved in. Jewish women could not bathe elsewhere. The bath attendant heated the water every Friday.
A small enclosure holds a clump of trees. This used to be a small cemetery until World War II. Legend speaks of a rowdy wedding reception. It started on Friday afternoon. The rabbi warned them about the Sabbath. It lasted into the night. The rabbi cursed the place. The house disappeared into the ground. All wedding guests perished. The plot was walled as a warning.
Some say the cemetery held victims of an epidemic. They were buried separately. This lasted until the end of the 19th century.
Today, Szeroka Street has cobbles from Austrian rule. Steven Spielberg filmed Schindler’s List here. It “played” Plac Zgody in Kraków’s ghetto. Every first Saturday of July, Shalom in Szeroka takes place. It is the final concert of the Jewish Culture Festival.
The Nissenbaum Family Foundation installed a memorial in 1994. It commemorates Kraków’s Holocaust victims. The site was once a Jewish cemetery. Szeroka Street was formerly the heart of Jewish Cracow. The Jewish Cultural Festival began its annual celebrations on Szeroka Street in 1988.
Szeroka Street is accessible from Krakow city center. A walk from the Main Market Square takes 15-20 minutes. Kazimierz is well-connected by trams and buses.
Szeroka Street is a vibrant cultural center. It reminds us of Krakow’s Jewish heritage. Take a stroll and feel the spirit of historic Kazimierz.