It is worth managing expectations right from the start. Schindler’s Factory is not a museum dedicated to the film *Schindler’s List*, nor is it a detailed biography of Oskar Schindler.

The main exhibition tells a much broader story of occupied Kraków between 1939 and 1945. Schindler, his factory and the employees he saved are an important part of this story, but by no means the only one.

In our view, it is one of the best museums in Kraków. It is also one of the most popular, so don’t leave buying your tickets until the last minute.

View the 10 best hotels in Kraków

Don’t expect a museum about the film

Fans of Spielberg’s film sometimes leave feeling a little surprised. There are very few film props, and most of the exhibition focuses on the lives of Kraków’s inhabitants during the Nazi occupation.

But that’s not a drawback. Thanks to this, the exhibition works well even for visitors who have never seen the film or are only vaguely familiar with Schindler’s story.

The museum is housed in the former administrative building of an enamelware factory.

So you won’t be walking through a preserved production hall with the original machinery. Part of the former industrial complex is now also home to the MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art.

What you’ll see in the museum

The permanent exhibition ‘Krakow during the Nazi Occupation, 1939–1945’ is designed as a journey through the city during the war.

Instead of a single large hall, you’ll pass through dozens of smaller rooms, corridors and reconstructed spaces. The exhibition combines photographs, documents, eyewitness accounts, videos, audio recordings and interactive screens.

Along the way, you’ll see, for example:

• A reconstructed street in occupied Kraków
• A period photographic studio
• A tram featuring a projection of everyday life
• A flat in the Kraków ghetto
• Exhibits dedicated to the liquidation of the ghetto
• A section commemorating the Płaszów concentration camp
• Rooms dedicated to the resistance and the daily lives of the inhabitants
• The final ‘Hall of Choices’, dedicated to the various attitudes people adopted during the occupation

The most personal section is Schindler’s preserved office. Its central feature is the symbolic Ark of the Saved, created from thousands of enamelled pots similar to those produced by the factory.

Who was Oskar Schindler

Oskar Schindler was not an unambiguous hero from the start of the war. He was a member of the Nazi Party and a businessman who initially exploited the war economy and the cheap labour of Jewish forced labourers.

Gradually, however, he began to protect his employees. He used his contacts, bribed German officials and persuaded the authorities that his workers were indispensable for war production.

When the front line approached Kraków in 1944, he moved his production to Brněnec, taking with him some 1,200 Jewish prisoners. In doing so, he saved them from deportation to camps where they would have faced certain death.

The story was later adapted into a book by Thomas Keneally and into the film *Schindler’s List*, directed by Steven Spielberg.

How much time to allow

Allow approximately 60 to 90 minutes for your visit. If you read most of the texts and watch the videos, you could easily spend more than two hours inside.

The exhibition is densely packed with content and some of the rooms are quite narrow. Despite timed entry tickets, several groups sometimes meet inside at the same time, causing minor bottlenecks.

If you have a choice, book the first morning slot or one of the later afternoon slots. The museum isn’t particularly suitable for young children due to its length, the amount of text and the difficult subject matter.

Admission

Current ticket prices are:

• Adults 60 pln
• Concession 45 pln
• Family ticket for up to 4 people 120 pln
• Regular guided tour in English for adults 90 pln
• Regular guided tour in English (concession) 75 pln
• Private guide for the whole group 390 pln plus admission tickets

Regular guided tours in English start from Tuesday to Sunday at 10.00, 12.00 and 16.00. However, a self-guided visit works well even without a guide, provided you don’t mind reading quite a lot of text.

How to book tickets

We recommend buying tickets via the official booking system of the Kraków Museum. At weekends, during the holidays and in peak season, the best time slots tend to sell out.

There are several important rules regarding ticket sales:

• Individual tickets go on sale exactly 90 days before your visit at 9.00 am
• You must create an account to make a purchase
• Online tickets are issued in a specific name
• You must present the original photo ID at the entrance
• A maximum of 5 tickets may be purchased in a single transaction
• Online sales close 6 hours before your visit
• You may enter the exhibition no later than 15 minutes after the time stated on your ticket

A sold-out online booking slot does not necessarily mean you will be unable to enter the museum. The ticket office sells a limited number of tickets on the day of your visit for the next available time slot.

However, we do not recommend relying on this, as you may have to wait several hours or may not be able to get in at all.

Free entry on Mondays

Every Monday, admission to the permanent exhibition is free. However, free tickets cannot be booked in advance and are subject to availability.

They can only be collected at the ticket office on the day of your visit. If you really want to take advantage of free entry, arrive before opening time and be prepared for a queue.

In our view, a paid booking is worth it for anyone with a fixed itinerary in Kraków. Free entry on Mondays is more suitable for travellers who don’t mind changing their plans if tickets have already run out.

Opening hours

The museum is open at the following times:

• Monday from 10:00 to 15:00
• Tuesday to Sunday from 9.00 to 20.00
• Closed on the first Tuesday of the month
• Last admission 90 minutes before closing time

Opening times may vary on public holidays and during special events. Please check the official Schindler Factory website for current exceptions.

How to get to the Schindler Factory

The museum is located at Lipowa 4 in the Zabłocie district.

It’s about a 30- to 35-minute walk from the Main Market Square. From Kazimierz, the walk takes about 15 to 20 minutes, and from Plac Bohaterów Getta, just under 10 minutes.

Train from the main station

A very quick option is to take a commuter train from Kraków Główny station to Kraków Zabłocie station. The journey takes approximately 5 to 7 minutes, and from the station it’s a further 5-minute walk to the museum.

Regional services stop at Kraków Zabłocie station, all of which depart from the main station in the city centre:

• SKA1 towards Wieliczka
• SKA2 towards Skawina and Auschwitz
• SKA3 towards Tarnów

Not all standard single-journey tickets for Kraków’s public transport system are valid on the train. You can use a separate rail ticket for 7 pln or a combined 70-minute ticket for 10 pln.

Trams

The nearest tram stop, Zabłocie, is about 500 metres from the museum. The following lines currently stop here:

• Trams 3, 9, 20, 50 and 73

The second option is the Plac Bohaterów Getta stop, about 700 metres away:

• Trams 10, 73 and 76

Further information on tickets and getting around the city can be found in the section on Transport in Kraków.

Parking

The museum does not have a large car park of its own, and the few spaces on Lipowa Street fill up quickly. The most reliable option remains the car park at the Galeria Kazimierz shopping centre at 34 Podgórska.

It takes about 12 minutes to walk from the car park to Schindler’s Factory. The car park is open 24 hours a day and offers more than 1,500 spaces.

• First hour free
• Each additional hour or part thereof 5 pln
• For a three-hour stay, you’ll pay 10 pln
• Maximum vehicle height 2.1 metres
• Galeria Kazimierz car park on Google Maps
• Official website and car park price list

What to visit nearby

You can easily combine a visit to the Schindler Factory with other sites dedicated to the history of occupied Kraków.

• MOCAK, located right within the former factory grounds
• Plac Bohaterów Getta, about a 10-minute walk away
• The ‘Pod Orlem’ pharmacy on Plac Bohaterów Getta
• Remains of the walls of the Kraków ghetto
• The former Płaszów concentration camp
• The Jewish quarter of Kazimierz on the opposite bank of the Vistula

Schindler’s factory, the Pharmacy under the Eagle and the museum on Pomorska Street together form the ‘Path of Remembrance’ museum trail.

Accommodation near the factory

You don’t need to stay in Zabłocie just to visit the museum itself.

However, the neighbourhood is changing rapidly, with new cafés, restaurants and modern apartments springing up, and you can walk to both Kazimierz and Podgórze.

• Lwowska 1 – a modern apartment hotel with a spa and private car park, about an 8-minute walk from the museum
• PURO Kraków Kazimierz – a design hotel with a wellness centre and restaurant, about a 15-minute walk away
• Search for all accommodation in Podgórze

We compare the advantages of the different districts and offer further hotel recommendations in the section on Accommodation in Kraków.

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