7 Best Sights in Kazimierz, Krakow

This 15th-century church was used by King Charles Gustavus of Sweden as his headquarters during the Siege of Kraków in 1655. Its austere gothic interior is filled with exuberant baroque furnishings, most notably the pulpit in the shape of a boat floating on the waves of the sea. The organ, with 83 voices, 5950 pipes, and 25 bells, is the largest in Kraków, and it consists of two parts: the historical side organ from 1664, and the main organ, fitted in 1963.

Standing on the Vistula embankment to the south of Wawel Hill, this church is the center of the cult of Saint Stanisław. The bishop and martyr was beheaded and dismembered by order of the king in the church that stood on this spot in 1079—a tale of rivalry similar to that of Henry II and Thomas à Becket. The story goes that the saint's body was miraculously reassembled, as a symbol of the restoration of Poland's unity after its years of fragmentation. Beginning in the 19th century, the church also became the last resting place for well-known Polish writers and artists; among those buried here are the composer Karol Szymanowski, the painter and playwright Stanisław Wyspiański, and poet Czesław Miłosz.

Kazimierz's 15th-century Ratusz (Town Hall) stands in the middle of plac Wolnica. It's now the Ethnographic Museum, displaying a well-mounted collection of regional folk art, and much more. The main goal is to preserve and help visitors understand the various cultures that have helped to mold and shape Kraków through the ages. This is both a permanent exhibition and a variety of temporary ones.

The oldest surviving example of Jewish religious architecture in Poland, this synagogue was built in the 15th century and reconstructed in Renaissance style following a fire in 1557. It was here in 1775 that Tadeusz Kościuszko successfully appealed to the Jewish community to join in the national insurrection. Looted and partly destroyed during the Nazi occupation, it has been rebuilt and now houses the Museum of the History and Culture of Kraków Jews, which is part of the Kraków City Historical Museum. Audio guides are available for an additional zł 10.

Isaac's Synagogue was named after its founder, Izaak Jakubowicz (reb Ajzyk reb Jekeles). One of the most famous Hasidic legends is connected with this pious Jew, who lived in Kazimierz.

One day he had a dream about a treasure hidden in Prague, near the Charles Bridge. Without thinking twice, Isaac went to Prague and found the bridge he had seen in his dream. The bridge was filled with soldiers, and Isaac was unsure what to do next when one of the soldiers approached him and asked what he was doing there. When Isaac told the soldier about his dream, the man laughed: "Only a naive fool would come so far for a dream! I myself keep having this dream that in a house of a Krakovian Jew named Isaac, son of Jacob, there is a treasure hidden under the furnace, but I'm not so foolish as to go to Kraków and check it out. After all, every second Jew is named Isaac, and every third, Jacob!" Isaac thanked him, returned home, dismantled the furnace, and found a great treasure, becoming one of the wealthiest citizens of Kazimierz—wealthy enough to found a magnificent synagogue. Today the early baroque building with a beautiful, stucco-decorated vault and marvelous arcades in the women's gallery is home to Chabad Lubawicz Foundation, which, among other things, is running a kosher store and a library.

This 16th-century synagogue is still used for worship and is named after the son of its founder, Rabbi Moses Isserles, who is buried in the cemetery attached to the synagogue. Used by the Jewish community from 1533 to 1799, this is the only well-preserved Renaissance Jewish cemetery in Europe. (The so-called new cemetery on ulica Miodowa, which contains many old headstones, was established in 1800.) Today this synagogue in Ashkenazi tradition again serves as a place of prayer for the local Jewish community and visitors. Visitors should wear a head covering out of respect.

The 19th-century Reformed Tempel Synagogue has a striking, eclectic decor complete with stained-glass windows. Under the care of the local Jewish Community, it is one of the venues of the famous Jewish Culture Festival.