KL Plaszow Konzentrationslager: Eine Tour durch die Krakauer Geschichte des Zweiten Weltkriegs

Plaszow is very important !

Bonjour, j'ai participé à ce Free Walking Tour mené par Tom et j'ai adoré cette visite. Tom est passionné et passionnant ! Il est très pertinent et il a la capacité de répondre à toutes nos questions et curiosités, ce qui rend la visite agréable et personnalisée. Il nous fait rentrer dans "son" univers et dans celui du lieu. Ce lieu hautement symbolique est lui-même bien fait (panneaux et QR code, complémentaires de la visite guidée), et j'ai apprécié la façon dont était orientée la visite guidée (l'ordre des étapes). Je conseille vivement cette visite qui est beaucoup plus impactante avec les explications de Tom. Il est primordial de conserver et développer les visites guidées de Plaszow, de conserver et transmettre cette mémoire collective ! C'est d'autant plus important dans notre contexte de montée de l'extrême droite en europe (et dans le monde) : n'oublions pas notre histoire, ne refaisons pas les mêmes erreurs en la transmettant à toutes les générations !

Important tour for an important memory to be transmitted

The group walk through the former concentration camp of Plaszow. This tour therefore leaves an impact. Historical perspective is always good to be remembered, especialy now that we are facing all kinds of 2020s events and extreme political uprising around Europe. Our guide "Big Tom" is highly qualified and provides us with a lot of informations that would be hard to find by ourselves. He proposes an other way to discover the place, as it is now open to the public -everybody can walk in there and still learn something thanks to big explanatory boards. I believe both ways are very complementary. But it would not have been that relevant for me without the whole guided tour for sure. Big Tom has clearly thought about how to take us around this area of memory and delivers it in a personalised and passionate way. Sometimes it's even hard to interrumpt him for a question, as he "talk(s) to much" (his saying) but always takes the time to answer, in a rapid english (french people be warned ^^). I highly recommend this tour, I kept being stimulated even if it was my 2nd tour this day. Thanks Big Tom!

Very interesting

Information I didn't know and I didn't imagine that existes.

Good tour for those interested in WWII and Nazi-German occupation in Kraków

Well-structured tour about the labour and later also concentration camp near Kraków. Difficult subject so well done for organizing a guided tour around this area.

Great and important tour!

You really feel that Big Tom is really interested in the topic and put a lot of effort into it. I would definitely recommend it to everyone (though it might not be the right tour for a trip with young children).

KL Plaszow Concentration Camp is a very important must see!

Tomasz presented an interesting historical perspective directly on the site of Plaszow; a labor camp turned concentration camp during WWII when Nazi Germany took over Krakow.

Excellent for kids and adults

My kids were too young for Auschwitz but I felt strongly admit them learning and witnessing the atrocities that occurred. This tour was phenomenal — evident that Tom is extremely passionate. Incredibly informative and tough I know my kids didn’t quite grasp everything it was enough to leave an impact but not in a horrific way. The place itself is laid out well and Tom dies a great job of reminding you where you are and what it may have looked like previously. Astonishing how close it is to old town. I’m so incredibly grateful that this tour was offered. It filled a niche for us that wasn’t offered anywhere else.

Ważne miejsce, nie tylko dla turystów

Mieszkam w Krakowie i nie wiedziałam o tym miejscu. Na wycieczkę zabrali mnie znajomi-turyści i bardzo cieszę się, że w niej uczestniczyłam, poruszająca historia. Naprawdę bardzo, bardzo ważne miejsce. Dużo łatwiej jest się tu "zadumać" niż w obleganym Oświęcimiu. Myślę, że oprowadzanie po tym miejscu mogłoby być bardziej nagłośnione wśród lokalnej, krakowskiej społeczności. Sama chętnie skorzystam z oprowadzania po innych miejscach w wolnej chwili (i w może mniej turystycznym okresie).

A Must Visit Area

On joining Tom’s tour on Monday, it was immediate how passionate he was about the Podgórze area and the history of the Plaszow Camp. This continued for the 2.5 hours we were together. It was a smaller group which didn’t detract him from teaching us all about the history of the camp. I would recommend this if you are remotely interested in the mid 20th century period of the city.

It's a must!

The tour explores the horrible events and conditions of the concentration camp from a well-informed historical approach in a thoughtful manner. Big Tom is the best guide ever: he is knowledgeable, thorough and happy to answer any questions you ask, even beyond the scope of the tour. I truly recommend it!

Finally, a tour offered for KL Plaszow!

Our guide, Big Tom, is an historian, passionate & well-informed. He carefully described the complexity of the area & reinforced its terrible history.. As he walked us thru the site, Tom reinforced facts & figures, helped us connect the dots & was sensitive to our questions. This tour is a must -- very thought-provoking & fyi, this camp itself is directly associated w/ the film "Schindler's List. Highly recommended.

Vital tour KL Plaszow

The history of KL Plaszow Concentration Camp is so important to be told. I will never forget it!

Important tour

Thanks Big Tom for taking us through the history of this labour and concentration camp. You managed to make it so alive with all your knowledge and passion. A place among many of its kind, not to forget for the future. Similar horrible activities however unfortunately happen among us again, as we speak, in other places. When will we learn?

Great tour, highly recommend

Highly recommend this tour as it really shows a different side of Kraków’s history. Having been to Kraków so many times, it’s the first time I’ve heard of this site. I’m so glad to have joined Big Tom’s tour, he was able to eloquently explain the significance of each part. I would recommend this tour anyone interested with the history of Kraków.

Informative and engaging tour

I had the pleasure of having a KL Plaszow tour with Tomasz. The tour was very informative and we got to know the history of this concentration right in the city yet almost forgotten. The tour presented the historical components as well as reasons to remember and reflect about the holocaust. Thank you again Tomasz

Excellent Tour - KL Plaszow Concentration Camp

This tour has been one of the highlights of our trip to Krakow. Our guide, Big Tom, was incredibly passionate, informative, and very knowledgeable. He is easily the best guide we have had during our travels across Europe. Though the buildings are gone, he does an excellent job of painting a mental picture by pointing out landmarks and significant features, always relaying where you are relative to the map/images/signposts, and providing important, detailed, contextual information. You can envision and understand what once was (if we went alone/self-guided, it wouldn’t be the same experience, so definitely worthwhile booking this tour). We learned more in our 2hrs than we may have ever learned in school. The tracks are well marked out and easily walkable, but take good, sturdy walking shoes as you’re consistently moving and there’s some features (like the buildings facade) that are just a little off the track. On our tour we took a full circuit around the grounds covering off Grey house, and the telephone exchange building (still standing), plus what once was: the camp entrance (part of wall still standing), the old and new cemeteries, funeral home (ruins), the barracks and the area they covered, centre square for roll call, children’s barracks, hospital section, bakery, industrial barracks, main execution sites and memorials, and other landmarks along the way. The atrocities that took place at Plaszow were horrific and sad, but they remain significant and deserve to be remembered in honour of those who were held here, and killed here. If you are in Krakow, we would highly recommend coming to do this tour. It is a quick and easy commute to get here, and our guide, Big Tom, was excellent. The guides also carry eftpos payment machines, so you can make a contribution by card, or cash.

Recommended tour of the almost unknown camp

Our guide was very gooMicham Juliusz was a pleasant and very approachable guide. The explanations were very clear. All questions were answered! You could sense the guide's passion for history! After the tour, he even accompanied us on the tram to the city center.d, he was

Fantastic

Big tom, our guide, was very helpful and answered all our questions. He is very kind and energetic. The tour itself is incredible, being before the concentration camp, just where all those people died, and having it being described in detail how they where either working or dying, and all the conditions of life inside the camp, the feeling you get is indescribable. Its bizarro, I recommend. From Portugal

Highly Recommended

A fascinating look into a dark part of history. Tomasz was an informative, engaging and friendly guide with a clear passion for the preservation of and education about this historical site. The starting point was easy to reach from the Schindler Factory museum and I learned a lot! You get to see the remains of some of the structure up close while learning about the role they played, see pictures and even a digital reconstruction of one of the buildings, so make sure your phone is charged. For anyone with an interest in history or anyone that is looking to deepen their understanding about Plaszow before or after a visit to the Schindlet factory, I think it is more than worthwhile adding this tour to your itinerary.

We recommend this tour! Big Tom explained the history of the place very well, and also added anecdotes or comparisons with the film Schindler's List, which helped bring the place much more alive, even if few buildings remain. Maybe 2h30 would have been more comfortable since there were a lot to talk about ! Once again thank you very much !

An incredible journey

Without a doubt my most memorable experience in Krakow was the tour of the Plaszow concentration camp with Tom. He's an incredibly knowledgeable and passionate guide, a true historian who walked us through the landscape of the past. Though there are few visible remains of this former camp, Tom brought it alive through his narrative. It felt as though we traveled back in time among the ghosts of the past. This is an essential tour, as is the Jewish Krakow tour, which fit together. I recommend it highly!!

Wonderful trip full od sad history

Tomasz did great job guiding US through the KL Plaszów giving historical feedback a well as some really nice stories. I highly recommend the trip. I feel it could take event morę time to be able to dive deeper into the history

I went on a guided tour with «Big Tom» after the guided tour about Jewish Krákow – what a combination! I strongly recommend these two tours. Tomasz is both knowledgeable and etnusiastic! And the tour gives information about important history (obviously).

Highly recommend

As soon as I found out that Big Tom would be our guide, I knew the evening wouldn't be wasted. No matter how many Walkative tours I've taken, Big Tom remains the gold standard for me. His depth of knowledge and his ability to truly captivate with history are absolutely admirable. Even though the topic of the tour is heavy, he managed to present it in a way that didn't weigh heavily on the heart. I highly recommend this tour, just like the one through the Jewish Quarter. This chapter of history, though dark, is definitely worth knowing.

Amazing Tour!

I've taken the tour twice already. LIke always, Nika and Big Tom both delivered the tour in an captivating and informative manner with their own unique and interesting perspectives of the events that happened here. I'm so glad the tour was added to the full time schedule as KL Plaszow is often over looked by people visiting (Krakow locals could definitely benefit from taking the tour too...). You can tell a lot of thought went into designing the tour with SO much information being jammed into the 2 hours. I hope that in the future it will be extended to 2.5 hours, as you can tell the guides have a lot more they'd like to include.

Big Tom was fantastic

Big Tom had a wide range of information and knowledge about this topic and kept the information light and digestible. With this tour being a new opportunity I would highly recommend it as we didn’t know anything about this particular camp but I’m glad we signed up. He was particularly funny in parts. Only recommendation would be to have the tour be 2.5 hours as it felt a little rushed in parts but that’s not Big Tom’s fault

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