KL Plaszow Concentration Camp: A Kraków WWII History Tour
Tour of the original grounds of KL Plaszow, immortalized in Schindler’s List, where thousands of Jews and Poles were imprisoned, forced into labor, and murdered during WWII. Visit key remains including the Grey House, ruins of the Jewish Pre-Burial House, cemetery remains and tombstone pavements, Hujowa Górka, and the Monument to the Victims.
Basic Information
Total time
2h
Language
English (check the calendar for availability)
Price
„Pay what you wish” tours do not have a fixed price. It is up to you to evaluate your guide’s work and reward it. Some people give 10€, others 50€ depending on their satisfaction and abilities.
Meeting point
Grey House, Jerozolimska 3, 30-555 Krakow Nearest public transport: Dworcowa 01 tram stop; Dworcowa 02 tram stop
Additional info
☂︎ This tour is organised by Walkative Krakow guides. Look for the guide with the yellow umbrella.
♿️ Tour not suitable for people with reduced mobility or strollers
❗Our tours run no matter the weather. High or low temperatures, rain or snow is not a reason for us to cancel our tours. We are always here for you. The only reason for cancellations are extreme weather conditions (like heavy storms…), guide's sudden sickness or no minimum number of people (5) to run the tour, but we will always let you know using the data you provided during registration for the tour.Booking rules
Booking is obligatory. Our pay as you wish tours are designed for individual travellers and small groups. We don’t accept parties of more than 7 people on them. If you travel in a party of 8 or more (school groups, bigger groups of friends etc.), please choose a paid option of 18€ per person or book a Private Tour. For more information on the latter, please contact us.
About the tour
Just 20 minutes from the heart of Kraków lies a quiet, windswept terrain that still echoes with the tragedy and despair of World War II and the Holocaust. Hidden in plain sight, the area of the former KL Plaszow concentration camp is a haunting reminder of the Nazi occupation and the brutal history that unfolded here. Join us as we step off the beaten path to explore one of Krakow’s most horrific historical sites — where layers of silence, memory, and loss still linger.
A place of forced labor, suffering, and death
In 1942, four years after the brutal invasion and two years after the creation of Kraków’s ghetto, the Nazis began to build the KL Plaszow camp. Established on the grounds of two Jewish cemeteries and originally intended as a forced labour camp, it quickly turned into a site of systematic terror, mass executions, and unimaginable cruelty inflicted under the brutal command of the infamous Amon Göth. It became a place of forced slave labour, inhuman conditions, disease, persecution, and death for thousands of innocent people — Jews and Poles. Most of them perished. Those who did survive carried memories that were almost too painful to share.
After the war, KL Plaszow received little public attention and remained forgotten for decades. Its story returned to global awareness thanks to Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List,” which portrayed the horrors inflicted there. Today, efforts are underway to restore the memory of this place and honor those who suffered and died here. Walking through today’s quiet, and seemingly, peaceful fields and hills, we work to ensure their stories are never lost again.
This 2-hour walking tour takes you across the original grounds of the former KL Plaszow concentration camp, where no buildings remain but the history is deeply etched into the landscape. With the help of survivor testimonies, historical context, and powerful storytelling, your guide will bring this silenced chapter of history back to life. During the tour you will learn not only about the creation and history of the camp, but about the people imprisoned here — their lives, their struggles, and the enduring memory of their suffering. You will also hear about the post-war silence, and the modern efforts to preserve memory and give voice to those who suffered and died here.
Join us as we remember those whose voices were nearly silenced — and ensure they are never forgotten.
Highlights
- 1
The Grey House
A building on the camp grounds used by the Nazis as the main prison and torture chamber.
- 2
Jewish Pre-Burial House
The ruins of a Jewish ceremonial hall destroyed on the orders of the camp commandant Amon Göth.
- 3
Jewish Cemetery Grounds
The site of former Jewish cemeteries desecrated and destroyed by the Nazis to build the camp.
- 4
Tombstone Pavements
Pavements built by prisoners using tombstones taken from the destroyed Jewish cemeteries on the camp grounds.
- 5
Hujowa Górka
A hill within the camp grounds which became one of the main sites for mass executions.
6Monument to Victims
A large, post-war monument standing in tribute to the thousands of people who perished in the camp.
Map
Grey House, Jerozolimska 3, 30-555 Krakow Nearest public transport: Dworcowa 01 tram stop; Dworcowa 02 tram stop
