On the rails again: Eastern Frontiers (2): Czech Republic

From Olomouc Hlavni Nadrazi to Krakov Glowny

The little transfer station in Vaclavice has been renovated. The depot building, if there was any, has disappeared. Likewise any freight infrastructure. There is a shelter but the little shade behind the glass panels has warmed up to a degree that it is no fun to sit inside. The metal seats outside have turned into BBQ grates. There is a display announcing the departure of the trains and their tracks. The through tracks are numbered 1D - 1C – 1B – 1A and A3, a dead end track inbetween is numbered B3 – C2 – C1.

Arriving train from Broumov in Vaclavice

There is no village in sight. All the waiting passengers seem to come from other trains. A family with little children and a bike with a trailer are probably glad about the height of the platforms. Even the old railcars have been rebuilt in a way that there is at least one entrance which allows boarding at the same level.

Low level entrance for bicycles in an old train

The family has come on one of the old railcars continuing to Trutnov and Poland. Another one has arrived from that direction on the dead-end track. I have arrived on TRN1859 from Broumov in one of the modern DMU’s. There is a transfer break of 20 min to continue on TRN1889 to Chocen. It turns out to be a beautiful but renovated old railcar. The windows are open, nobody cares about air-condition.

Modernized in Vaclavice

The air-condition is supposed to cool in summer and heat in winter. For the railway companies it is cheaper to buy a train with air-condition than one which is fitted out with hundreds of moving windows which have to be maintained. The problem is that the airco frequently is out of order and then the passengers travel on the brink of suffocation. A single window which does not open or close would not pose a problem.

Rebuilt railcar arriving in Vaclavice

Sometimes it is a pleasure to be able to travel alone. A couple in their 60’ies travels in the facing box. The man has tied back his long grey hair to a knot and tries to relax. She is talking without a break. While she gets more and more excited he is quiet. Either he does not get a chance to reply or he is not interested. She moves closer to him more and more while he tries to disappear in his seat.

The station of Nachod

I guess they are discussing the price of the ticket. I don’t know how far they go. 440 Kc (18 €) for my ticket from Broumov to Olomuoc is cheap for us, the price of a pork roast with a couple of beer in a czech pub, but wages are lower here.

Transfer in Chocen

In Chocen I was looking forward to a break of an hour. However, I am able to catch a train to Ceska Trebova leaving only 3 minutes after the punctual arrival of TRN1889 from Vaclavice. The Interrail planner would not display a connection with such a short transfer time.

Ceska Trebova

The train windows are dirty. For the others, who are all occupied with their phones, it does not matter. They are of the opinion that their miserable existence is improved by following Tiktok.

Roller case handling in Ceska Trebova

In Ceska Trebova I wait another 10 minutes for an Eurocity to Przemysl which I take to Olomouc. The nice station of Ceska Trebova has maintained its old platform decorations after renovation. There is a lift, but no elevator. Moving all the people and their suit-cases from arriving or changing trains up and down to the platform takes a long time for the lift. For those with little time there is no other way but carrying the suitcase up the stairs. In today’s heat a terrible toil.

Olomouc station

In the next train I sit next to a row of seats occupied by 8 teenagers. Four girls sit in a box together, the boys in the adjacent box. In a kind of uniform way the girls have tried their utmost to improve their appearance. Long colorful fingernails, huge black eyelashes, lips blown-up to a permanent kiss, make-up and shiny long hair. The boys opposite glance furtively. Only one, a bit overweight, sometimes tries a remark in their direction. He is ignored.

Inside Olomouc station

I arrive in Olomouc one hour earlier than planned. The station hall, typical for the post-war period, is decorated with patriotic paintings and reliefs. Scores of people are waiting for their trains, Chinese tourists with big roller cases and groups of locals with back-packs and camping gear. The midday heat is a shock when I venture outside to start the walk to the hotel in the center of the old city which I have booked in advance. I almost regret not having taken one in the neighborhood of the station.

German war cemetery in Olomouc

My uncle arrived here late in 1944. It were different times. As a soldier he had been shot in the leg in occupied Yugoslavia. He was brought to Vienna and spent the hot summer of 1944 in an oven-like hospital train somewhere on a shunting yard in Vienna. His brother, my father, was stationed in Vienna at the time but did not receive any news that they were so close to each other. He might even have been able to move my uncle from the hot, stationary train to a Viennese hospital for treatment.

Final resting place of 861 soldiers

After my uncle had arrived in Olomuoc he was able to send a letter. When my father received the news that his brother was seriously wounded and sick he took a train to Olomouc immediately. When he arrived they told him that his brother had died a couple of days before.

Hradisko Monastery

The beautiful baroque Hradisko Monastery just outside Olomouc still is a military hospital today. It was found as a Benedictine monastery in the 11th century, but after expulsion of the Benedictines turned over to the Premonstratensians. In 1784 emperor Joseph II, who got a statue at the market place in Trutnov, abolished the monastery and the remaining 70 monks had to move elsewhere. Already in 1802 it was turned into a military hospital. I don’t think that either my uncle nor my father were able to appreciate the baroque beauty of the place, which got the nickname of the Moravian Escorial.

Entrance hall of Hradisko Monastery

My father, who died in 1986, never came back to Olomouc. After his brother had died, he bought a coffin and organized the burial. We were always curious about whether the grave still existed. Today the internet makes research easy. There is a website (see below) where you can search for war graves. The name and place of death usually is enough. Together with 860 other German war causalities he is buried at a site at Neředín Central Cemetery in the western outskirts of Olomouc. There are no individual graves, as would be expected from the information we had from my father. A simple stone cross rises above a ring of gravestones where the names are inscribed with the date of birth and death in alphabetical order.

The soviet war cemetery

Behind the German cemetery is a monument and cemetery for the causalities of the Soviet enemy. A column topped by a star is surrounded by individual gravestones topped by stars. While the German cemetery is nicely maintained the Soviet counterpart shows signs of neglect. Weeds start growing where they shouldn’t and the gravel was not raked for a while. Sure this was different before 1989. Another twist in Olomouc’s long history.

Graves at the soviet war cemetery

Olomouc was first mentioned in 1017. Shortly afterwards it became seat of a Bishop and in 1070 a new castle was built. The castle, which housed the Bishop for a while, was the city’s center of power in the middle ages. Today it houses the archdiocesan museum. Prominent exhibit, after you enter, is the richly ornamented carriage of the bishop. In the basement are layers of ruins of previous constructions like the medieval castle.

Saint Wenceslas Cathedral

Next to the museum is the Saint Wenceslas Cathedral which goes back to the 12th century. The museum also gives access to the cloister of the church.

The archbishp's carriage

After the 30 years war the archbishop got himself a new huge, baroque palace closeby. It was rebuilt and renovated several times but has, like most of old Olomouc, survived invasions by the Prussians, French and Austrians and the proletarian neglect of the communists.

Reflection of archbishop's palace

The golden age of Olomouc started in the second half of the 15th century. It became the location for several historically important meetings. The center of the city is formed by two big market squares. The upper square is dominated by the enormous city hall with its tower of 75 m high.

The city hall at the central square of Olomouc

After the 30 years war a big part of Olomouc had been left in ruins. Therefore it lost its importance of the predominant place in Moravia to Brno. Nevertheless was the old town beautifully rebuilt in Baroque style. Since Moravia meanwhile had become part of the Habsburg empire the architecture is very similar to towns in Austria or Hungary.

Astronomical clock in the city hall

Like other important towns of the Habsburg empire such as Vienna and Prague, the facade of the city hall houses an astronomical clock. In the final weeks of world war II retreating German soldiers who passed through the city shot at its 15th-century astronomical clock in their frustration. Only a few pieces were left intact. My uncle already had died by that time. The clock was restored in a way that a part of the figures in the mosaic and the sculptures rotating around at the full hour represent the members of the socialist society.

The fountain at Dolni nam.

Fortunately the Germans did not destroy the greatest symbol of the historic importance of Olomouc, the holy trinity column. Meanwhile it is even recognized as UNESCO monument of humanity. Unfortunately it is under renovation and covered when I visit. But it is not the only decoration of Olomouc’s two main squares.

Virgin Mary column at Dolni Nam.

The other square carries a column dedicated to the virgin Mary. In addition the old town of Olomouc has a unique set of six Baroque fountains. They survived since the city council was afraid the modern piping would not be sufficient in case of fire.

In the alleys of Olomouc

Little commerce spoils the historic impression of old Olomouc. There are none of those makeshift market stands disfiguring other historic squares allover Europe. Also the outside seating of the restaurants is unobtrusive. There is no hard music and little advertising in insulting bright colors. Some of the cafes hidden in historic buildings of the university do not even spot a sign. Everything is stylish and fashionable. The reason might be that Olomouc is relatively unknown to tourists. There are far less visitors than in famous Prague or Krakow across the border in Poland.

In the alleys of Olomouc

That does not mean that the waiter in the cafe where I have a cappuccino and a cheesecake would not add a remark that the bill does not include the tip. He did his job well and I give a tip, but I will not come here again.

Theresian gate and remainders of city fortification

Olomouc is close to the border with Silesia. During the seven years war the Prussians under Frederic the Great besieged Olomouc. Consequently, his Austrian anniversary Maria Theresa built fortifications to turn the town into a fortress.

Typical buildings of old town Olomouc

Olomouc always had strong links to Austria and Germany since the Archdiocese was connected to Salzburg. The links increased after the area was included into the Habsburg empire. As the cultural, administrative and religious center of the region, it drew officials, musicians and traders from all over Europe. Many ethnic Germans moved into the area and by the 19th century the Germans in the city were in majority.

Villa Primavesi

Their influence can be seen at the Villa Primavesi. The building was designed for Otto Primavesi, a wealthy merchant-banker and his wife, a Viennese actress. Both supported fine arts and their new mansion was decorated by artists like Anton Hanak, who designed among others the copper fountain „Viva Aqua" and a village night-watchman's statue, Josef Hoffman, the famous Viennese

architect, and Gustav Klimt, the Viennese art-deco painter, who designed the mosaic roof of the vestibule.

Entrance to Villa Primavesi designed by Klimt

More villas and mansions in Secessionist or art-deco style can be found in the late 19th century suburbs of Olomouc. Many streets are lined with richly decorated apartment buildings from the final years of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy when the city was full of rich merchants and civil servants. Many streets give the impression of similar neighborhoods from the same time in Vienna or Budapest. Here Czech and German developers started a sort of competition to outdo each other in the wealth of ornamentation and ingenuity of decoration..

Villa in Olomouc

Cemeteries can be a document for the history of a town. Many graves and monuments have an aura of mystery. The spectator’s fantasy can guess which twists of life are hidden behind names and dates. Neředín Central cemetery is a good example.

Rodina Finkova

The names on the many historic graves in the Neředín Central cemetery are testimony for the ethnic composition of the town. Grave monuments for families (Rodina) with names like Hirschova or Finkova seem to go back to the German names Hirsch and Fink. The grave for the family “Rodina” Gregarova is the last resting place of Ferdinand Gregar. Closeby there are the “Ruhestätte”n (resting places) of the “Familie Rollinger”, Heinrich und Ernestine Götzlinger or Otakar Wittner, typical German names, while Ruhestätte der Familie Machanek points at a typical Austrian name. On many of the graves Olomouc still carries the German name Olmütz.

Angel guarding an eternal rest

In “Good bye Eastern Europe” J. Mikanowshi reflects about the rising animosity between Czechs and Germans in Habsburg Bohemia. Ethnic groups were living apart together. But the only real difference between the two groups was the language. While educated Bohemians were bilingual, the Habsburg administration pressed the preferred and later obligatory use of German. The nationalistic reaction was the insistence on their language in the Czech part of the population. Awakened Czechs started to change their names to a more slavic version. Riots started under the Germans of the empire when a law was passed that bureaucrats were required to learn the local language. When the law was withdrawn the ethnic groups started to revolt.

Grave of Josef von Engel

A few of the grave monuments at Neředín Central cemetery have an information panel lifting some of the mystery behind the faces of the tombstones. Josef von Engel came from an old Austrian family of officials and officers. His father had settled in Olomouc in 1830. Josef became one of the leading persons in the city council, serving in it for a full eleven years. He became mayor in 1872 with 22 out of 29 votes and held the position for 24 years. He made no secret of his opinion that Olomouc was not a Czech but a German city, In his vote of thanks for his fourth election as mayor, he declared that "his program is the well-being and honor of the city and the defense and preservation of Germany". He decisively influenced the economic and financial affairs of the city but also had a significant imprint on the appearance of the city. In 1868 he sent a petition to the ministry of war in Vienna requesting the demolition of the fortress and the removal of the ramparts. In 1876 the dismantling began with the demolition of the Castle Gate near the Palace. However Engel also voted for the preservation of the Theresienstadt Gate. He was also responsible for the foundation of the historic and industrial museum of Olomouc.

Grave of Ignaz and Charlotte Bries

Typical for Austrian cemeteries is the mentioning of the title or decorations of the deceased. The monument for Charlotte Bries, geb. Brass and Ignaz Bries discloses that he his long life from 1833 to 1931 as a Kommerzialrat earned him the reward of a Ritter ausl. Orden.

Grave of Sigmund Zweig

A lot of graves have Jewish inscriptions. Most have typical Austrian or German names, like those of Mimi and Jozef Loew, Heinrich Jellinek, Max and Sophie Kaufmann, Eduard Hamburger, Nathan Prochaska or even inscriptions in German like the Kaiserliche Rat Sigmund Zweig.

Grave of Heinrich Fest

The monument for Heinrich Fest documents how much the Jewish part of the population identified with their empire. “HIER RUHET HEINRICH FEST, OBERLEUTNANT D. R. J. R. 93, GEBOREN AM 6. JÄNNER 1885. GEFALLEN AM 5. MAI 1915 BEI EINEM STURMANGRlFFE AN DER SPITZE SEINER BRAVEN LANDSLEUTE AUF DEN JAVORNIK IN DEN KARPATHEN - VON DORT. NACH SEINEM LETZTEN WILLEM IN DIE HEIMAT ÜBERFÜHRT. WILLKÜR FIEL ER ZUM OPFER! RUHE SANFT!”

Grave of Juliet Hochstimm

The Jewish population of Olomouc had been expelled in the year 1454. The ban on Jews was not lifted until 1848. Many of the inhabitants of Jewish origins came into town with the Austro-Hungarian administration, which had a rather tolerant and anti-racial policy. In 1897 a synagogue was built. The Jewish population reached a number of 1,676 in 1900.

Grave of the Janiva Family, the inscription is in German

The formation of the Czechoslovakian Republic after 1918 saw the first exodus of a part of the German population. In exchange people of Czech origin moved in and became the major ethnic group. The era of the Primavesi's family in Moravia came to an end since the family lost their economic power. They sold their vast property in Moravia including the Villa Primavesi and moved to Vienna. After the sale the villa was turned into a private hospital. Today it houses a lovely cafe where you can enjoy a drink and a cake in a garden with a sparkling fountain.

Holocaust monument

Worse was to come. Again Neředín Central cemetery is a testimony of history. The Holocaust monument displays the names of 1520 Jews who were deported from Olomouc alone and killed. More victims came from the surrounding settlements.

Boarding the tram in Olomuoc

Olomouc has a handy tram network of 7 lines covering 15 kilometers. 69 cars run frequently, including through the old town which is predominantly with limited access to cars. Some of the cars still are Tatra T3 vehicles from the 1960 ies.

Tram passing through the old town

For my way back to the station I take the tram. Tickets valid for 1 hour can be bought at every stop and have to be validated after boarding. A ride is so cheap that it is not worth to drag oneself along in the heat, which is terrible already in the morning.

Olomouc station, platform side

There are direct trains from Olomouc to Krakow. However, I board a train to Warsaw. By chance I sit in the first coach which turns out to be a through coach to Krakow. It is disconnected and put on another train during a stop in Bohumin. Long distance trains with through carriages were common practice until most fast trains were replaced by multiple units. If there are different destinations on the same train there have to be several multiple units coupled together which then can be separated to go to different destinations.

Olomouc station, commercial part

I have occupied a window seat in a compartment and soon I am joined by a group of women from Olomouc on a weekend trip to Krakow. Probably I have taken one of there seats since I did not make a seat reservation, but they don’t complain. Those not finding space in our compartment disappear in the direction of the restaurant. The others soon join and it is quiet around me again until Bohumin, where the coach is separated from the train to Warszaw with the restaurant car.

Train bound for Warszaw arriving

When they come back they all try to press into the six seats of the compartment. That 9 of us fit in the space is even more remarkable since one of them, long blue hair, blue dress, blue finger nails, has a reach of almost all the others together. To the amusement to all the others she gives me her full attention and tries her knowledge of the German language on me. Eventually she produces a hip flask which makes the round and is regularly refilled from a big clear bottle in one of the bags. It still is early in the morning.

Cloths hall at the Rynek in Krakow and tower of the city hall

During their long history the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth and the kingdom of Poland were famed for their tolerance. The reason was the big open space which had to be settled. Especially after the Mongol invasions had depopulated wide areas the Polish King invited outsiders. The Teutonic knights settled along the Baltic coast to defend the eastern borders. Jews moved in after they were expelled or suffered from pogroms that happened for example in Nuremberg in 1349 and in Olomouc in 1454. “About 80% of the Jews alive today can trace their ancestry back to the Polish – Lithuanian commonwealth” (J. Mikanowski). Germans moved in as consequence of the trade connections with Krakau which was on the eastern leg of the via Regia, a trade route which connected Frankfurt and also Nuremberg with the east as far as Lviv and Kiev.

St. Mary's Basilica (Kościół Mariacki)

The center of Krakow is formed by the enormous market square, the Rynek. However, despite all claims, it is not the largest marketplace in Europe, Charles Square in Prague is much bigger. The center of the square is formed by the cloth hall. On one side is the town hall tower, one the other the Gothic towers of St. Mary's Basilica (Kościół Mariacki) rise above the square.

Inside St. Mary's Basilica (Kościół Mariacki). The ceiling representing the heaven

After arrival on the hip flask train and check in I have dragged myself from my hotel close to the station to the Rynek. To escape the heat, which tops 35° C today, I retreat in the shady gloom of the church. Tickets have to be bought at a counter next to the church. Despite the many tourists who bake in the square there is no queue.

Looking down on the crowd since hundreds of years

The church is symbolic for the course of Polish history. Already in 1038 Krakow became the capital of Poland. There already was a church at this spot which was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Poland in the 13th century. The Mongol invasion is commemorated by a trumpet signal - called the Hejnał mariacki - which is played from the top of Saint Mary's towers on every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate a famous 13th-century trumpeter who was shot down while sounding the alarm when the Mongols approached the city. The tower and city must have look much different then because it doesn’t seem possible to shoot anybody down with an arrow from the height of the present towers.

Altar piece of Veit Stoss

Between 1290 and 1300 a new early Gothic church was built on the remaining foundations. Already

between 1355 and 1365 it was completely rebuilt during the reign of Casimir III the Great. The connections to Nuremberg brought the famous sculpture Veit Stoss into the town. At the end of the 15th century he enriched the church with an altarpiece, a sculptural masterpiece. Wita Stwosza, as he is called in Polish, also created a crucifix in the side altar.

Tourists listening to their guides in the pews of St. Mary's

Today tourist groups occupy the choir stalls in front of Veit Stoss’s altar piece. Guides speak into their microphones in different languages. The tourists have the speakers in their ear, but look worn out. The break while sitting in the benches obviously is welcome. There is nobody of the many Chinese and Arab visitors in the square among the groups in the church.

Crucifix of Veit Stoss

The relationship between the German and Polish part of the population were not always without friction. In 1311 the German citizens revolted against the Polish Duke Ladislaus I. Ellenlang. After suppression of the revolt Ladislaus expelled from the town most of those Germans who were not executed on the spot. In 1480, however, 36 percent of the registered inhabitants of the town were Germans again. The sermons in St. Mary’s church were held in German until 1536/37. That year, King Sigismund I. declared that the sermons in the church should be changed from German to Polish. The large German community of Kraków were relocating their place of worship to the smaller Saint Barbara's church

Holy Trinity Church, the basilica of the Dominican order

Also Hans Dürer, the younger brother of Albrecht Dürers, moved to Krakow and became the court painter of king Sigismund I. However, the prosperity of medieval and Renaissance Poland not only attracted Germans. The university found in 1364 is one of the oldest in Europe. Together with other German-language scholars Nikolaus Kopernikus studied here end of the 15th century. The renaissance humanist Filippo Buonaccorsi worked here. Altarpieces for the side altars of St. Mary’s were painted by the Venetian painter Giambattista Pittoni in 1730.

The interior and the cloister of Holy Trinity Church

The university still stands strong today. I have a tasty diner in a lovely restaurant. At the adjacent table sits a diner who visibly enjoys his courses and carefully selects the right wine. It turns out that he is a French professor of philosophy. He came to Krakow for a conference about the Romanian-French author Cioran. When he realizes that I understand French he starts a wide-sweeping monologue about different aspects of philosophy. “Philosophers never stop to talk”, he apologizes.

Epitaph of Kallimachos designed by Veit Stoss and cast by Peter Vischer,

Krakow is called the city of churches and is full of churches and monasteries worth visiting. Veit Stoss has left his imprint in several others. In the Holy Trinity Church, the basilica of the Dominican order, he has created the tomb of Filippo Buonaccorsi. The church also contains the epitaph of Kallimachos. The plaque was designed by Veit Stoss ca. 1500 but cast by Peter Vischer, another famous sculptor from Nuremberg who had opened a bronze foundry in Krakow at the time.

Neogothic choir stalls

The beautiful choir stalls are neogothic reproductions from the 19th century. A refurbishment of the church had been necessary after a devastating fire. Each of the seats is crowned by an angel playing a different instrument.

Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

Not far from the holy Trinity church and Dominican monastery is the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Bazylika Franciszkanów św. Franciszka z Asyżu) and the monastery of Franciscans from the 13th century. It was one of the first brick churches in Krakow. The outside has changed only a little over the times.

“the martyrs of Toulouse” by Tommaso Dolabella

The cloister of the convent displays paintings of cardinals and bishops presiding the church in Krakow. Between them is the painting “the martyrs of Toulouse” by Tommaso Dolabella (1570 – 1650). He was a Venetian painter who settled in Krakow.

The lonely believer

In 2017, weekly Mass attendance in the Archdiocese of Kraków was 49.9 percent. That is above the Polish average. There is a lot of devotion in the churches. Upon entering people dip their fingers in the holy water font, kneel down and make a cross. Many sit down and pray. There are nuns and monks, but even the Polish tourists respect the sacred space.

St. Andrew’s church

Romanesque St. Andrew’s church, Kościół św. Andrzeja w Krakowie, from the 11th century received a baroque interior but the exterior was not changed. In the 14th century it became part of the monastery of the order of the Poor Clares, a particular austere and closed convent for nuns.

Entrance to the Wavel, the castle of the Polish kings

Krakow was the capital and residence of the kings of Poland until 1596. The Polish kings resided on the Wavel, the castle hill at the southern end of Krakow’s old town. Many were buried in the cathedral on the top of the hill. Center of the castle is the royal palace, a huge building with an arcaded courtyard.

Wawel Royal Cathedral

Buying the tickets is complicated. You are supposed to tailor the ticket to the different places you want to visit. The cathedral requires a separate ticket which is sold at a separate space. When it is eventually my turn I find out that those places I intend to see are free today. A ticket is still needed. On a hot day like today the most pleasant spot to visit is the baroque garden overlooking the roofs of the old town.

Courtyard of the Royal palace

In the 15th century the kings Alexander and Jan I. Olbracht, who were afraid of an attack of the Turks, fortified their capital. They also initiated the construction of the Barbican in 1499 to fortify the main gate. Together with other parts of the city walls it is still present today.

Palace gardens

To give the Jewish population a seat of residence the Polish kings also initiated the construction of a Jewish quarter (oppidum judaeorum). Center was a synagoge built in Renaissance style. The old synagogue served as a house of prayer until World War II when it was desecrated by Nazis in 1939. Today it is a branch of the museum of Krakow. It is one of the oldest surviving synagogues in Europe and a rare example of a fortress synagogue. It is supported by a defensive wall with loopholes.

The old Synagogue, now a museum

Of the various synagogues in Krakow the Remuh Synagogue is the last still in use. Built in 1553, it was also the smallest synagogue in Kasimierz. During the war it was a storage facility for fire-fighting equipment. After the war it was restored to its pre-war appearance.

Remuh Synagogue and cemetery

Compared to the Gothic and Baroque opulence of Krakows churches the Synagoges are rather plain. There is a section for men and women. While many of the ceilings in Krakow’s cathedrals are painted sky-blue with a decoration of golden stars to resemble heaven the interior of the synagogues is white washed. A Renaissance style Holy Arc houses the Torah scrolls. There is a ner tamid, a ceremonial lamp. Despite the simplicity the space gives a cramped impression, but that might be the consequence of the many people around.

Prayer room for men

According to Joseph Roth there was not much needed to celebrate a prayer service. Ten believers of age above 13 are the necessary minimum of coming together. Somebody had to know were the light comes from, i.e. where east is. Somebody had to volunteer as intercessor. Everything else could be improvised. Since the exodus from Egypt the Jews were used to improvisation.

Ceiling of the prayer room

The Remuh synagogue is the center of the old Jewish cemetery. Although it also was destroyed during the war it still has the original appearance. Both synagogue and cemetery are heavily visited by tourist groups. Similar to St. Mary’s cathedral the seats in the prayer room are occupied by tour groups who listen to the explanations of their guides with bored faces. Afterwards they linger in the cemetery to take selfies.

The new Jewish cemetery

Across the railroad tracks is the new Jewish cemetery. The Austrian authorities found cemeteries in the inner city area unhealthy and therefore a new cemetery was founded on the banks of the Vistula in 1800. It is much bigger than the old cemetery. Today the 19 ha site contains 7000 gravestones, the oldest going back to 1840. It is one of the few active Jewish cemeteries in Poland.

Tombstones at the new Jewish cemetery

The few tourists who visit this site are lost between the jumble of gravestones and big trees. Some of the gravestones are entirely covered with inscriptions. Plates are broken and expose holes in the ground, the standing tombstones lean in all directions. Wines and moss cover stones, trees and walls. The noise of the city disappears behind the rustling of the wind in the trees and the chirping of birds. The trees also provide some shade from the relentless heat.

Jumble of Tombstones at the new Jewish cemetery

In 1931 a census counted 20.1 % residents who declared Yiddish as their first language. At the begin of the second world war a quarter of the population of Krakow, 56000 people, were Jews. The German occupiers not only wanted to exterminate the Jews but also to turn Krakow into a German town. Today less than 0.01% of the residents of Krakow have a non-christian belief. But there are lots of German tourists.

In Kasimierz

With its unevenly cobbled streets and dilapidated graffiti covered buildings Kasimierz gives an alternative impression. Jewish symbols decorate the walls of many buildings. Krakow celebrates its Jewish past.

Old market in Kasimierz now meinly for tourists

Kazimierz is hip. It is full of cafes which are frequented by a young and fashionable crowd. Lots of restaurants offer kosher food. Only, there are no Jews. How the neighborhood looked like before 1939 can only be seen on old photographs which sometimes are displayed seen in the streets and in the museum. It was a poor society. The affluent Jews had moved away earlier.

One of the many courtyard cafes in Kasimierz

A portrait of how Jewish life in these neighborhoods was in different cities in Europe is given in various publications of Joseph Roth. Many businesses did not accept Jewish employees, not even in Poland. Street merchants or merchants selling goods on credit was a typical occupation. Tailor was also an acceptable profession. Some were lucky enough to open a shop. Their customers were the poor Jews from the neighborhood who were not well received in the other parts of town. Others tried to get along as musicians, shoe shiners, newspaper sellers or beggars, in the worst case.

Street in Kasimierz

In 1572, King Sigismund II Augustus, the last of the king of the line of the Jagiellons, died childless. The rule over Poland passed to Henry III of France and in quick succession to other foreign rulers. In 1596 Sigismund III of the house of Vasa moved the capital to Warsaw. The importance of Krakow declined.

Jugendstil neighborhood in Kasimierz

Due to the unclear line of rulers the kingdom of Poland became successively weaker in the course of the 18th century. Beginning in 1772 the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was divided between Prussia, Austria and Russia. At the last, third division in 1795 the Polish state was abolished altogether and the area around Krakow was incorporated into the Austrian district of Galicia. In 1802 German was declared the only official language. In 1807 Napoleon Bonaparte created the Duchy of Warsaw and in 1809 Austria was forced to cede Krakow to the Duchy. Already in 1815 the Duchy was divided again and a Republic of Kraków newly created. Until 1846 is was under the joint protectorate of Russia, Prussia, and Austria. It became a liberal and prosperous trading enclave in Central Europe. After the Krakow uprising was crushed by the Austrians it was incorporated into Galicia and the Habsburg empire again. It took until 1918 until the Polish state was reestablished.

Street cafes at the Rynek

Krakow was hardly damaged during the second world war. In 1978 the old town and its monuments became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was one of the first at all.

Horse carriage waiting for customers at the Rynek

After sunset the temperature on the Rynek gets more agreeable. Catering to the masses of tourists the many cafes around the market sell German beer. The white hackney-carriages line up in front of my table. They are all driven by women. With fancy illumination they bid for late customers. Groups of tourists from different nationalities amble by. Next to the ubiquitous tourists from Asia there are plenty from the middle East.

Women tending their horses

Also after nightfall the trumpeter on the tower blows his truncated tune. He plays it twice so that everybody can follow. Next to me a Muslim man and four women sit down. They ignore the sound of the trumpet and prefer the annoying sound of the ticktock clips on their phones.

Illuminated horse carriages at the Rynek

One of the women asks me where I am from. It turns out that they are from Abu Dhabi. The four sisters Djinna, Mariam, Fatimah, Mira and their brother Abdullah regularly go on family trips. They are here for 9 days. They came in the hope of getting some relief from the heat at home. Now it is more unpleasant here – there is no air-condition in their hotel while at home they don’t leave their cooled spaces when it is hot outside. They rented a car and went up to Zakopane to find a green, cooler spot.

Enjoying a German beer in Poland

Together we watch the passing crowd and they talk about their lives and habits. Djinna, at age 37 the oldest, points out how handy her burka and headscarf are with such a weather. No need to dress up. A couple walks by with a scarcely dressed girl intimately hugging a blonde guy. She looks like a prostitute with her short skirt, tank top and high heel boots. They point out that they don’t have sex before the marriage. Mariam has 4 children, Fatimah 3. They did not meet heir husbands before the marriage. They did not mind. They are used to marry cousins so the pre-arranged choice cannot be bad.

Backstreet in the old town of Krakow

They are all having coffee. They are very surprised that I drink alcohol, even though it is only beer. I have the idea that they are curious about the taste but feel embarrassed of doing a wrong thing. To feel better I tell them that I enjoyed it very much when I visited Muslim countries and there was no alcohol available. They are also asking about the taste of pork. Why should you eat it? There is other meat.

When I leave they give me a couple of sweets and advice me to drink less. On the walk back to my hotel a woman at a corner asks me whether I need company. I decide to have another lonely beer at the bar next to the entrance of my hotel. Inside the bar there is hard rock music and the walls are decorated with suspended scooters. I order from a lightly dressed girl with piercings and covered in tattoos. She meticulously checks the ID of some youngsters ordering beer and shots. I drink my beer outside and watch what is going on. The next doorways are occupied by sleeping homeless. A guy walks by and checks the garbage bins. In one he finds the remnants of a sandwich and devours it while he goes his way. A white car with blinded windows stops and it looks like some young guys are dealing in the street. I wonder whether the people from Abu Dhabi have ever been to a place like this. These are scenes you would not see in an Arab country.