Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory

Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory stands in Zabłocie, an old industrial district across the Vistula from Kazimierz. The enamelware business was founded in 1937 by three Jewish entrepreneurs and went bankrupt in 1939, after which Schindler took it over and renamed it Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik. During the war the factory operated as a sub-camp of the Płaszów labour camp, and in 1944 Schindler moved production to Brünnlitz. After the war the site was nationalised in 1946 and used by the Unitra-Telpod company from 1948 until 2002, and the city took it back in 2005.

Despite the name, the museum is not mainly about Schindler. Its permanent exhibition, opened at the site in 2007 and run by the Museum of Kraków, tells the story of the city under German occupation between 1939 and 1945. It follows the experiences of the city's Polish and Jewish residents through the war years, and the history of the factory and its wartime owner forms one strand of a much wider story. The exhibition is detailed and emotionally demanding, so allow at least two hours and do not try to rush it.

Tickets are limited and the museum is busy, especially in summer, so booking ahead matters. Online sales open 90 days before the visit date and close six hours beforehand, and the ticket office sells only for the next available slot on the day, with a maximum of five tickets per person. If online slots look full, the museum notes that the box office may still have tickets. Regular English-language guided tours are available for an extra charge. Monday is listed as a free-admission day, when advance booking is not possible.

Opening hours are 9:00 to 20:00 from Tuesday to Sunday and 10:00 to 15:00 on Mondays, with last entry an hour and a half before closing. The factory is closed on the first Tuesday of the month and on certain public holidays, including 1 and 11 November and 24 to 25 December, so check the museum calendar before you set out. Older children studying the war will gain a great deal, but younger children may find some content upsetting.

The factory is on the south side of the Vistula, within walking distance of Kazimierz across the river. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków, MOCAK, occupies the former workshops in the same complex, so the two museums combine easily in one afternoon.