Krakow: Cruise and Tour of Former Concentration Camp Płaszow｜Poland

Start your journey in central Krakow, where you'll board a modern catamaran for a scenic cruise. Choose to enjoy the views from the open platform or relax on the heated deck's leather sofas. Admire panoramic views of the city's landmarks as you sail past Wawel Hill and other key monuments. Listen to the audio guide to learn about Krakow's fascinating history.

After the cruise, discover Plaszow camp with a local live guide, where few remains survive, but Schindler’s story and a unique space for reflection bring history alive.

Plaszow Camp was created by the Nazi German occupiers in October 1942 on the grounds of two Jewish cemeteries in Krakow. It began as a forced-labor camp for Jews from the liquidated Krakow ghetto; from July 1943 it also held Poles in a penal-labor section. In January 1944 it was redesignated a concentration camp and, later that year, it also functioned as a transit camp for Hungarian Jews being sent onward to Auschwitz. Over its existence, more than 35,000 people were imprisoned here and around 6,000 were murdered. Executions took place at several sites within the camp; today mass graves and memorials mark the landscape. Listen to the audio guide to learn about Krakow's fascinating history. After the cruise,

On this guided walk your expert guide pieces the camp together from what survives: the Grey House, the ruins of the pre-burial hall, traces of the Jewish cemeteries, the roll-call square, and paths where fragments of gravestones were once used to pave roads. You will reflect at major memorials, including the Monument of Torn-Out Hearts, and learn how the camp was organized into living, hospital, administrative, and industrial sections.

An essential part of Plaszow’s story is Oskar Schindler. Through his enamelware enterprise he sought work permits for Jewish prisoners registered through Plaszow, shielding them from further transports; later, he organized their transfer to his wartime plant in Brunnlitz, saving over a thousand lives. His actions, remembered worldwide, are inseparable from the history told here.

Unlike sites filled with preserved buildings, Plaszow offers open ground, silence, and space for thought. With few physical remains, it is a place of memory rather than spectacle—an intimate setting to confront history, honor the victims, and reflect.