Kazimierz

Kazimierz Kazimierz is a historical district of Krakow Poland. Kazimierz was established in 1335 by King Casmir III. Kazimierz boundaries are defined by what used to be an island in the Vistula River. Later part of the river was filled in to connect Kazimierz to Krakow. Kazimierz was an independent town of the Polish Kingdom until 1791 when it became a district of Krakow. Kazimierz was occupied by Christian and Jewish cultures. It became more of a Jewish city in the late fourteen hundreds as Jews were being expelled from Krakow. By the sixteen hundreds the Jews had established Kazimierz as one of the most important towns in Poland. They had constructed many synagogs, and Jews flocked to the city. This changed in the mid sixteen hundreds. First Kazimierz was devestated by the plague, then invaded by Sweeds, followed by floods and anti-Jewish riots. The Jews began to leave for Warsaw, and the city began to fall apart. In 1796 Krakow was controlled by Austria. They began to rebuild Kazimierz. The Austrians ordered all the Jews to resettle in Kazimierz. From the eighteen hundreds Kazimierz already had a large Jewish population. During World War II the Jewish population doubled. Jews ran to Kazimierz as Hitlers Nazi's began to occupy other area of Poland. Kazmierz was one of the last strongholds of the Jews, but eventually they fell to the Nazi's also. The Jews were herded to a concentration camp in a ghetto in Podgorze. Almost all of them were killed by the Nazi's. It is believed only about 3500 survived. Kazmierz would not recover until the late nineteen hundreds. Today Kazimierz is a major tourist area in Poland. It still has many locations where tourists can relive its rich history. Kazmierz also sees many Jews continue to return and is now considered and trendy place. Some historical places to visit include, Market square, Gothic St Catherine's church, Gothic Corpus Christi Church, Baroque church on the Rock, The Municipal engineering Museum, The Jewish history museum, Remuh Synagogue, High Synagogue, Izaak Synagogue, Kupah Synagogue, and Temple Synagogue.

By: Brandon Driscoll