Schindler’s Factory is one of the most popular places to visit in Krakow. It was pretty much unknown until the Steven Spielberg Movie, Schindler’s List, starring Liam Neeson, hit the cinemas.
Most tourists are surprised when they visit the museum. They come with expectations based on what they have seen in the movie, but they leave with a completely new perspective on Krakow – and here’s why.
I visited Schindler’s Factory in 2024. I backpacked the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp, Kazimierz, Kraków’s Jewish Quarter, the Schindler’s Passage, the Ghetto Heroes Square and Stara Synagoga, all before going to the Fabryka ‘Emalia’ Oskara Schindlera. Quite a sobering few days.
What is the history of Schindler’s Factory?
Oskar Schindler was born in 1908 in Zwittau, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which became Czechoslovakia in 1918. By 1936, Schindler was working as a spy for the German Military Intelligence Office, known as the Abwehr.
When Germany invaded Poland, Schindler relocated to Krakow, where he became a notorious war profiteer. In 1939, he leased and later purchased Rekord, Ltd., a Jewish-owned enamelware factory.
He used Jews from the nearby Kraków Ghetto, because he didn’t have to pay them. In 1942, the SS started deporting them to the Belzec camp.
Schindler stepped in, saying that he needed them to work in his factory, thus saving them from certain death, for which he was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations.
His story became widely known thanks to Spielberg’s movie Schindler’s List, with some of the scenes being filmed in the actual factory.
In 2010, two museums opened in the factory buildings: MOCAK, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Schindler’s Factory. These attractions rapidly drew tourists interested in the famous location.
Today, it is one of the most popular museums in Poland, but you need to buy your tickets well in advance; otherwise, you’ll be waiting in line for a long time.
What to expect in the factory?
Most tourists expect to see a factory, with the workstations, offices and spaces that they know from the movie.
Instead, they get something completely different – even more valuable.
Entering the factory, you are transported back to a pre-war Krakow – you will experience how the reality of Krakow’s residents changed within just a few months, how the lives of people from a multicultural, artistic city that was the heart of young Poland suddenly turned into a nightmare.
Walking through the exhibition, you move between rooms and spaces recreated in the style of those times. With the narration you move from lively streets into the ghetto.
I highly recommend visiting with a guide, who will explain not only the historical background, but above all, the mechanisms that shaped people’s lives during the war.
The story of Oskar Schindler and his survivors also appears – it is somewhat the backbone of the exhibition, but not its centre. This is not a tribute to one man, but respect paid to thousands of Krakow’s inhabitants.
How to visit the factory?
The best option is to book tickets online. If you use the official website, you’ll need to do it well in advance.
If you don’t have that luxury, you can book last-minute using local tour operators to book the Schindler guided tour option, which includes the ticket and a guide.
Purchasing your tickets at the counter is possible but expect a line that stretches outside the museum! Free visits to the factory are available on Mondays, but reservations cannot be made.
