Statue of Jan Karski
Statue of Jan Karski
4.2
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The area
Neighbourhood: Kazimierz
Historically rich Kazimierz neighborhood in Krakow is a treasure trove of Jewish culture and heritage. Iconic landmarks such as the Old Synagogue and Remuh Synagogue offer a glimpse into the past, while the Galicia Jewish Museum showcases contemporary Jewish culture. The neighborhood is also a gastronomic delight, with cafes and restaurants serving mouthwatering traditional Jewish and Polish cuisine. Convenient public transportation options like buses and trams provide easy access to the rest of Krakow, making Kazimierz an ideal base for exploring the city. The ambiance is an enticing blend of old-world charm and modern comforts, making every visitor's experience in Kazimierz truly unforgettable.
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4.2
106 reviews
Excellent
39
Very good
54
Average
12
Poor
1
Terrible
0
ANGELO V
Milan, Italy5,084 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
Jan Karski was a Polish resistance-fighter and diplomat during World War II. He first reported the Holocaust to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and he is listed as "Righteous Among the Nations".
He wrote a book ("The Story of a Secret State - My Report to the World") about his mission during the Resistance. I bought this book in a library near Remuh Synagogue, and I was told by the library owner that the author... was sitting on a bench a few meters away, so I checked the monument and sat next to him for a few moments.
He wrote a book ("The Story of a Secret State - My Report to the World") about his mission during the Resistance. I bought this book in a library near Remuh Synagogue, and I was told by the library owner that the author... was sitting on a bench a few meters away, so I checked the monument and sat next to him for a few moments.
Written 13 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wendy Rattray
Aberdeen, UK112 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
The statue is a lovely tribute to what this man did for the people of his country. The statue is situated looking into the Square (Szeroka Street) that Steven Spielberg used in the film Schindlers List!
Written 26 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheShis
Tel Aviv, Israel44,747 contributions
Mar 2023
Jan Karski, the famous Polish hero, is now forever here, in the old Jewish quarter - so fitting for his actions towards saving Jews during WWII.
Written 20 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert O
Rotterdam, The Netherlands6,757 contributions
Oct 2020
Sculpture of a pensive man sitting on a bench in front of a tree near Remuh synagogue in central Krakow. Karski was one of the many Poles who fought against fascism. Special about him was that he tried to find out about the truth by going on the spot. During Nazi occupation of Poland he travelled from Britain into the occupied zone. He was smuggled into the Warsaw ghetto to gather intelligence. His reports about the ongoing Holocaust were largely ignored by the allied leaders both in London and Washington.
Karski is on his bench in Krakow since 2016. There are similar statues of him in other Polish cities, Tel Aviv and in front of the Polish consulate in New York, perhaps to underscore the attempts of the authorities to foster a more balanced view of history, as if to say 'there were also brave Polish men who opposed the slaughter of fellow Jewish citizens' and 'not just communists fought against the Nazis'. Karski opposed Sowjet occupation of eastern Poland in 1939 and after the war did not return.
Karski is on his bench in Krakow since 2016. There are similar statues of him in other Polish cities, Tel Aviv and in front of the Polish consulate in New York, perhaps to underscore the attempts of the authorities to foster a more balanced view of history, as if to say 'there were also brave Polish men who opposed the slaughter of fellow Jewish citizens' and 'not just communists fought against the Nazis'. Karski opposed Sowjet occupation of eastern Poland in 1939 and after the war did not return.
Written 30 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adrian W
Krakow, Poland3 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Very interesting bronze sculpture but i deffinitely dont want to take a picture with :) this is one of several statues and landart in lodz i like it
Written 22 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Israel R
Ra'anana, Israel16,761 contributions
Oct 2018
The bench statue dedicated to Jan Karski is located in the center of old Krakow’s Jewish Quarter near the synagogue and the Jewish cemetery.
Jan Karski was the nickname of Jan Kozielewski in the Polish underground that has been adopted by him as his name after the Second World War.
Jan has been taken prisoner by the Red Army. After escaping the POW camp, he returned to the "General Administration" alias for a German-controlled area in central Poland. There he joined the “Homeland Army”, a Polish underground organization that obeyed the orders of the Polish government in exile in London.
During 1942, the Germans began evacuating the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto to extermination camps. In April 1943, the Germans wanted to completely eliminate the ghetto. During 1942, Karski sneaked twice into the Warsaw ghetto, where he was smuggled in by the Jewish underground.
Its purpose was to experience firsthand the events that took place inside the ghettos, and to expose the “Jewish Holocaust” to the world.
Jan Karski was the nickname of Jan Kozielewski in the Polish underground that has been adopted by him as his name after the Second World War.
Jan has been taken prisoner by the Red Army. After escaping the POW camp, he returned to the "General Administration" alias for a German-controlled area in central Poland. There he joined the “Homeland Army”, a Polish underground organization that obeyed the orders of the Polish government in exile in London.
During 1942, the Germans began evacuating the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto to extermination camps. In April 1943, the Germans wanted to completely eliminate the ghetto. During 1942, Karski sneaked twice into the Warsaw ghetto, where he was smuggled in by the Jewish underground.
Its purpose was to experience firsthand the events that took place inside the ghettos, and to expose the “Jewish Holocaust” to the world.
Written 10 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vtc2017
Miami, FL1,752 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
Next to the Remuh Synagogue you'll see a space set aside to the memory and legacy of Jan Karski - a member of the Polish underground army, known to the history books as the "man who tried to stop the Holocaust." During World War II, Karski smuggled himself into the Warsaw Ghetto and Nazi concentration camps with the express intent of witnessing and recording the horror being perpetrated against the Jews, in order to report it to the West. In 1942 he successfully escaped the European continent to meet with the London-based Polish government-in-exile, as well as the Allied leaders, including UK Foreign Secretary Antony Eden and US President Franklin Roosevelt. One of the first to present credible evidence of the extermination of European Jews by the Third Reich, unfortunately Karski's report largely fell on deaf ears. In 1944 he published a memoir of his mission titled My Report to the World: The Story of a Secret State, which was a wartime bestseller. He lived out his life in the US, teaching at Georgetown University for 40 years, and was awarded numerous honours including the Order of the White Eagle (PL), the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari (PL), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (US), and is recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.
The monument in Kraków was installed in 2016 and takes the form of a bench, emulating similar Karski benches in Łódź, Warsaw, Kielce and Tel Aviv.
The monument in Kraków was installed in 2016 and takes the form of a bench, emulating similar Karski benches in Łódź, Warsaw, Kielce and Tel Aviv.
Written 21 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vik
Norway145 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
As many write before, usually crowded with people taking photos
Centrally located at the eastern part of Kazimerz and easily accessed.
Centrally located at the eastern part of Kazimerz and easily accessed.
Written 15 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ITRT
Virginia46,586 contributions
May 2017 • Friends
Located near the Polish Museum is a statue of Jan Kozielewski, a World War II Polish army secret agent and courier known as the “man who tried to stop the Holocaust”. Kozielewski shortened his name to Karski. Karski risked his life to bring first-hand reports of the Holocaust to the Allies during World War II. Our tour guide told us Karski posed as a guard where he witnessed Jews being herded onto train cars to their death. He provided eyewitness accounts to the allies but none of the super powers listened to him. After the war, Karski moved to the United States and was a professor at the University of Georgetown in Washington, DC for over 40 years.
Written 5 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keith S
7 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Had read about a half of his amazing book prior to visiting - what an incredible range of events he endured in WW2. Impressive statue, and very pleased to pay my respects - recommended...
Written 2 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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