Oświęcim
Oświęcim is a city in Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland.
Understand
Oświęcim, a town of 43,000, lies in Southern Poland, roughly 60 km from Kraków. The town is best known as being home to Auschwitz I, a WWII concentration camp, and its close proximity to the Auschwitz expansion camp - Auschwitz-Birkenau, an extermination/forced labor camp.
The first record of the town dates to the 10th century. Originally, Germans and Poles inhabited the town. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Jewish population of Oświęcim began to grow and in a relatively short time Jews were in the majority.
Get in
By car
From Katowice (35 km), Kraków (60 km, route 780)
By plane
Arriving at Kraków-Balice (55 km) or Katowice-Pyrzowice (70 km)
Get around
By bus
Buses are frequent and cheap, if not totally reliable around the town, and particularly to the Auschwitz museum not far away.
On foot
Oświecim is easily navigated on foot, as everything is close by.
See
- Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp
- Oświecim Castle
- Cemetery of Mosaic/Jewish Religion
- Auschwitz Jewish Center, it includes a museum about the former Jewish life in Oświęcim. Jews were for 150 years the majority in this town.
Do
Visit Old Town Market, and Chewra Lomdei Misznajot Temple, and the castle. There is also new modern library, and ice hockey stadium.
- Life Festival Oświęcim. June. Music, theatre and art festival whose main concept is building peaceful relations between cultures. 2014 edition's line-up includes Eric Clapton, Soundgarden and Balkan Beat Box.
Buy
Anything, as Poland is notoriously cheap.
Eat
- Hotel Galicja, a bit pricy, but fancy cuisine. Dąbrowskiego Street.
- Rapsodia the pizzeria. Good Italian style pizzas, reasonably prices. Sniadeckiego Street (by the town's Culture Center (OCK)).
- Scorpion Restaurant, just opposite the Station, very cheap, not overly friendly, but a wide variety to choose from when waiting for a train.
- Bistro Bilard, The best Italian restaurant- pizzeria and billiard club. Opposite the Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau (Leszczyńskiej Street).
Drink
- Pub Kancelaria Caffe, Tea and drinks - is near synagogue temple and Castle. Place in Old Oświęcim town decor, with before WW2 photographs of town and people who lived in town.
Sleep
- Hotel Galicja. A short taxi ride from railway station and memorial.
Go next
- Kraków is an hour from Oświęcim by bus or train.