Experience the best of German Nazi Forced Labor Camp Plaszow

Honor the memory of those who suffered at Plaszow Concentration Camp in Krakow, Poland. Take a guided tour of the camp or combine it with a visit to Schindler's Factory for a profound experience. Never forget this World War II site.

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Slide 1 of 7, Vistula River cruise boat docked with ferris wheel in background, Krakow, Poland.

Vistula River in Kraków with Cricoteka and bridge during river cruise.

Tour guide explaining the Płaszów Concentration Camp memorial to visitors.

Historic building at Płaszów Concentration Camp site, Kraków, surrounded by greenery.

Interior seating area of Vistula River Cruise boat with large windows and a bar.

Tour guide pointing at a model of Płaszów Concentration Camp during guided tour.

Tour guide explaining historical information at Płaszów Concentration Camp memorial site.

Krakow Vistula River Cruise + Płaszów Concentration Camp Guided Tour

2 hrs 30 mins

1 more

Enjoy the attractions of Krakow in this panoramic boat cruise with an audio guide. Arrive at the Podgórze district where your guide will take you on an insightful tour of the former WWII Krakow-Płaszów concentration camp.
The first part of this tour involves cruising along the Vistula River – the biggest river in Poland. Your catamaran boat has a modern sound system, heated deck and comfortable leather sofas for a comfortable experience at all times – even on cold days.
You’ll see the Wawel castle complex that includes the Castle, Cathedral and a legendary fire-breathing statue of a dragon.
A UNESCO Heritage site, the Castle is a wonderful mix of different architectural styles like the Cathedral and a beloved gem of Krakow.
Reach the Krakow-Płaszów concentration camp in the suburbs and meet your guide who’ll educate you about the dark and cruel history of this WWII camp.
You’ll learn about the hard labor carried out, the deportation of Jews in 1942, and stand in humble respect of the silent monuments – the only parts left of the camp today.

More details

Enjoy the attractions of Krakow in this panoramic boat cruise with an audio guide. Arrive at the Podgórze district where your guide will take you on an insightful tour of the former WWII Krakow-Płaszów concentration camp.
The first part of this tour involves cruising along the Vistula River – the biggest river in Poland. Your catamaran boat has a modern sound system, heated deck and comfortable leather sofas for a comfortable experience at all times – even on cold days.
You’ll see the Wawel castle complex that includes the Castle, Cathedral and a legendary fire-breathing statue of a dragon.
A UNESCO Heritage site, the Castle is a wonderful mix of different architectural styles like the Cathedral and a beloved gem of Krakow.
Reach the Krakow-Płaszów concentration camp in the suburbs and meet your guide who’ll educate you about the dark and cruel history of this WWII camp.
You’ll learn about the hard labor carried out, the deportation of Jews in 1942, and stand in humble respect of the silent monuments – the only parts left of the camp today.

from

zł205

Slide 1 of 4, Memorial stone at Plaszow Concentration Camp site in Krakow, surrounded by greenery and buildings.

Memorial stone for Sara Schenirer at Plaszow Concentration Camp site, Krakow.

Stone relief of faces at Plaszow Concentration Camp memorial, Krakow.

Memorial at Plaszow Concentration Camp site with commemorative plaques and stone structures.

Krakow-Plaszow Concentration Camp Tour

2 hrs

Visit the sites of Plaszow, a little-known concentration camp on the outskirts of Krakow.
With the help of your guide, find traces of the former camp buildings and listen to their history.
Pay your respects to the victims of the Holocaust at the camp's memorials.
Learn about the life of Oskar Schindler and see where "Schindler's List" was filmed.

More details

Visit the sites of Plaszow, a little-known concentration camp on the outskirts of Krakow.
With the help of your guide, find traces of the former camp buildings and listen to their history.
Pay your respects to the victims of the Holocaust at the camp's memorials.
Learn about the life of Oskar Schindler and see where "Schindler's List" was filmed.

from

zł105

Pro tips to help you make a pick

Do not look for an entry ticket: the memorial grounds are free to enter, and paid products cover guiding and transport rather than admission.

If you want context, choose a guided WWII or Jewish history tour. Group options usually run ~3–5 hours total with ~1–2 hours at Plaszow, while private car tours are typically ~4–6 hours.

Check whether a combined tour includes Schindler’s Factory interior entry or only the exterior. Multi-site itineraries vary by operator, and museum tickets may be extra on private tours.

Skip-the-line upgrades do not matter at Plaszow itself because there are no ticket gates or security lines. Any priority access only applies to other paid stops in a combo itinerary.

Self-guided visits work best if you preload maps or use GPS for the Monument to the Victims of Fascism. Public transport usually still involves a walk into the memorial area from nearby stops.

If mobility is a concern, compare private car tours with walking-heavy group tours. The grounds are largely unpaved, hilly, and can be muddy, so door-to-door transport can make a big difference.

There is no official audio guide documented for the memorial. If you are visiting independently, bring printed notes or use your own researched materials because on-site interpretation is limited to outdoor signage.

Plan your visit for daylight hours. The grounds are effectively accessible at all times, but wayfinding, reading signage, and moving safely around uneven paths are easier during the day.

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About Plaszow Concentration Camp

Plaszow stands apart from other Holocaust sites because it is largely an open, unfenced landscape with few standing structures. Instead of galleries or barracks, visitors read the terrain through memorial stones, information boards, cemetery remnants, and road traces. That subtle setting makes guided tours especially valuable, particularly when paired with Schindler’s Factory or Kraków’s former ghetto area.

Did you know?

Plaszow was built partly on the grounds of two Jewish cemeteries from Podgórze, and desecrated gravestones were used in camp roads and other construction works.

The camp began as a forced-labor camp for Jews in 1942 before later being transformed into a concentration camp directly under SS authority.

Plaszow’s prisoner population reached ~20,000 at times, including Jews from Kraków and nearby areas as well as Poles and other prisoners.

When Steven Spielberg made “Schindler’s List,” the Plaszow camp scenes were filmed on a nearby quarry site rather than the original grounds to avoid using a mass grave area as a set.

Unlike Auschwitz, Plaszow currently has no formal visitor center or museum building on site; interpretation relies on outdoor boards and external resources.

Why visit Plaszow Concentration Camp?

Walk the Actual Former Camp Grounds

A former Nazi forced-labor and concentration camp once operated here on Kraków’s outskirts. Today you move through open fields, marked paths, foundation fragments, and information boards on the original terrain rather than in a reconstructed museum building.

1964 Monument to the Victims of Fascism

This large abstract concrete monument is the site’s main visual landmark. Designed by Witold Cęckiewicz and erected in 1964 on a hill within the former camp grounds, it commemorates the victims of fascism through forms that suggest both suffering and resistance.

Marked Mass Grave Fields and Memorial Stones

Various signposted areas across the grounds contain the remains of thousands of murdered prisoners. Paths typically skirt these grave fields, while modest stones and plaques mark sites confirmed by postwar investigations and exhumations.

Road Traces, Barracks Lines, Cemetery Remnants

Visible alignments of former internal roads and barracks zones help reconstruct the camp’s layout. The site also overlaps two Jewish cemeteries from Podgórze, where gravestone fragments and documented remnants show how sacred ground was desecrated and reused in camp construction.

Kraków’s Local Holocaust History in Context

Plaszow is often paired with Schindler’s Factory, Kazimierz, and the former ghetto area in Podgórze. That broader route connects the memorial to Kraków’s wartime Jewish history and makes the quiet, less structured site a reflective counterpart to museum visits.

Plan your visit

Informal path entries from ul. Swoszowicka and surrounding streets

This refers to the informal paths leading in from ul. Swoszowicka and nearby local streets around the former camp area between ul. Kamieńskiego and ul. Swoszowicka. It is the most practical approach for self-guided visitors using GPS and for taxi or rideshare drop-offs heading toward Pomnik Ofiar Faszyzmu w Płaszowie. There are no ticket booths, bag checks, security lines, or visitor facilities here; you simply walk into the memorial landscape. Surfaces are unpaved and uneven, with grass, dirt tracks, slopes, and possible mud, so wheelchair access is limited. Use the monument as your main orientation point once inside.