Krakow Under the Swastika: The Germanization of a City

How did one of Poland’s great cultural and university cities become a centre of Nazi German power?

This two-hour walking tour takes place entirely in Kraków’s historic Old Town and follows the city’s transformation during more than five years of German occupation.

We begin with Kraków in the 1930s, then explore the invasion of Poland, the creation of the General Government and the attempt to reshape the city’s institutions, culture and identity.

From the Main Market Square, we move through Planty Park and the Jagiellonian University, where we discuss repression of academics, censorship and the attack on Polish education. Historical photographs accompany the route, helping compare wartime Kraków with the city today.

We also examine the role of Hans Frank and the occupation administration before entering the Franciscan Church to discuss religion, persecution and the story of Maximilian Kolbe.

The tour ends at the former St. Michael’s Prison, where we explore the final months of occupation, Kraków’s liberation in January 1945 and the post-war trials of Nazi officials.

This is a story about how a city was transformed—and how its people lived through it.