16 August 2016

I'm Happy Again in Kraków (4412 km)

(Kraków, 15.08.2016 - 16.08.2016) It's not that I was unhappy so far, by no means, but a stopover in Kraków, or more precisely in Kazimierz, the Jewish historical district of Kraków, is always a pleasure, but...

 

...Kraków is at the same time the main destination for Holocaust tourism. "Krakow, once home to a thriving Jewish community, now resembles no more than a ghost town in terms of its Jews of yesteryear. All that remains are the synagogues and the graves, and - in place of Jewish businesses and restaurants - there now stand 'Jewish-style' cafes and tourist bookshops where tomes on the long-lost community are snapped up like hot cakes. They do a roaring trade, even in the harsh, snow-covered month of November, as Krakow's streets teem with tour groups from all over the globe." This citation is from Seth Freedman's article in The Guardian "There is a Holocaust industry" from the year 2007. Since then the Holocaust tourism rather increased, but Seth Freedman's postscript reads as follows: "But why is that a bad thing? It is essential learning for anyone with a vested interest in the history of mankind." - Now I wonder, if that's going to be a model for Czernowitz too?!

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