Apteka Pod Orłem w Krakowie

About the museum

The Apteka Pod Orłem was founded in 1909 in a corner tenement house by the former Small Market Square in Podgórze, today Plac Bohaterów Getta. From 1909 its owner was Józef Pankiewicz, and in 1934 management was taken over by his son Tadeusz (1908–1993). Before the war the pharmacy served both Jewish and Polish residents of the district.

In March 1941 the Germans established the Kraków ghetto in Podgórze, and the pharmacy found itself within its boundaries. It was the only pharmacy in the ghetto, and Pankiewicz was the only Pole who had the right to remain there permanently. Jewish intellectuals, scientists and artists met in the pharmacy; medicines and items helping to avoid deportation were issued, and the back rooms served as hiding places. Pankiewicz and his employees – Irena Droździkowska, Aurelia Danek and Helena Krywaniuk – acted as go-betweens between the ghetto and the outside world, smuggled food and kept the valuables entrusted to them.

The museum opened on 22 April 1983 as the Museum of National Remembrance, on the initiative of Pankiewicz’s friends associated in the Podgórze District Friends Society; in 2003 it was taken over by the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków, today the Museum of Kraków. The present permanent exhibition “Apteka Tadeusza Pankiewicza w getcie krakowskim” (The Pharmacy of Tadeusz Pankiewicz in the Kraków Ghetto) was opened on 16 March 2013 in the former rooms of the pharmacy; visitors see, among other things, the dispensing room and Pankiewicz’s room.

Key themes

• Original pharmacy rooms from the war years
• Exhibition on Tadeusz Pankiewicz and the Kraków ghetto
• Pankiewicz’s room and the dispensing room
• Memorial plaque to Tadeusz Pankiewicz at the entrance

Permanent exhibition

• Apteka Tadeusza Pankiewicza w getcie krakowskim – Exhibition in the original pharmacy rooms on Tadeusz Pankiewicz and life in the Kraków ghetto.

Founded

1983

Operated by

Muzeum Krakowa

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Wednesday – free admission (tickets online or at the ticket office, while places last).

Holders of the Karta Dużej Rodziny pay half the standard ticket price; discounts also apply to holders of the Karta Krakowska and the Krakowska Karta Rodziny “N”. A ticket to Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory also covers this branch and Ulica Pomorska for 7 days from the date on the ticket. Holders of the Działacz Opozycji card pay PLN 1.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Animals may not be taken into the branch, except for assistance dogs of people with disabilities. The Museum of Kraków publishes general accessibility information on its page “Muzeum dostępne” (Accessible Museum), including a virtual gallery with audio description, PJM interpretation and easy-to-read texts.

Kids & families

The museum offers a family ticket and educational programmes for pupils in grades VII–VIII and at secondary schools.

Getting there & parking

The branch is located on Plac Bohaterów Getta in Podgórze.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit