Discover 6 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Oświęcim (Poland). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, Oświęcim Synagogue, and Zamek. Also, be sure to include Oświęcimskie Centrum Kultury in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Oświęcim (Lesser Poland).
Table of Contents
Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp
Museum
Oświęcim Synagogue
Also known as: Synagoga Chewra Lomdei Misznajot w Oświęcimiu
Synagogue. The Oświęcim Synagogue, also called the Auschwitz Synagogue, is the only active synagogue in the town of Oświęcim, Poland. The formal, as well as pre-war, name of the synagogue is Khevre Loymdei Mishnayos. It is now part of the Auschwitz Jewish Center, which includes a Jewish Museum, a cafe in the house of Shimson Kleuger and an education center.[1]
Address: pl. Ks. Jana Skarbka 5, 32-600 Oswiecim
Zamek
Building in Oświęcim. Oświęcim Castle is a castle raised in the Medieval Ages on the top of a hill, on the right bank of the River Soła in Oświęcim.
The castle comprises a thirteenth-century early-Gothic defence tower covered by a roof, a two-floor building built around a courtyard (with the old wing from the beginning of the sixteenth century) and additional connections between the wings built in 1929–31. Most of the fortifications around the castle were destroyed due to the changing river course of the River Soła.
On the top of the hill where the castle is located there are remains of the fortifications. There are two tunnels located underneath the castle, the older (built before 1914) and the second which was excavated by the Germans (1940–1944). The tunnels were used as bunkers.[2]
Address: ul. Zamkowa 1, 32-600 Oswiecim
Oświęcimskie Centrum Kultury
Museum
Address: Ul. Śniadeckiego 24, Oświęcim
Miejska Biblioteka Publiczna im. Łukasza Górnickiego
Library
Address: Ul. Nojego 2B, Oświęcim
Centrum Żydowskie
The Auschwitz Jewish Center is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to preserve the memory of the Jewish community of the city of Oświęcim and educate about the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism and other prejudices and intolerance.
The Center runs the Jewish Museum in Oświęcim highlighting the history of the local Jewish community, looks after the only preserved synagogue in the city, the Khevre Loymdei Mishnayos Synagogue, and the house of the last Jewish resident of Oświęcim, Shimson Kleuger, which houses the Bergson café with exhibition and educational space.
The Auschwitz Jewish Center makes the Jewish cemetery in Oświęcim, owned by the Jewish community in Bielsko-Biała, available to visitors.[3]