Under the Eagle Pharmacy and Ghetto Heroes Square

The Under the Eagle Pharmacy (Apteka pod Orłem, roughly "AP-teh-kah pod OR-wem") in Kraków is one of the most moving places to visit in Podgórze, the district south of the Vistula where the Nazis sealed off the city's Jewish ghetto in 1941. Its owner, Tadeusz Pankiewicz, was the only non-Jewish Pole allowed to live and work inside the ghetto, and his pharmacy became a lifeline. Today it is a small branch of the Museum of Kraków facing Ghetto Heroes Square and its striking memorial of empty chairs.

The story: a pharmacy inside the Kraków Ghetto

The pharmacy was founded in 1909 by Józef Pankiewicz, and his son Tadeusz ran it from 1934. When the German occupiers created the ghetto in March 1941, the pharmacy ended up inside its walls. Tadeusz chose to stay, and for the next two years the shop, open around the clock, was far more than a place to buy medicine. Pankiewicz and his staff passed on news and food, hid people and valuables (including Torah scrolls), and helped residents keep in touch with the rest of the city.

From the windows they also witnessed the square's darkest days: it was the main assembly point for deportations, from the mass selection of June 1942 to the liquidation of the ghetto on March 13–14, 1943. Pankiewicz later wrote a memoir, The Cracow Ghetto Pharmacy, and in 1983 Yad Vashem recognized him as Righteous Among the Nations. If you have seen Schindler's List, this is the same neighborhood – Oskar Schindler's factory is a ten-minute walk away.

What you'll see inside

The permanent exhibition, Tadeusz Pankiewicz's Pharmacy in the Kraków Ghetto (opened in 2013), recreates the old pharmacy rooms with their wooden cabinets and drawers. Open them: many hold photographs, documents and witness accounts. The rooms are small but packed with personal stories about hunger, forced resettlement and the people who lived here. Plan on 45–60 minutes.

Ghetto Heroes Square and the empty chairs

Outside, Plac Bohaterów Getta (Ghetto Heroes Square) was redesigned in 2005 by architects Piotr Lewicki and Kazimierz Łatak. Their memorial consists of 70 chairs – 33 large bronze-and-cast-iron chairs on the square and 37 smaller ones at the tram stops. The idea comes from Pankiewicz's memoir, which describes furniture abandoned on the square during the deportations. It is a quiet, powerful place to pause, especially early in the morning.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes – especially if you are exploring Kraków's World War II history. It pairs naturally with Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory museum and the MOCAK contemporary art museum on nearby Lipowa Street, and with remaining fragments of the ghetto wall on Lwowska Street. Together they make a strong half-day itinerary. The pharmacy is small and gets busy on weekends, so arrive close to opening time.

Opening hours and tickets

As of October 2026 (Museum of Kraków website):

• Hours: Wednesday–Sunday 9 am–5 pm, last entry 4:30 pm; closed Monday and Tuesday.
• Closed: November 1 and 11, December 24, 25, 26 and 31; shorter hours (until 2 pm) on December 18.
• Tickets: regular 22 PLN, reduced 16 PLN, family 44 PLN; combined ticket with the Old Synagogue in Kazimierz 26/22 PLN.
• Free admission on Wednesdays, subject to availability (book online or at the desk).
• Contact: +48 12 426 50 60, apteka@muzeumkrakowa.pl.

Poland uses the złoty (PLN); card payment is standard in Kraków museums.

How to get there

The pharmacy is at Plac Bohaterów Getta 18, about 2.5 km south of the Main Market Square. Kraków's John Paul II Airport (Balice) is roughly 15 km west of the center, with trains to Kraków Główny station; from the Old Town you can take a tram to the "Plac Bohaterów Getta" stop or walk through Kazimierz and cross the Father Bernatek Footbridge (Kładka Bernatka) over the Vistula – about 15 minutes on foot from Kazimierz. Parking nearby is paid and limited, so public transport is easier.

Nearby

• Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory and MOCAK (Lipowa Street)
• Podgórze Market Square and St. Joseph's Church
• Remnants of the ghetto wall on Lwowska Street
• The Vistula boulevards and Bernatek Footbridge
• Krakus Mound, with views over the city