Getting there, and the day around it
Sławkowska 14: finding the klezmer hall
Where the klezmer concert is held in Kraków's Old Town, what to expect at the door and the stairs, and how to fit Kazimierz around the evening.
Reserve a seat for the concert ↗Quick answer
The klezmer concert is at Sławkowska 14, on a street that runs north from the Main Square in Kraków's Old Town. The hall is on the second floor of a historic tenement, and the organiser asks you to arrive at least ten minutes before the start. Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter, is a separate district to the south, so plan it as its own visit, ideally in the afternoon before the concert.
Two outings in two districts
| The concert | Kazimierz | |
|---|---|---|
| District | Old Town | South of the Old Town |
| Street | Sławkowska 14 | Szeroka and nearby |
| Access | Second-floor hall, stairs | Check each site |
| Best as | An evening outing | An afternoon visit |
The address
The concert is at Sławkowska 14, 33-332 Kraków. Sławkowska is a historic Old Town street whose southern end is the Main Square and whose northern end meets Basztowa and Długa streets. The oldest document that mentions it dates from 1307, when it was written Slacovse gasse. The street lies inside the Historic Centre of Kraków, which UNESCO listed as a World Heritage Site in 1978. The organiser lists the address as Sławkowska 14, which is the number to enter in a map app, rather than just the street name.
A street with a musical past
Sławkowska has a long link with music. Wikipedia notes that the building at number 3, the Hotel Saski, includes a concert hall where Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms and Ignacy Jan Paderewski performed. The street also has older houses: Badeni House at number 10 is a fourteenth-century building, and the Domżałowska Tenement at number 22 has a seventeenth-century façade. For number 14 itself, the organiser's account below is the source. It is a fitting address for an evening of live music, in a street with a concert-hall past.
Old Town, not Kazimierz
Many visitors expect a klezmer concert to be in Kazimierz, the historic Jewish quarter. This one is not. Kazimierz was a separate royal town until the early nineteenth century, and it lies south of the Old Town. A branch of the Vistula once divided them, and its bed was filled in at the end of the nineteenth century and turned into a green avenue. The Old Synagogue and the Remuh both stand on Szeroka Street, a different street and a different address from the concert. So treat the concert and Kazimierz as two outings: one in the evening, one with a full afternoon.
Getting there
Most of the Old Town is easiest on foot, and Sławkowska starts at the Main Square. The square dates back to the thirteenth century and, at 3.79 hectares, is sometimes described as one of Europe's largest medieval town squares. The Cloth Hall in its centre and the Gothic towers of St Mary's Basilica make easy landmarks. If you are staying in another district, set your map app to public transport and aim for the Main Square, then walk up the street. The meeting point is listed as Klezmer Music Venue, 14 Sławkowska. If your hotel is far from the centre, a taxi to the Main Square and a short walk is the simplest plan for an evening concert, and it avoids the question of which stop is nearest the door.
At the door and on the stairs
Your first task on arrival is the climb: the hall is on the second floor. The organiser asks guests to arrive at least ten minutes before the concert begins to allow time for entry and seating, and to follow the signs or the staff's directions on arrival. Take your confirmation with you, ideally on your phone, so that you can show it at the door without searching your inbox on the stairs. If you are early, wait where you are not blocking the staircase.
- Arrive at least ten minutes before the start
- Follow the signs or staff directions to the second floor
- Keep your confirmation ready on your phone
The house and its history
The organiser calls the building the Dębiński or Under the Barrel tenement. It says the house was built in the fifteenth century as a one-storey building and thoroughly rebuilt in the middle of the sixteenth, and it describes the house as meticulously preserved. Those dates are the organiser's own account of the house. What you can see for yourself is a tall Old Town house with a staircase that leads to a concert hall, in a quarter where many buildings go back to the Middle Ages. The organiser describes the setting as intimate, and reviewers agree.
When the concert starts
Trust the booking calendar for start times, since each date lists its own. Slots can change, so open your confirmation again on the day. One traveller's review describes a start moved earlier at short notice, and a guest who missed the opening minutes, so keep an eye on your email and phone. The concert itself runs about fifty minutes, which leaves room for dinner either side, whether you eat in the Old Town or in Kazimierz. Book your table after you have confirmed the concert time, not before.
Stairs, strollers and wheelchairs
The organiser lists the venue as not wheelchair accessible, not stroller accessible and without infant seats, and the hall is on the second floor. If anyone in your party cannot manage stairs, choose a different evening activity. The organiser also describes the concert as suitable for the whole family, so older children who can climb stairs and sit through fifty minutes of music are the natural audience. Carry a small bag rather than luggage, and leave suitcases at your hotel.
An afternoon in Kazimierz
If you give the afternoon to Kazimierz, three places make a short route. The Old Synagogue at Szeroka 24 is a museum, a branch of the Museum of Kraków. The Remuh Synagogue at Szeroka 40 stands beside its old cemetery and still serves a small congregation. The Galicia Jewish Museum at Dajwór 18 runs a permanent exhibition and lists cultural events. Opening times and entry rules change, so check each site's own page before you go. Allow time to walk slowly, because these are places of memory as well as sights.
Read next: Kazimierz: Kraków's Jewish quarter in brief
Language on the night
Reviews of earlier evenings say spoken introductions have been in Polish, and that the musicians were not always introduced. The music itself needs no translation, and some songs are in Yiddish. If you like to know what you are hearing, read about klezmer and Yiddish song before you go, then let the evening carry you. The short guides on this site cover the dances and the songs, and they will help you recognise a doina or a freylekhs when the ensemble plays one.
Read next: Yiddish song and the tunes you might know
Who this isn't for
If anyone in your group needs step-free access, choose something else: the hall sits up a staircase on the second floor. It is also a poor fit if you want a guided walk through Jewish Kraków or a full dinner. And if you like to know the programme in advance, remember that the ensemble chooses its pieces on the night and that the musicians can change with availability. In any of those cases, the festival or the museums in Kazimierz may suit you better.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is the klezmer concert in Kraków?
At Sławkowska 14, in an Old Town house on the street that leads north from the Main Square. You will find the hall on the second floor, and the meeting point is listed as Klezmer Music Venue.
Is the venue in Kazimierz?
No. Kazimierz is the historic Jewish quarter, south of the Old Town. The concert is in the Old Town, so plan a separate visit to Kazimierz, with its own half day.
How early should I arrive?
Aim for at least ten minutes before the start, which leaves time for entry, the stairs and seating. Each date in the booking calendar has its own start time, so check your confirmation again on the day.
Is there step-free access?
No. The hall is on the second floor, and the organiser lists the venue as not wheelchair accessible and not stroller accessible. Choose another activity if anyone in your group cannot climb stairs.
Can I combine it with Kazimierz?
Yes, but as two separate outings. Give Kazimierz an afternoon, with its synagogues, cemetery and museums, and keep the concert for the evening, with dinner either side.
Is the concert in English?
The music needs no language, and some songs are in Yiddish. Reviews say spoken introductions have been in Polish, and that musicians were not always introduced, so read about the tunes beforehand.
Sources