Oświęcim

Oświęcim is a town in Małopolskie Province in southern Poland, 60 km west of Kraków. It's better known by its German name of Auschwitz, and from 1940 to 1945 over a million people, mostly Jews, were slain in the nearby camps. The two principal camps have been preserved as museums and are the main reason to visit. Most visitors come on day-trips to the camps and don't go into town, so the separate Auschwitz-Birkenau page describes the camps and the practicalities of visiting. The present page describes Oświęcim town, in case you want to stay over: there are several other attractions here which are overshadowed by the infamous surroundings.

Understand

Oświęcim lies at the western edge of Małopolskie Province and in 2023 had a population of 34,000. The Soła river flows through town centre to join the Vistula, which nowadays marks the boundary with Silesia. When Poland was partitioned in the 18th century, Oświęcim along with Kraków was seized by Austria, while Silesia became part of Prussia. The area was industrial, based on coal and chemicals, with a substantial German-speaking population. The majority of townsfolk were Jewish, and they called it Oshpitzim (Yiddish: אָשפּיצין‎). In 1918 the area became part of newly-independent Poland, but in 1939 the Nazis annexed it into the Gau of Upper Silesia (a "Gau" being a province ruled by a Gauleiter). They sought to make it a "second Ruhr", an industrial heartland beyond the reach of Allied bombing, and to rid it of unwanted inhabitants. The camps were built and began the industrial genocide of Jews and others first from Germany, then from anywhere in Europe within Nazi control.

So Nifter schnifter, a Leben machter as the Yiddish wisecrack has it: Oświęcim nowadays makes its living from the death camps. But beyond those and the other sights is an ordinary decent town whose residents are trying to conduct ordinary decent lives, under the weight of a dreadful name that turns their every enterprise into a black joke or the title of an off-beat documentary. There's a McDonald's in Auschwitz, right there at the railway station, so convenient for famished arrivals. There's half-a-dozen travel agents in Auschwitz, "Honey, let's try Dachau this year." And so it goes on with the VW dealership, the dry cleaners, the two theme parks. There's eight tattooists in Auschwitz, they must have a rota for wearing the striped pyjamas.

Get in

By plane

Kraków (KRK ^IATA) 50 km east or Katowice (KTW ^IATA) 50 km north are the obvious airports.

By train

Trains from Kraków run hourly and take one hour. Most are regional trains; an occasional faster train is heading for Prague or Vienna.

Direct trains from Katowice run every 2 or 3 hours and take 50 min, with other connections via Trzebinia.

1 Oświęcim railway station is 2 km west of town centre. It's within 2 km of both Auschwitz camps: this is not by chance. Buses and taxis wait to meet the tourist trade.

By road

Buses run at least every 30 min from Kraków, taking 90 min. By car, Highway 44 passes through Oświęcim en route between Kraków and Katowice; don't be on A4 which passes far to the north.

Get around

The sights of Oświecim town are close together and easily reached on foot. Take a bus (several lines) or taxi to the camps as these are 2 km from town and from each other, there's a lot of walking once you reach them, and you'll run out of time if not of energy.

A free bus runs between Auschwitz I and II: see Auschwitz-Birkenau#Getaround.

See

• See Auschwitz for details of the two extermination camps on the west edge of town:

1 Auschwitz I is 2 km south of the railway station

2 Auschwitz II or Birkenau is 2 km southwest of the station. There's nothing to see at Auschwitz III or Monowitz.

• 3 Rynek Główny is the main market square, with most of the town amenities and sights clustered around. Many of its buildings including Town Hall (below) were rebuilt in the 19th century after a couple of disastrous fires, so there's a pleasing unity of style.

Combi tickets for Town Hall Museum, Castle and Tunnels are 25 zł.

• Town Hall Museum (Ratusz), 2 Rynek Główny, ☏ +48 787 915911. Su, Tu-F 10:00-16:00. Local history museum within the town hall, which was built in the 1870s. Adult 12 zł or combi. (updated May 2024)

Oświęcim Castle

• 4 Oświęcim Castle (Museum Zamek), Zamkowa 1, ☏ +48 33 842 4427. Oct-May Su-F 10:00-16:00, Jun-Sep Tu-Su 10:00-18:00. 13th century Gothic defence tower with 16th and 20th century extensions, near the river - too near, as many of the fortifications have been washed away. With small museum, and you can climb to the top of the tower. Adult 12 zł or combi plus 8 zł for tower. (updated May 2024)
• Tunnels drill beneath the castle. The first was dug by the Austrians late 18th century from Zabowka to Bulowy street. In the 1940s the Germans extended this and added a cross-tunnel (north-south) for air raid shelters. You watch an introductory video then go below (bring a sweater) and have to solve puzzles (in Polish) to get out, so it's a sort-of family friendly escape room. Booking via castle essential, adult 12 zł.
• 5 St Maximilian is a striking modern RC church on Aleja Tysiąclecia.
• 6 Jewish Museum and Synagogue (Auschwitz Jewish Centre), Plac Księdza Jana Skarbka 5 (next to castle), ☏ +48 510 781199. Daily 11:00-18:00. Museum about the former Jewish population of Oshpitzin, which in Yiddish means "guests". Includes the Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot synagogue and Cafe Bergson. Online booking essential. Adult 20 zł. (updated Sep 2024)
• 7 Jewish cemetery, dating from mid-18th century, is a bosky place at the corner of Dąbrowskiego and Brzegi. Smashed up by the Nazis in 1941, it was repaired post-war but no further burials took place.

Do

Rynek, Market Square

• Ice hockey: TH Unia Oświęcim play in Polska Hokej Liga the top tier. Their home rink is 500 m east of town centre.
• 1 Cultural Centre has a cinema and theatre. It's at Śniadeckiego 24, corner of Tysiąclecia.
• 2 Park Family Fun is an amusement park on Zaborska, 500 m southeast of town centre. It's open M-F 15:00-20:00, Sa Su 10:00-20:00.
• 3 Energylandia and 4 Zatorland are two other amusement / theme parks 20 km east near the village of Zator.

Buy

• 1 Kaufland supermarket, Królowej Jadwigi 11. M-Sa 06:00-22:00. Extensive supermarket. (updated May 2024)
• Convenience stores are dotted about, Biedronka and Żabka are the main chains.

Eat

• Rynek the market square and vicinity has several eating places. These include Restauracja na Rynku, Mała Czarna, Manufaktura Zapiekanek, Antalya at Romana Mayzla 5, Itamae Sushi at Klasztorma 2, and Da Grasso at Solskiego 2.
• Portobello is 200 m south of Rynek at Jagiełły 27, open daily 12:00-22:00.
• 1 Chata na Zaborskiej, Zaborska 40, ☏ +48 33 400 0182. M-Th 11:00-14:00-21:00, F-Sa 11:00-22:00, Su 12:00-20:00. Great Polish trad food. (updated May 2024)
• 2 Rapsodia Cafe, Śniadeckiego 22B, ☏ +48 33 842 2869. M 14:00-21:00, Tu-Su 11:00-22:00. Good Italian pizzas and ice-cream, reasonable prices. (updated May 2024)
• 3 La Rossa, Konarskiego 3, ☏ +48 509 363 996. M-Th 12:00-21:00, F-Su 11:00-22:00. Smart restaurant with wide-ranging menu. (updated May 2024)

Drink

• Pub Vinyl, Rynek Główny 9, ☏ +48 570 079770. Su-Th 18:00-01:00, F Sa 18:00-04:00. Atmospheric pub on market square. (updated May 2024)
• Pub Arkada, Dąbrowskiego 3 (by castle and Hampton), ☏ +48 660 433689. M-Th 19:00-00:00, F Sa 19:00-03:00. Friendly pub with micro-brewery. (updated May 2023)

Sleep

Budget

Auschwitz II or Birkenau

• 1 International Youth Meeting Centre (Międzynarodowy Dom Spotkań Młodzieży), Legionów 11, ☏ +48 33 843 2107. Hostel and cultural centre for groups. (updated May 2024)
• 2 Pollin House, Rynek Główny 16 (Market square), ☏ +48 698 175 157, polinhouse@polinhouse.pl. Check-in: Before 21:00. Pleasant small hostel in town centre. Peak season: dorm 65 zł, private room 130+ zł. Off season: dorm 60 65 zł, private room 130+ 65 zł. (updated Sep 2024)

Mid-range

• Hampton by Hilton, Bulwary 2 (opposite castle), ☏ +48 33 444 9000. Clean comfy hotel by the castle and river bridge in town centre. B&B double 400 zł. (updated May 2024)
• 3 Hotel Galicja, Dąbrowskiego 119, ☏ +48 33 843 6115. Mid-range hotel with spa, often used by tour groups. Clean and comfy with good Italian restaurant. B&B double 350 zł. (updated May 2024)
• 4 Hotel Dąbrowski, Dąbrowskiego 139, ☏ +48 33 841 1482. Decent mid-range hotel, good restaurant. B&B double 350 zł. (updated May 2024)
• 5 Hotel Olecki, Leszczyńskiej 16 (next to Auschwitz I), ☏ +48 33 847 5000. Small simple hotel, cleanliness varies. B&B double 350 zł. (updated May 2024)

Splurge

• 6 Hotel Imperiale, Stanisławy Leszczyńskiej 16, ☏ + 48 33 877 77 88, recepcja@hotelimperiale.pl. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. 480 zł and up. (updated Sep 2024)

Connect

As at May 2024, Oświęcim and its approach roads have 4G from Play and Plus, and 5G from Orange and T-mobile.

Go next

• Kraków is a must-see for its walled inner city.
• A slow route through the hills to Kraków or Zakopane leads to Wadowice, birthplace of Pope John-Paul II, and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska a pilgrimage centre.
• Katowice and its surrounding towns have a rich industrial heritage.