Schindler’s Factory. Histories of the Place

The exhibition tells the story of how one of Kraków’s most visited museums came to be established in the former administrative building of the Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik (DEF), the enamelware factory managed by Oskar Schindler during the German occupation of Poland. The story of the rescue of 1,100 Jewish workers employed at DEF through Schindler’s efforts is now known worldwide and was brought to international attention by Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List, based on Thomas Keneally’s novel Schindler’s Ark. Unsurprisingly, this wartime history lies at the heart of the exhibition. Through photographs, documents, original artefacts and, above all, eyewitness testimonies, visitors can explore what life and work in the factory were like and learn how the famous “list” came into being.

Yet this is only one of many stories connected to this site. The exhibition presents a range of interconnected themes and personal histories while placing Schindler’s Factory within a broader historical context. The narrative begins with the emergence of industry in the Zabłocie district at the turn of the twentieth century, a development closely linked to the expansion of the railway network in the area. Long before Oskar Schindler arrived in Kraków, the site was home to the First Lesser Poland Enamelware and Metal Products Factory “Rekord”. Schindler acquired the premises and transformed them into DEF, a company that manufactured goods, including supplies for the German military.

The history of the site is also connected with the crash of a British Liberator aircraft, shot down over Zabłocie in August 1944 while flying a mission in support of the Warsaw Uprising. The exhibition further explores the post-war history of the Kraków Electronics Works “Telpod”, the emergence of the Solidarity movement, and the strike organised by Telpod workers during the period of martial law. It is also a story of the gradual decline of industry after 1989 and of the social transformations that have reshaped Zabłocie in recent decades.

Finally, the exhibition tells the story of the survivors. The people saved by Schindler devoted many years to preserving the memory of the man who helped them survive the Holocaust. Without their efforts, there would almost certainly have been no Schindler’s List, and this extraordinary story, like so many others, might have faded into obscurity.