This concert, Sławkowska Street
About 50 minutes of klezmer tunes and Yiddish songs in a historic Old Town building, bookable by date, free to cancel up to 24 hours ahead and with pay-later reservation.
The case for Kraków
Why hear klezmer in Kraków
Music for weddings and feasts
Klezmer is an instrumental tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. Its dance tunes, ritual melodies and showy improvisations were played at weddings and other gatherings, so even the slow pieces carry the memory of a dance floor.
A city tied to the word itself
The earliest written use of the word klezmer that a scholar has identified comes from a Jewish council meeting in Kraków in 1595. For centuries the city's Jewish community lived mainly in Kazimierz, south of the Old Town, a separate town until the nineteenth century.
A concert, played by trained musicians
The organiser says the musicians are conservatory graduates who have played together for more than twenty years. The line-up and instruments can change with availability, so book for the music and the room, not for one player.
The tunes behind the evening
Six ideas from the klezmer repertoire
These are the shapes klezmer players have worked in for generations. The ensemble picks the programme on the night, so read the list as a map of the genre rather than a running order.
The programme and the line-up can change. Your confirmation and the booking calendar are the only schedule.
- Doina
The doina, a slow and free opening
A non-metrical, semi-improvised piece for listening, borrowed from Romanian music. A soloist stretches and bends the phrases with no dance beat underneath.
- Freylekhs
The freylekhs, the circle dance
The simplest and most widespread klezmer dance tune, written for group circle dances. The Yiddish word means cheerful, and early recordings sold this music as Freilech music.
- Bulgar
The bulgar, with its syncopated lilt
A circle dance that came from Moldavia, with a recognisable syncopated rhythm. It became the most popular klezmer dance form in the United States in the early twentieth century.
- Sher
The sher, a figure dance for four couples
The name means scissors and may come from a figure in which two dancers cross past each other. Musically it sounds like a freylekhs, but the dance is built from figures.
- Terkisher
The terkisher, an Ottoman-flavoured solo
A virtuosic solo piece in an Ottoman or oriental style. It shows how klezmer absorbed Greek, Romanian and Turkish music along the way.
- Yiddish song
A song in Yiddish
Alongside the instrumental pieces the programme includes songs sung in Yiddish, the language of the Ashkenazi Jews, written in the Hebrew alphabet.
The hall and its street
A tenement house on Sławkowska Street
Sławkowska runs north from the Main Square through the Old Town of Kraków, which is part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre of Kraków.
Up one floor
Expect a climb: the hall is on the second floor. The organiser's page lists the venue as not wheelchair accessible and not stroller accessible.
A house with a long past
The organiser calls the building the Dębiński or Under the Barrel tenement and dates it to the fifteenth century, when it was a one-storey house. It was reworked in the middle of the sixteenth.
A street first written down in 1307
The oldest document that mentions Sławkowska dates from 1307, when the street appeared as Slacovse gasse.
Fifty minutes, seated
The concert runs about fifty minutes, long enough for a full set and short enough to fit around dinner or an afternoon in Kazimierz.
Around the concert
Pair the concert with Kazimierz
Kazimierz, the historic Jewish quarter, lies south of the Old Town. The concert is not in Kazimierz, so give the quarter its own visit.
Szeroka
The Old Synagogue on Szeroka Street
The oldest synagogue building still standing in Poland is now a museum on the history and culture of Kraków's Jews, run as a branch of the Museum of Kraków.
Remuh
The Remuh Synagogue and its cemetery
Completed in 1557 and named after Rabbi Moses Isserles, the Remuh stands beside an old Jewish cemetery. Its courtyard walls carry inscriptions in memory of the Jews of Kraków murdered in the Holocaust.
Memory
Where the story turns
In 1941 the Germans forced Kraków's Jews into a ghetto across the river in Podgórze, not in Kazimierz. The Kazimierz guide on this site sets out the history, with its sources.
Ways to hear klezmer
Three ways to hear klezmer in Kraków
| Option | What you get | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| This concert, Sławkowska Street | About 50 minutes of klezmer tunes and Yiddish songs in a historic Old Town building, bookable by date, free to cancel up to 24 hours ahead and with pay-later reservation. | Anyone who wants a short, planned evening of the music. |
| The Jewish Culture Festival | An annual festival in Kazimierz with concerts, lectures, workshops and tours. Its best-known event is the outdoor closing concert on Szeroka Street. | Visitors who can travel in the right week of early summer. |
| Events at the Galicia Jewish Museum | The museum lists cultural events, including concerts, alongside its permanent exhibition. The programme changes, so check its own page. | Travellers who want music and history in one stop. |
Book the klezmer concert
Your ticket for the concert
Open the card to see which evenings are on sale. A rail of other things to book in Kraków sits below it.
More to do in Kraków
Arriving at Sławkowska 14
Practical notes
Where to go
Sławkowska 14, Old Town. The hall is on the second floor, and the organiser asks guests to follow the signs or the staff on arrival.
When to arrive
Aim for at least ten minutes before the start, which leaves time for entry and seating. Each date in the booking calendar has its own start time, so check your confirmation again on the day.
Stairs
The hall is up a staircase. The organiser lists the venue as not wheelchair accessible, not stroller accessible and without infant seats.
Who plays
Musicians and instruments depend on the ensemble's availability, so the people in the booking photos may not be the ones you hear.
Guides to the music and the city
Guides to the music and the city
Which concert, and how to book
Klezmer concert in Kraków: what to book
What the 50-minute klezmer concert on Sławkowska Street covers, who plays, how booking works and how the concert compares with other klezmer options in the city.
Read the Kraków guide → Getting there, and the day around itSławkowska 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.
Read the Kraków guide → The music behind the concert
What is klezmer? Tunes, dances and history
Read the Kraków guide → The songs in the programmeYiddish song and the tunes you might know
Read the Kraków guide → The quarter south of the Old TownKazimierz: Kraków's Jewish quarter in brief
Read the Kraków guide → The revival and what “Jewish-style” meansKlezmer in Poland today
Read the Kraków guide →FAQ
What to settle before you buy
How long is the klezmer concert?
About 50 minutes. The calendar lists a start time per date, so dinner fits comfortably before or after the music.
Where is it held?
At Sławkowska 14, in an Old Town tenement on the street that leads north from the Main Square. You will find the hall on the second floor.
Is the concert in the Jewish quarter?
No. Kazimierz, the historic Jewish quarter, is south of the Old Town. The concert is in the Old Town, so visit Kazimierz separately.
Is it a religious event?
No. It is a concert of klezmer dance tunes and songs in Yiddish, played in a historic building.
Who plays?
The organiser says the musicians are conservatory graduates. The musicians and instruments can change with the ensemble's availability, so the line-up varies from night to night.
Are food and drink included?
Treat them as separate from the ticket. The organiser's page lists food and drinks as not included.
Is it suitable for children?
The organiser describes the concert as suitable for the whole family. The hall is up a staircase, and the venue is listed as not stroller accessible.
Do I need to understand Yiddish?
No. The music carries the evening, and spoken introductions may not be in English, so reading about the tunes beforehand helps.
About 50 minutes of live klezmer and Yiddish song in the Old Town of Kraków, free to cancel up to 24 hours ahead.
Reserve a seat for the concert ↗Fares are per person. The booking page shows the price in whichever currency you choose.