Okrąglak, located on Plac Nowy in Krakow's Kazimierz district, is known mainly for its famous zapiekanka. In the 1920s, the building was rented by the Jewish Community - a ritual poultry slaughterhouse was then established there. After the war it served for a very long time as a warehouse for the surrounding commercial stalls. In February of this year, the Kundel Handel art fair was held there, and in March a celebration of the Day of the Ex-Clawed Soldiers was held there.
Theacademic community at Jagiellonian University does not agree with this use of Okrąglak. Their idea is for the building to be a memorial to Kazimierz's Jewish culture.
After the March events, a letter was sent to Gazeta Wyborcza by Dr. Michał Galas, director of the Institute of Jewish Studies at the Jagiellonian University, who claims that a place like Okrąglak should serve primarily to build Polish-Jewish relations and popularize history. Representatives of the Center for Research on Cultures of Memory, operating at the Jagiellonian University, also spoke. Its members, including UJ Prof. Roma Sendyka, Ph.D., believe that the story of the building's past could give rise to a story about the history of Krakow's Jewish community. Like Dr. Michal Galas, they propose that a cultural institution dedicated to building Polish-Jewish relations be established here.
The same thing is happening in this district of Krakow as in most popular tourist districts of large cities. Tourists are crowding out the locals, facilitated not only by the busy nightlife, but also by short-term rentals. Kazimierz is thus losing more and more authentic monuments, so important for preserving the memory and culture of Krakow's Jews.
