Before we dive in, if you really want to get to know Street Art in Krakow, check out the
Krakow Street Food & Street Art Free Tour.
An experienced guide will take you to see the best street art murals in Krakow. As well as to enjoy some of top Krakow street food along the way.
Where to Find the Best Street Art in Krakow
Krakow is a city of art, artists and museums. However, real masterpieces can also be found on the walls of tenement houses and courtyards all over the city.
Street art is sometimes associated with graffiti, but it is much more than that! It often stems from deeper a deeper meaning. Be it an expression of protest, an artist’s social commentary, or even cultural events. Other times, street art is just a way to make the grey, urban landscape a little more colourful. Whatever the reason, Krakow is filled with great street art murals.
There is great street art all over Krakow, but if you’re looking for some particularly inspiring areas, start with the Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz.
Street Art in Krakow’s Jewish Quarter
Ephraim Moses Lilien by the Broken Fingaz Graffiti Crew
Source: Krakow Post
This black and white mural presents writings in Yiddish, human faces and Jewish symbols. It is located in one of the tenement buildings in Kazimierz district. The artists are young Israelis from Haifa. Members of the artistic group called Broken Fingaz. They were inspired by the graphics of Ephraim Moses Lilien, a Polish-Jewish artist.
The main goal behind this street art was to remind people about Krakow’s Jewish history. This mural is dedicated to the memory of the Bosak family, residents of Kazimierz. They lived in this area for over 300 years until the creation of the Krakow Ghetto in 1941
Corner of Nowa & Jozefa
Image source: Roselinde
This colourful and vibrant mural was created as part of the local project “101 Murals for Krakow.” It is located on the corner of Nowa & Jozefa. This eclectic form of art is the work of four international artists. They created abstract shapes which can be interpreted in many ways.
For God’s sake, Censorship is everywhere
Pikaso (ul. Św. Wawrzyńca 5)
Image by Street Art Cities
Street Art is often not without controversy. Due to its nature (sometimes being painted illegally), Street Art murals can often be politically charged.
Street artist Pikaso arranged this mural as part of the Grolsch ArtBoom Festival that happened in Kazimierz in 2012. Pikaso had planned to paint a different (anti-clerical) piece. Of course, in predominantly Catholic Poland, Pikaso found his original idea did not get approval. Instead, he painted an ironic piece in response. Painting a face (supposedly his own), which is sensored across the mouth. Meaning the subject cannot say what they want to. He called it, ‘Censorship is everywhere.’
Street Art in Podgorze
From Kazimierz, cross the “statues” footbridge at Kładka Bernatka and head into the former Krakow World War Two Ghetto district of Podgorze. Here, you can find great murals by Italian artist Blu, Lem’s Robot by Filip Kużniarz, and very close by, the ‘Game Over’ mural (see below).
Ding Dong Dumb – Blu
Image by Street Art Cities
Italian street artist Blu painted this piece in 2011. It is called Ding Dong Dumb and is one of Kraków’s most impressive and probably most controversial street art murals. The piece pokes fun at the Catholic church’s hold over the Polish people. The bell is a church bell in the colours of the Vatican flag, but it also doubles as a megaphone telling the people below what to do.
Written on the head of one of the people are the words “never follow.”
Lem’s Robot by Filip Kużniarz
Location: Józefińska 24
Source: In Your Pocket
This Street art mural was created by Filip Kuzniarz in 2012 as part of a literature festival called the Conrad Festival. The piece is inspired by the literature of Polish science fiction writer Stanisław Lem, who lived in Krakow and died in 2006.
Lem’s books were translated into 40 languages and sold over 30 million copies making him the most successful Polish sci-fi writer.
His most famous work Solaris was made into a movie in 1972 that was hailed as one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, and that, in turn, was remade in 2002 starring George Clooney.
The quote on the wall translates to:
“In the end, humans will become brainless to steel machines and worship them” Stanisław Lem.
Lem’s words were written in the early 1960s during the Cold War, as Soviet and American tanks faced off against each other. The words were reflective of Poland’s Communist era. Although, they perhaps hold even more relevance in the modern, Capitalist world.
Personally, we prefer something else Lem once said,
“I never knew there were so many idiots out there until I encountered the internet!”
Game over?: Mayamural
Image by Aleksandra Toborowicz
On the other side of Lem’s robot is another interesting street mural. Do you remember that story that the world was going to end in December 2012 because the Mayan calendar ended on that date? This cool mural was created in 2012, specifically a few days before that, with the Mayan prophecy in Tortuguero, Mexico in mind.
Designed by Aleksandra Toborowicz of the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts and created by Michał Pałasz of the Jagiellonian University. The piece takes the original Mayan inscription and reimagines it into the popular computer game, Tetris. The mural is called ‘Game Over?’. The artists painted the piece a little tongue-in-cheek.
Great murals can also be found on Krupnicza Street at MURAL – Street Food Park, close to Krakow Old Town. As well as the fabulous mural above, which can be found by the railway bridge on the wall of the building at 22 Mikołaja Kopernika street.
Popular Street Artists in Krakow
One popular Krakow street artist, who deserves special mention here, is Kuba. The ‘Polish Bansky,’ Kuba painted a beloved stencil called ‘I’m Happy Again,’ that became a symbol of the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. A place that has had a tormented history but is now happy again!
You can also check out works by Banksy himself at the Banksy Museum Krakow
Image taken from the Krakow Street Food & Street Art Free Tour
Jewish Culture Festival and street art incentives
The Jewish Culture Festival happens every year in Kazimierz to celebrate the area’s Jewish past. In recent years, the festival has seen artists paint the streets of Kazimierz with Jewish icons and symbols.
Similar art projects like the Grolsch Boom Festival in 2012 and more recently, 101 art murals for Krakow, offer a chance for artists to paint beautiful murals to colour in the walls of the city, as well as show off their extraordinary artistic talent.
Join the Krakow Street Art Tour
These are only some of the places worth checking out for Street Art in Krakow. The city is filled to the brim with beautiful and impressive works of art. The city encourages street art by initiatives such as “101 Murals for Krakow” during which local artists created a number of impressive multi-format paintings.
Join the Free: Krakow Street Art & Street Food Tour and go in-depth to the cultural relevance of street art in Krakow.
