Eagle Pharmacy (Apteka Pod Orlem)

The Eagle Pharmacy (Apteka Pod Orlem) at plac Bohaterow Getta 18 in Krakow's Podgorze district is a small museum, a branch of the Museum of Krakow, in the building where the Polish pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz ran his pharmacy during the Second World War. The pharmacy stood inside the Krakow Ghetto, which the German occupiers created in 1941, and Pankiewicz, the only non-Jewish resident allowed to remain, used it to distribute medicines, hair dye and sedatives, and to pass on news and shelter people. The museum preserves original fittings, glass cabinets, drawers, scales and bottles from the pharmacy and uses documents, photographs, testimonies and objects to explain life in the ghetto and the fate of its residents. It also tells the story of Pankiewicz, who was recognised as Righteous Among the Nations. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00 and closed on Monday and Tuesday. Tickets cost about 22 PLN, or 16 PLN reduced. A visit takes about 45 minutes, and going early on a weekday keeps rooms quiet, because the museum is compact and fills quickly. It faces Ghetto Heroes Square, where the Empty Chairs memorial stands, and visitors commonly pair the two. Podgorze is reached by tram to the Plac Bohaterow Getta stop, or on foot across the Father Bernatek footbridge from Kazimierz. The exhibition content is serious and moving, and visitors are expected to behave quietly. Exhibits mix Polish and English text, and an audio guide may be available.