Kazimierz Nightlife

When the steady revitalisation of Kraków's former Jewish district began back in the nineties, much of the investment came from business owners able to purchase derelict buildings, fill them with the curbside detritus pervading the area that passes for furniture, add a shelf of liquers and presto! - open a dark, dishevelled bar that perfectly captured the spirit of the neighbourhood. The district quickly became synonymous with cafes choked with smoke, candlelight, antiques and bohemians, where under the stewardship of alcohol one might be able to commune with a lost, forgotten world beneath the haze. As the area's clean-up, aided by the 1993 release of Schindler's List, brought more and more tourists to its historical sights,  Kazimierz went through a renaissance that saw it quickly develop into the city's hippest neighbourhood. Today the area is chock-a-block with bars, clubs and restaurants, even ousting the Old Town per square metre, and though a trace of that original charisma vanishes with each new cocktail bar opening, there is no better place in Kraków for a night out. Kazimierz's history makes it a requisite stop for tourists, but it is the district's nightlife that gives it its true vitality and much of the mystique it still carries today.