Oskar Schindler

Immortalised by Thomas Keneally's book, Schindler's Ark, and then later in the massively successful Spielberg film Schindler's List, Oskar Schindler is a name synonymous with Kraków. A hard-drinking, war-profiteering playboy, Schindler does not fit the standard mould for a hero, though neither was he a stereotypical Nazi. Credited with saving 1,200 Jews his actions continue to serve as an example and inspiration, and stand as one of the most heartening stories of the Holocaust.
 

Early Years