Looking above the courtyard at the Judah mural

A reason to pause here

The food courtyard gives a Kazimierz walk a place to stop; notice the painted wall above the stalls as well as the entrance signs.

A mural made for the Jewish Culture Festival

Pil Peled painted Judah during the Jewish Culture Festival in 2013. The festival’s own account connects the child and lion in the image with its Lion of Judah logo, also introduced that year. We would read the mural with that Jewish context in mind before looking at the stalls below it.

Kazimierz was founded as a separate town by King Casimir the Great in the fourteenth century. Its Jewish district developed around Szeroka in the late fifteenth century; the Second World War destroyed much of the community. The festival commissioned the mural to keep that identity visible beyond its annual events.

Let the painted wall lead the stop

Start by finding a position where the wall rises above the courtyard stalls. Our photographs include the entrance and adjoining cobbled street, which help place the mural within a walk around Kazimierz. Then put the camera down and look at how the face and lion are drawn.

We would combine this short pause with Szeroka or the nearby culture venues. Food vendors are a possible break, with today’s trading and menu deciding whether to stay.

Plan the visit

The mural is an outdoor subject around the food courtyard on Świętego Wawrzyńca Street. Respect any courtyard opening restrictions and leave vendor entrances clear. You do not need to buy food to appreciate the wall from an available public viewpoint, but seating and tables belong to the businesses operating there.