Born on 2nd July 1864 in Drohobych, Leon Sternbach, son of Jozef , was a professor of Classical Philology at the Jagiellonian University, Byzantineist, member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences.A Drohobych gymnasium graduate, who later studied at the universities in Leipzig and Dresden (1882-1883) and in Vienna (1883-1885), where he obtained his doctorate. He obtained his habilitation and doctorate at the University of Lviv in 1889. However, for all his life, Leon Sternbach remained professionally and scientifically associated with the Jagiellonian University. He received the title of associate professor in 1892, and full professor in 1897. He retired in 1935 having received the title of honorary professor. In the academic year 1904/1905 he was the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy. In 1893, Leon Sternbach became a…

On 30th April 1959, the ceremony of handing over the Old Synagogue by the Jewish Congregation in Krakow (currently the Jewish Religious Community in Krakow) to the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow took place. One of the photos shows the Chairman of the then Congregation, Maciej Jakubowicz. After the establishment of the Podgórze ghetto followed by the resettlement of all Jews living in Kraków to it, the German Trust Office took over the management of the Synagogue. A uniform warehouse was organised in the Synaogue, while all liturgical items were stolen. However, the warehouse did not last for too long and was soon liquidated. Afterwards, the Old Synagogue was deliberately deprived of its vault. After WWII, the Synagogue was provisionally secured. However, it was only in 1956 when…

Helena Rubinstein, called the Empress of  Beauty by Jean Cocteau, a multimillionaire and a feminine symbol, was born on 25th December 1872 in Krakow.  Helena was the eldest daughter of  Gitel and Herzl Rubinstein, who lived together with their extensive family at Szeroka 14/ 4. Their low social status and level of life were a source of embarrassment for Helena. She dreamt of a different life, thus at the age of 17, she left Krakow and vowed never to come back there again..Helena Rubinstein achieved an incredible global success. She can be called the mother of modern make-up products. At the time of her death, her net worth was approx.$100 mln.She was a muse for the top artists of her times. Helena Rubinstein was painted by Pablo Picasso, while the…