Welcome to Hotel Eden,
the legendary home of Isaac Jakubowicz
Hotel Eden consists of three connected and carefully restored historical tenement houses from the 15th century. In the past, Hotel Eden was the home of Isaac Jakubowicz, who is featured in one of the most popular Hassidic legends, which goes as follows:
A pious Jew called Ayzik Yekeles (Isaac the son of Jacob) lived in the Jewish town of Kazimierz. Although he was very poor and had to support a large family, he worked hard and always praised the Lord.
Once he had a dream that a great treasure is buried near the bridge in Prague. Without hesitating, Isaac set off on a journey to Prague. After a long trip, he finally arrived in the city and found the bridge from his dream. The bridge was surrounded by soldiers, however, and Isaac didn't know what to do. When one of the soldiers approached him and asked what he was looking for, Isaac decided that it would be best to tell the truth and that in the worst case he could share the treasure with the soldier. So he told the soldier about his dream and his quest for the treasure. The soldier laughed: “Only a fool like you could do something like that! Meanwhile, for quite some time I have been dreaming that there is a treasure hidden under the stove in a house in Kraków, which belongs to a Jew called Isaac the son of Jacob. But I'm not stupid enough to go to Kraków and try to find it. After all, every other Jew is named Isaac, and every third one is called Jacob!”
Isaac thanked him, returned home, dismantled the stove and found a great treasure. That happened in 1664. Isaac became the wealthiest Jew in Kazimierz. In order to express his gratitude for his good fortune, he founded the Baroque-style synagogue which bears his name to this day.
When asked about the source of his wealth, he would reply: “There are some things that you may be looking for all over the world, but end up finding in your own home. However, before you realize this, you often have to go on a long journey and search far away from home.”
What sets us apart:
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The owner of the buildings received the title of “The patron of culture in the City of Kraków” for his efforts to renovate the tenement houses and to preserve their original architectural design.
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Hotel Eden is the only hotel in Poland with genuine mezuzot affixed on the doors.
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Hotel Eden is the only hotel in Poland with an operating mikveh (jewish ritual bath).
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The corridors and rooms are a small gallery of original paintings, posters, and drawings from various time periods.
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The hotel can be seen in its pre-renovation state in the movie “Schindler’s List”.