Krakow - The Magical City
As the old capital of Poland, Krakow has a special place in the national consciousness. For the casual tourist this may not be vitally important or discernable, but this special role as the "spiritual" capital of Poland imbues Krakow with an added ambiance. The city is a vibrant university town that boasts the largest Medieval market square in Europe, plus exquisitely preserved Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architectural monuments of the highest order. If you get bored of traditional sightseeing, the glorious architecture creates a great backdrop for just sipping a coffee or glass of beer in the outdoor cafes that line practically every street from April-Oct. And at night there are hundreds of bars to suit all tastes, many of them housed in atmospheric cellars. Browse, read and check things out!
Pl. Bohaterów Getta
landmarks
cultural heritage
Contact details
Podgórze Plac Bohaterów Ghetta
Description
Plac Bohaterow Getta
This square was in the heart of the Jewish ghetto that the Nazis created in March 1941. At the beginning of the War, 3000 people lived in the surrounding area where the ghetto would later be placed. Approximately 15,000 Jews were forced to live in overcrowded conditions in this small, walled-off section of the Podgorze neighborhood. When the ghetto was liquidated on March 14th 1943, the Jews who were considered too old, weak, or sick were lined up on this square and brought into various back yards to be shot. The day before, a few thousand Jewish residents of the ghetto considered strong enough to work were marched off to the newly constructed Płaszów forced labor camp about 3 miles south of here. A few years ago it was decided to renovate this square and create a memorial to the victims of the ghetto (Officially, the Nazis never called it a ghetto, but instead the "Jewish residential neighborhood). The idea of the chairs came from archival photographs of Jewish schoolchildren carrying their chairs from school in Kazimierz on their heads into the ghetto. The arrangement of the chairs is also significant: They are almost all facing the direction of the Płaszów labor camp and away from Kazimierz. But a few chairs are aligned in such away to alert you to various historic places or events in the ghetto. A couple of chairs point the way to Schindler's Factory, another chair across the street points towards one of the remaining sections of the old ghetto walls...
Dennis McEvoy
