KL Plaszow Memorial Site

Plaszow’s structure was characterized by its division into various functional zones, including barracks, factories, and segregated areas for men and women. The camp was notorious for its harsh conditions, where thousands of inmates, primarily Jews and Polish workers, faced relentless labor, inhumane treatment, and executions. The camp’s population peaked in 1944, with over 20,000 prisoners enduring extreme deprivation and violence.

Most of the camp guards were Ukrainian police auxiliaries, chosen from Soviet soldiers in German prisoner-of-war camps and trained at the so-called Trawniki (guards recruited in Eastern Europe) training camp in Lublin.

A notable aspect of Plaszow’s history involves Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who established his enamelware factory adjacent to the camp. Schindler’s efforts to protect his Jewish workers from the horrors of Plaszow and eventual deportation to extermination camps saved over a thousand lives, a story famously depicted in the film “Schindler’s List”.

As the end of World War II approached, the SS initiated the dismantling of Plaszow, transferring prisoners to other camps and attempting to erase evidence of the atrocities committed. The camp’s closure was marked by the evacuation of the remaining prisoners to Auschwitz, aligning with the Nazis’ efforts to conceal their crimes.

The Memorial Site currently hosts an open-air exhibition with nineteen boards featuring archive photographs, fragments of prisoners’ accounts and short historical reports. Ambitious plans to further develop the site have started including a remembrance trails, two permanent exhibitions in a new Memorial building and the historic Grey House. Construction works are ongoing, with the entire project expected to be completed by 2025.