Jewish community cemetery in Podgórze on the grounds of the KL Plaszow memorial site. Photo: K. Bednarczyk 2021 (MKLP)
of the KL Plaszow Memorial Museum Workshop at the Cracow Museum – it was a unit responsible for research and commemoration activities. We visited archives, collected scattered resources related to the history of this site, which served as the basis for a Digital Archive of KL Plaszow, and carried out invasive and non-invasive archaeological research of the area, during which we acquired artefacts related to the history of the camp. A commemoration scenario has also been created. Everything that transpired within the structures of a single museum was linked with the intention of our current organisers, the Municipality of Krakow and the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport, to bring about the appointment of a guardian for the site. The first step was the intention, expressed in the 2017 agreement, that the owners of the land on which the memorial is situated, the Municipality of Cracow and the Jewish Community, would consent to the establishment of a museum there in the future. It was followed by further formal steps, resulting in the establishment of the KL Plaszow Museum in early 2021.
The Memorial is being built on a vast site amidst complex natural, historical and social conditions. These are activities carried out under the motto “respect for the past and the present”. What does it involve?
Our situation is specific. In terms of commemorations, we most closely identify with Flossenbürg because here, too, the commemoration came about late. However, the difference is most evident when confronted with such memorials as Auschwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek. We are creating something that is, in a sense, slightly unfamiliar to local memory and very many years from the events to which we refer. Over this time, the area has lived a life of its own. The area that now forms the memorial is half of the historic site of the camp. After the war, the former owners returned, and new buildings were constructed. This process took many years and had it not been that the former camp area was listed as a historic monument in 2002, the property development process would have siphoned off yet another piece of that space that had survived undeveloped. It created another natural context, the green character of the space, its functioning in the consciousness of Cracovians as a park area four kilometres from the main square. It is attractive, especially now, as our need to commemorate overlaps with the ecological need, an essential requirement. For this reason, the modified architectural design of the memorial envisages no interference in the almost 40 hectares of former camp grounds. When we think about the authenticity of this space, we observe two norms to which we want to refer. The first is respect for history, not creating any reconstructions, relying on what we have, supporting ourselves with the tools of advancement of civilisation, such as non-invasive archaeological research. The second is that it will all remain green, without a fence, and provided the rules and regulations are observed, we will not restrict access to those who wish to reflect and walk around with a sense of respect for the space. We try to reconcile these two factors while being aware that any regulation may be painful. The area has been without a caretaker for many years, so there seem to be fewer standards there today, than in any public square within Cracow. We are talking about people who walk their dogs there, spend time recreationally – sunbathing or organising barbecues, although the latter – with the emergence of the narrative in public discussion that this is a historical site – has reduced somewhat. However, the lack of clear standards for this place means that introducing any regulation will be a multi-year, long education process. Speaking of respect, we try to clarify and explain to Cracow residents why it is important to respect this space.
You mentioned the archaeological research being carried out. How many elements of the authentic camp space have survived to this day?
From an aerial perspective, we can see the shape of the 80 hectares of the entire camp area. Today, 40 hectares of the former camp area are under the care of the conservator. Comparing the modern shape of the site with the period of the camp’s operation, we can see the exact route of the roads, which is also the pre-war route. The levelling of the ground for the construction of the barracks, relics of masonry buildings – remains of the pre-burial hall of the new Jewish cemetery, foundations of the industrial barracks in the farm area have survived to this day – they are most legible when the vegetation is not too lush. The only historic building that survived is the Grey House, which was built in 1925 as the administrative building of the Jewish Community Cemetery in Cracow. It also served as an administration building during the camp’s existence, and its basement housed a jail and prison. The walls of the cells bear inscriptions left by those imprisoned there. This will also pose a challenge to us because visitors to the place will assume the inscriptions must have been left by prisoners. However, only one of the inscriptions was made during the camp’s operation; the rest were made after 19 January 1945, when the Red Army was stationed there. This building shows how the memory of this place accumulates. Also preserved are the remains of fire ponds dug following the insurance company’s recommendation and the grave chambers of the older of the two cemeteries on the site – the Podgórze community cemetery. They were unveiled in the early XX century by the Jewish Community in Cracow, with the help of volunteers. It is a very visible vestige of the site’s pre-war past and is described in the camp’s history during the tour with a guide who tells the visitor that these graves were the area on which the first barracks were erected, that burials were still taking place in the cemetery in 1942, the same year the construction of the camp began.
How then do you plan to commemorate the former KL Plaszow space? What are the main elements of the planned memorial?
The KL Plaszow Museum, but before that, the Cracow Museum, within which the scenario was conceived, came into reality when the architectural design for the space was already in place. It was created in previous years. The project was modified on the basis of the scenario. It is important because it shows that we have not been operating without a concept. It was not the realisation of a pure vision, which perhaps is also an advantage. The entire commemoration is divided into three parts, pillars. The first – and most important – is the terrain. We describe it as the most significant witness to the death and suffering of the victims. Interference in this area will be minimal and involve the erection of plaques to indicate the main tour route and the key points in the site’s history. They will be smaller than the current board exhibition we created there a few years ago. They will facilitate the work of the educator but also help individual visitors. Other sites relevant to the history of KL Plaszow will be marked just next to the surface and will be read mainly in combination with the audio guide. The area will not be fenced – a clear sign in the space will mark entrances. The permanent exhibition will be housed in two locations. The first is the Grey House, where prisoners’ accounts will be crucial to the journey through KL Plaszow’s history. However, a new building will be erected beyond the historical camp site, named Memorial by the designers, which will primarily house a permanent exhibition recounted in chronological order. There will also be a car park next to the building, primarily for coaches. What the project does not address is space for educational activities. We have plans for a third building – a ruin of a building that we could renovate. It is located near the historic main gate of the camp. We want this facility to be an educational centre that will also be an essential part of the infrastructure during the winter when it is difficult to work for long hours in the open space. So, the key is the grounds, the permanent exhibition and the space for educational activities.
An additional and intangible component of the commemoration will be a Sound Monument – a kind of musical composition to be made available to visitors via headphones. It will be created from historical accounts of musical pieces or compositions performed at the camp, based on sounds conveyed by the land where this history took place. History and nature will form the reference points for composers who join the project. The whole will become a coherent sound map providing a different level of experience of the area. The whole area will be sound-mapped, and the final shape of the entire piece will depend on the route taken by the visitor. We will only suggest which way to go to get the most recommended composition. It will be an innovative activity, and its primary role is to serve the history and present reality of the memorial site. Sound walks are realised in many places, but no one has executed such a composition yet.
What will happen in the near future, and when will the KL Plaszow Memorial be built in its final form?
Currently, our activities consist of two elements: conducting and completing investments and statutory activities. The KL Plaszow Museum was established in January this year, and in line with the investment schedule, the process of its creation is to take five years. We hope it will be feasible to keep to the assumptions of the schedule, although some of the decisions were made before the pandemic. We are aware that a lot has changed recently. However, funds are in place for both investment and day-to-day operations. We now have nine employees and a sense that we are slowly building a committed team that understands the subject. The museum’s creation will be a multi-year process, but we are on the right track in our perspective.
What activities are you currently focusing on?
We were founded during the pandemic, so our activity has been bipartite from the beginning – activities carried out live and in the virtual space. We have started and are carrying out a series of online meetings called “Let’s talk. Discussions in the KL Plaszow Museum”. Our main goal is to show that the memorial space deserves respect because it is a cemetery. We continue to organise guided tours of the site, and a significant portion of these activities involves working with school students from the Podgórze district of Cracow. They are our closest neighbours. We were also looking for a solution that would permit a one-off commemoration of this space. One problem we had was that no date in the camp’s history would be shared by different groups – families of prisoners and current residents. So, we focused on the process. We organised a meeting – because it was intentionally not a ceremony with official guests – which we called “Memory – Zachor”. The double name, Polish and Hebrew, refers to two groups of prisoners, Poles and Jews. During the meeting, we read the accounts of the survivors. We did it in August because that was when the six-month process of liquidating the camp began.