Area of the former Płaszów Camp Kraków
ul. Jerozolimska 3, 33-332 Kraków
Tourist region: Kraków i okolice
The labour camp was built for Jews from the Kraków ghetto, which was liquidated in March 1943. Over time, Jews from other ghettos liquidated by the Germans also began to be sent to the camp. In July 1943, the Germans also set up an educational work camp for Poles in the area. A year later, in January 1944, the site was converted into a concentration camp. The figures speak of 35 thousand people being imprisoned in inhumane conditions in the camp, with six thousand of them being murdered or dying from maltreatment. The camp's commandant was Amon Goeth.
The remnants of the Plaszow camp have been carefully preserved. In the post-war period, several monuments were located on the site of the former camp, including the most impressive one, the Monument to the Victims of Fascism. In January 2021, the Museum – Memorial of KL Plaszow was established, the ‘KL Plaszow’ open-air exhibition. Nineteen plaques have been erected between Kamieńskiego and Jerozolimska Streets in places important to the camp's history. The exhibition is the story of KL Plaszow presented through archival photographs, excerpts from prisoners' testimonies and brief historical information. It is best to start your tour of the exhibition from table 5, located next to the Grey House at 3 Jerusalem Street.
In 2023, the KL Plaszow Museum realised a commemoration in the area of the KL Plaszow memorial. As part of the work carried out, the boundaries of the two Jewish cemeteries were marked, the historic camp roads were authenticated, and a gravel band surrounded the roll call area. Three flights of field stairs provide access to the higher areas. Plaques with rules and regulations governing the museum have been placed at the seven main entrances to the Plaszow Concentration Camp Memorial Site.
The task of the Plaszow Concentration Camp Museum is research and educational work for the remembrance of the history of Plaszow Concentration Camp and its victims. The camp's site has been entered into the register of historical monuments.
The mission of the Plaszow KL Museum includes:
- science – collecting and conserving collections, carrying out historical and archaeological research, providing access to the archive and library, organising temporary exhibitions, conferences, and popularising knowledge;
- education – open and reliable, accessible to all;
- participation – building relationships and creating joint projects (educational, scientific, artistic) with entities concerned with the memory of KL Plaszow;
- volunteering;
- preserving the memory of the victims.