|
The Jewish Ghetto that the Nazis created in Cracow is often mistakenly thought to have been located in the Kazimierz district, which lies to the south east of the Royal Castle. However, whilst Kazimierz provided a home for many Jews over the centuries (as it did in parts for Christians too), it was in Podgorze, over the river, that the Nazis made their wartime ghetto.
Podgorze was initially a separate town that was founded by the Austrians in 1784 in the wake of the first partition of Poland. By the mid-nineteenth century all of Cracow was under the Austrian crown, and Podgorze was viewed as simply another district of the city.
The fringes of Podgorze had a pronounced industrial character, and disused quarries are still a prominent feature of the landscape (Steven Spielberg used one of them to build his set for the Plaszow Concentration Camp in his film 'Schindler's List').
By the 1930's, when Cracow was again part of an independent Poland, much of central Podgorze was owned by Polish Jews. At that time there were approximately 60,000 Jews living in Cracow. The poorest Jews tended to live in Kazimierz, whilst the more affluent ones lived in central Cracow, or in the more grand parts of Podgorze.
The Germans invaded Poland in September 1939. Hans Frank, the Nazi Governor of the region, planned for Cracow to be 'the cleanest' of the former Polish cities. After several waves of Jewish resettlement to other Polish cities it was finally decreed that all remaining Jews should move to Podgorze.
The area that was singled out for the ghetto constituted the heart of the Podgorze district. It spread east from the Main Market Square (Rynek Podgorski today) over an area of 20 hectares. The creation of the ghetto was announced on March 3rd, 1941. The Jews who stayed in Cracow were ordered to move to Podgorze by March 20th, 1941.
All Christians who lived in the area that was earmarked for the ghetto were compelled to move out, largely to Kazimierz north of the river. However, Tadeusz Pankiewicz, a graduate of medicine from the Jagiellonian University, protested against the rule and was permitted to remain. His pharmacy in the north eastern corner of the ghetto would later became an enclave of resistance to Nazi policy.
15,000 Polish Jews were crowded into an area that had previously housed 3,000 souls. It was standard for four families to share one flat. Conditions were made worse by a second transit in October 1941, when a further 6,000 Jews from nearby villages were forced into the ghetto.
Forced labour and rationing were standard features of the experience. Although many Jews were compelled to work outside the ghetto, they had little freedom of movement. Outside of working hours, all Jews had to stay within the newly built ghetto walls, whose form resembled oversized Jewish gravestones (fragments of the wall still stand today).
Deportations began on May 30th, 1942. Deportees were told that they would be working in the Ukraine. In the first few days, some 4,000 Jews were deported. They were transported from the nearby Plaszow station to Belzec concentration camp.
The following days were punctuated by shootings in the street, whilst immediately after the final deportations of June 4th, there was a further 'purge' in which some 600 Jews were killed within the ghetto walls.
A second deportation began in October 1942. Families were separated, and about 4500 people were deported to the Belzec camp.
In December 1942 the ghetto was divided into two parts, Ghetto A for 'Workers' and Ghetto B for 'Non-Workers'.
On March 13th, 1943 Ghetto A was liquidated and workers were sent to Plaszow camp where many would later perish, including the infamous 'Judenrat' Jewish police.
The following day Ghetto B was liquidated amidst widespread shooting on the streets. The remaining Jews were sent to the Auschwitz II: Birkenau camp.
In total, it is estimated that some 65,000 Polish Jews who lived in Cracow and its immediate vicinity were murdered by the Nazis during the Second World War, obliterating Jewish life and culture as it had existed before the War completely. | | | |