The Plaszow concentration camp was a Nazi concentration camp located in the southern suburb of Kraków, Poland.
The camp was established in October 1942 on the grounds of two former Jewish cemeteries.
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Initially intended as a forced labor camp, it later became a concentration camp.
Most of the prisoners were Polish Jews, but it also held prisoners from other ghettos and camps. The camp was notorious for its harsh conditions, forced labor, and executions. Mass murder was carried out by shootings, as there were no gas chambers or crematoria.
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The camp had two main commanders. Amon Götth was the first commandant, known for his sadistic treatment of prisoners. He was executed by hanging in September 1946. The second commandant, Arnold Büscher, took over in September 1944.
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| Grey House, Camp Office |
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| Amon Götth Villa near the camp |
The Plaszow concentration camp was progressively dismantled starting in the fall of 1944. The Nazis began deporting many prisoners to Auschwitz and other concentration camps, burning exhumed bodies, and destroying installations to erase evidence of the camp's existence. The final group of prisoners left on January 14, 1945, and the Red Army liberated the area on January 20, 1945. After the war, the site was further devastated by the Soviet Army and became publicly accessible, leading to continued destruction.
Today, the site of the former Plaszow concentration camp is a memorial and museum dedicated to the memory of the victims. The KL Plaszow Museum includes an open-air exhibition called "KL Plaszow. A Site After, A Site Without," which features 14 media installations with materials in Polish, English, and Hebrew. The exhibition is accessible 24 hours a day and is free of charge.
The museum also includes the Grey House, which served as the administration building of the cemetery used by the Jewish religious community in Kraków. Additionally, there is a new memorial building under construction on Kamieńskiego Street, which will host a permanent exhibition and serve as a central point for commemoration.
Schindler Connection
Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist and member of the Nazi Party, initially employed Jewish workers from the Kraków Ghetto in his enamelware factory. When the ghetto was liquidated in March 1943, many of these workers were sent to the Plaszow camp, which was under the command of the brutal Amon Göth.
Schindler managed to establish a subcamp of Plaszow at his factory, providing better conditions for his workers. He used his connections and bribes to protect them from deportation to extermination camps. Eventually, Schindler relocated his factory to Brněnec (Brünnlitz) in Czechoslovakia, saving around 1,200 Jews from certain death.
Related sites
Today, the site of the former Plaszow concentration camp is a memorial and museum dedicated to the memory of the victims. The KL Plaszow Museum includes an open-air exhibition called "KL Plaszow. A Site After, A Site Without," which features 14 media installations with materials in Polish, English, and Hebrew. The exhibition is accessible 24 hours a day and is free of charge.
The museum also includes the Grey House, which served as the administration building of the cemetery used by the Jewish religious community in Kraków. Additionally, there is a new memorial building under construction on Kamieńskiego Street, which will host a permanent exhibition and serve as a central point for commemoration.
Schindler Connection
Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist and member of the Nazi Party, initially employed Jewish workers from the Kraków Ghetto in his enamelware factory. When the ghetto was liquidated in March 1943, many of these workers were sent to the Plaszow camp, which was under the command of the brutal Amon Göth.
Schindler managed to establish a subcamp of Plaszow at his factory, providing better conditions for his workers. He used his connections and bribes to protect them from deportation to extermination camps. Eventually, Schindler relocated his factory to Brněnec (Brünnlitz) in Czechoslovakia, saving around 1,200 Jews from certain death.
Related sites
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Geoffrey W. Sutton has a PhD in psychology and writes about psychology and culture.
Website: https://www.suttong.com/
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