Schindler's List Sites Krakow Poland

 

This post lists some sites in Krakow Poland associated with Oskar Schindler and the film, Schindler's List. 

The links take you to posts about the different sites.

Krakow Ghetto

Scenes from the Ghetto including the pharmacy

Krakow Ghetto

Oskar Schindler Factory Museum

The site of the factory and Oskar's desk

Oskar Schindler

Plaszow Concentration Camp

The remains of the camp, the commander's office, and his house

Plaszow Camp Model

RELATED POSTS

Schindler's List -  About The film

A review of the film

Street Scene site from 
Schindler's List

Nazi Trail of Terror

An extensive index of many sites with text and photos

Auschwitz II-Birkenau

Oskar Schindler Factory Museum Krakow Poland

 

The Oskar Schindler Factory in Kraków, Poland, now hosts two museums: the Museum of Contemporary Art and a branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków. The museum offers a permanent exhibition titled "Kraków under Nazi Occupation 1939–1945," which provides a detailed account of the city's history during World War II1. The factory is also known for its role in the film Schindler's List.

Oskar Schindler's factory was originally called Oskar Schindler's Deutsche Email-warenfabrik (DEF). It was later known as Fabryka Emalia Oskara Schindlera in Polish.

The museum at Oskar Schindler's Factory houses a variety of items from the original factory, including:

• Enamelware items made by the factory's workers
• Personal items such as Oskar Schindler's typewriter, furniture, and desk
• Portraits of Schindler factory employees
• Memorial displays with the names of the people saved by Schindler

Oskar Schindler's factory had a significant connection to the nearby Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp. Schindler used his factory to shelter around 1,000 Jews in relatively better conditions compared to the camp. He also convinced the camp's commandant, Amon Göth, to allow him to move his factory in October 1944 to Brněnec/Brünnlitz in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, thus saving his workers from almost certain death in the gas chambers of Auschwitz.

[Link to Schindler's List Film Summary]

The Nazis entered Kraków on September 6, 1939, shortly after the invasion of Poland began on September 1, 1939. Kraków was one of the first major cities to fall under Nazi control during World War II. The factory is now a museum, which tells the story of Poland under Nazi occupation.

We begin the tour with a variety of stereoscopic images. Arrows point the way through various exhibits displaying photographs, narratives on story boards, as well as small and large objects from the occupation.

The images related to Schindler (e.g., desk) are found along the tour.

LINK TO -->> THE NAZI TRAIL OF TERROR

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Geoffrey W. Sutton has a PhD in psychology and writes about psychology and culture.

Website: https://www.suttong.com/

Amazon Author: https://author.amazon.com/home

ResearchGate page: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Geoffrey-Sutton-2

Academia Page: https://evangel.academia.edu/GeoffSutton

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Books

Oskar Schindler: The Untold Account of His Life, Wartime Activities, and the True Story Behind The List by David M. Crowe provides a comprehensive and thoroughly researched account of Schindler's life and actions during the Holocaust. ON AMAZON

Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally inspired the film Schindler's List. ON AMAZON

Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally - This novel, based on true events, tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who saved over 1,200 Jews from the Holocaust by employing them in his factory  ON AMAZON

The Film

Schindler's List   on AMAZON

Terezin (Theresienstadt) Czech Republic

 Terezin - A Fortress

 Theresienstadt - A Nazi Prison Camp

Terezin, also known as Theresienstadt, was a Nazi concentration camp located in the Czech Republic, about 30 miles north of Prague. Originally a fortress town, it was converted into a ghetto and concentration camp by the Nazis in 1941. Terezin served as a transit camp for Jews who were eventually sent to extermination camps like Auschwitz and Treblinka.

The camp held primarily Jews from Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Over 150,000 Jews passed through Terezin, including 15,000 children. 

Before the Nazis, Terezin was originally a fortress town built by Emperor Joseph II of Austria in the late 18th century. It was named in honour of his mother, Empress Maria Theresa. The fortress was designed to protect Prague from potential invasions by Prussia. Later, in the 1880s, Terezin served as a prison.

My photos of the fortress tunnel system.

Hanging

Terezin was also used for Nazi propaganda. The Nazis presented it as a "model" Jewish settlement to deceive the international community, even allowing a Red Cross inspection in 1944. Despite the façade, the reality was grim, with many prisoners suffering and dying.

The Nazi commander of Theresienstadt, Karl Rahm, was arrested by the Allies after the war. He was tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Rahm was found guilty and hanged 30 April 1947

Where Nazis slept and played

The camp was notorious for its overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, leading to the deaths of around 33,000 inmates due to malnutrition and disease.

From 1943 onwards, more than 250 prisoners were executed there, with the last execution of 51 people taking place on May 2, 1945.

Scenes from the museum

A famous prisoner from World War I who was held at Terezin was Gavrilo Princip. He was the Serbian nationalist responsible for assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, an event that triggered World War I. Princip was imprisoned at Terezin and died there in 1918 from tuberculosis.

Princip Cell

LINK TO -->> THE NAZI TRAIL OF TERROR

RESOURCES

Books

The Last Ghetto: An Everyday History of Theresienstadt by Anna Hájková (2020) - This book offers a detailed look at daily life in the Theresienstadt ghetto, exploring the social dynamics and coping strategies of its inhabitants.

Theresienstadt: Hitler's Gift to the Jews by Norbert Troller (2004) - Written by a survi-vor, this book provides an insider's account of life in the Theresienstadt ghetto, in-cluding the propaganda efforts and harsh realities.

Somewhere There is Still a Sun: A Memoir of the Holocaust by Michael Gruenbaum with Todd Hasak-Lowy (2015) - A memoir that recounts Michael Gruenbaum's childhood experiences in Theresienstadt and his survival during the Holocaust.

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Geoffrey W. Sutton has a PhD in psychology and writes about psychology and culture.

Website: https://www.suttong.com/

Amazon Author: https://author.amazon.com/home

ResearchGate page: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Geoffrey-Sutton-2

Academia Page: https://evangel.academia.edu/GeoffSutton

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Google Map of Terazin

Birkenau (Auschwitz II) Poland

Birkenau entrance and railway

 Birkenau is also known as Auschwitz II and is close to Auschwitz I.

Birkenau was established in October 1941 to ease overcrowding at Auschwitz I and became the main site for the mass murder of Jews and other victims of the Holocaust.

Solitary Rail car where prisoners were selected

Toilets

Barracks

Birkenau was designed to systematically exterminate prisoners using gas chambers and crematoria. Zyklon B gas was used to kill large numbers of people, and the camp operated as a factory of death until November 19442. Approximately 1.1 million people were murdered at Birkenau, including Jews, Poles, Romani, and Soviet POWs.

Destroyed Gas chamber

Ruins

Part of the fencing

A view of the massive size of the death camp.

In a distant corner, Jews waited to enter an undressing room before being murdered by gas.

The camp was liberated by Soviet forces in January 1945, revealing the horrors and atrocities committed there. Today, Birkenau is part of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, preserving the memory of the victims and educating visitors about the Holocaust.

Resources

LINK TO -->> THE NAZI TRAIL OF TERROR

Books

Auschwitz by Laurence Rees (2005) - This book provides new insights from inter-views with Auschwitz survivors and Nazi perpetrators.

The Imperative to Witness: Memoirs by Survivors of Auschwitz - A collection of memoirs written by survivors about their time in the Auschwitz complex.

Auschwitz and After by Charlotte Delbo - A powerful account of the author's experi-ences in Auschwitz and her life after liberation.

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - A profound exploration of the author's experiences in Auschwitz and his psychological insights.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris - A novel based on the true story of a Holocaust survivor who was a tattooist at Auschwitz

Films or Videos

The Grey Zone (2001) - This film portrays the harrowing experiences of Jewish Sonderkommando prisoners in Auschwitz-Birkenau who were forced to aid in the extermination process and eventually led a revolt. 

The Zone of Interest (2024) - A film adaptation of Martin Amis's novel, exploring the everyday lives of the Nazi officers and their families living near Auschwitz-Birkenau.

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Geoffrey W. Sutton has a PhD in psychology and writes about psychology and culture.

Website: https://www.suttong.com/

Amazon Author: https://author.amazon.com/home

ResearchGate page: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Geoffrey-Sutton-2

Academia Page: https://evangel.academia.edu/GeoffSutton

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