On a regular looking sidewalk between buildings on Lwowska in Krakow stands the 12 meter remnant of the original Krakow Ghetto Wall. In 1983 a small plaque was added on the wall.  The commemorative plaque states: “Here they lived, suffered and died at the hands of the German torturers. From here they began their final journey to the death camps.”  This verse is written in both Polish and Yiddish, the language used by the Polish Jews.

Just a few minutes away from the remnant of the Ghetto Wall is Zgody Square also known as Ghetto Heroes Square or the Umschlagplatz of Krakow. The unusual memorial in this Square consists of 33 very basic iron chairs. Why chairs as a memorial?

It seems that the Nazi beasts wanted to get every last bit of possessions from the Jews to send back to Germany. When gathering the Jews to deport them to the death camps they were told they are being relocated and they should bring with their furniture (that way the Nazis didn’t have to do the work). The Jews were deported to the death camps and their furniture was sent to Germany and when all was done some lone chairs remained. As a remembrance of the terrible atrocities the chairs were put there as a symbolic memorial for the Jews that were deported to their deaths from that spot.

The Eagle Pharmacy right across the Ghetto Heroes Square has a story of its own. Tadeusz Pankiewicz, the non-Jewish pharmacist had his place within the ghetto walls. The back of the pharmacy was outside the ghetto walls and he risked his life to get medication, groceries and information to the Jews in the Ghetto.

Posted: December 18, 2019

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