Monument to the Victims of Fascism
Trail of War
A monument to the people murdered in the Plaszow camp, unveiled in 1964 on the edge of the camp grounds. It was designed by architect Witold Cęckiewicz, with the Pińczów limestone sculpture made by Ryszard Szczypiński.
History
The monument was erected in 1964 on the edge of the former Plaszow camp, to a design by the architect Witold Cęckiewicz; the sculpture in Pińczów limestone was made by Ryszard Szczypiński. Five figures stand in a row, their heads bowed under the weight of a stone block with a gap torn through it at chest height. The inscription on the back pays tribute to the martyrs murdered in 1943-1945. The sculpture makes no direct reference either to the identity of those commemorated or to the camp itself. The monument stands on the rampart of a former Austro-Hungarian fortification, redoubt FS-22, where mass executions were carried out while the camp was in operation. Behind the monument are three separate plaques: the first, from 2000, is dedicated to Jewish women from Hungary, the second to Jews from Poland and Hungary, and the third, from 2012, to Home Army soldiers from the Polish "Blue" Police who were shot in the camp.
Did you know?
The redoubt on which the monument stands was built in 1855-1856 as part of the Austrian Kraków Fortress. In 1888 it was joined to the neighbouring redoubt FS-21.