The events of WWII are well documented elsewhere. Suffice it to say that 90% of the Jewish population died either in the Warsaw ghetto or at the extermination camp at Treblinka. Jewish Warsaw, including the remains of the ghetto, monuments, memorials, the Jewish cemetery and the re-constructed Nozyk synagogue, make an interesting tour. Throughout the area the evidence remains. Fragments of the ghetto wall can still be seen together with plaques and monuments showing were Jews lived, fought and died.
Umschlagplatz
The most important memorial is the Umschlagplatz on ul. Stawki, on the northern boundary of the Warsaw Ghetto. The stone monument, erected in 1988, marks the place where Jewish people were loaded onto the trains for transportation to Treblinka. The memorial, which resembles an open freight car, was created by architect Hanna Szmalenberg and sculptor Wladyslaw Klamerus. You walk right inside it to read the inscriptions.
Monument to the Ghetto Heroes and Mila 18
The Monument to the Ghetto Heroes is located between Karmelicka and Zamenhofa streets. The memorial marks the site of the main bunker of the Jewish Fighting Organization (ZOB). Designed by sculptor Nathan Rappaport, the monument commemorates the Ghetto Uprising of 1943, and the thousands who lost their lives. The monument is made of granite originally imported by the Nazis for a victory tower. A bronze relief shows a group of insurgents led by Mordacai Anielewicz who holds a grenade in his hand. The reverse of the monument shows a group of Jews being lead to their deaths.
Another memorial, known as Mila 18, marks the events of 8th May 1943, when Anielewicz and other resistance fighters took their own lives rather than be taken by the Nazis. Anielewicz's body was never found. It was probably removed by the Germans to a crematoria together with other Jewish dead. Even so, the inscription on the memorial states he is buried there.
Warsaw Jewish Cemetery
The Jewish cemetery on Okopowa Street has more than 100,000 tombstones and is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe. Parts of the site have been badly neglected but it is still a peaceful place to explore, and a must for family history researchers. A small section is still reserved for Warsaw's remaining Jewish population.
Nozyk Synagogue
By the end of the war 90% of the city had been destroyed. Of the many pre-1939 synagogues only the Nozyk Synagogue at 6 Twarda Street survived because German troops used it as a stable and storehouse. The badly damaged building has been completely restored with a grant from the Polish government. It now holds services for a congregation of about 200 and is home to several other Jewish organizations.
Warsaw's popularity as a short-break destination is growing rapidly. Apart from its Jewish history, the city offers fine restaurants and cafés, plenty of night life and many interesting art galleries and museums.
Frances Spiegel - Frances Spiegel, B.A. Hons. (Open)., Dip.Eur.Hum., read Art History/European Modern History at the Open University.
