Articles with category "History of Lublin and the Lublin region"

Robert Kuwałek connected with the environment of the NN Theatre in the '90s. It was the beginning of the interest of the Theatre in Jewish culture and it was related to the realization of the spectacle Earthy Foods inspired by the work of Grigorijus Kanovičius – a Jewish writer from Vilnius. In 1994 Robert took part in the first academic session organized in the Grodzka Gate that was titled Jews of Lublin and from this point on collaboration with him became a constant in our activity.

Robert had priceless contribution to the activity of the Centre, not only as an expert and lecturer involved in the implementation of certain projects, but mainly as a teacher and friend of many employees of the Centre – always ready to help and advise, sharing the vast knowledge and richness of personal connections and inspiring future actions. We are very grateful for that.

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A historian, pedagogue, employee of the State Museum at Majdanek, author and co-author of many works for academic and general public dedicated to the Jewish community of Lublin and extermination of Jews in the Lublin region.

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"Kol Lublin" ("Voice of Lublin") is the annual magazine of Jews with Lublin roots in Israel and of the diaspora. It is the main forum for communication amongst our community. Fifty years have passed since the first annual was published. We believe that the variety of subjects, the abundance of data, and the richness of expression in "Kol Lublin" form a complement to the “Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora: Lublin”, the pre-eminent publication containing information about the Jewish community in Lublin.

Text by: Neta Żytomirska-Avidar

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The “Cracow route” has always played an important role in city’s life. Several momentous and seminal historic events took place on this very street. Earlier, the “Cracow route” included Litewski and Łokietka squares and for that reasons these places are also described here. Currently Krakowskie Przedmieście is the main street of Lublin.

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Alex Dancyg lives in the Nir Oz kibbutz and is a historian, Yad Vashem Institute contributor, and an active advocate of Polish-Jewish dialogue. At nine years old he left Warsaw alongside his parents and sister to move to Israel. There he attended school and pursued a degree in history. He was a member of Hashomer Hatzair, and a paratrooper serving in the Israeli military, fighting in multiple wars. He is married, with four children, and several grandchildren. He is the subject of the film "Reading Sienkiewicz in the Negev Desert" by Krzysztof Bukowski, as well as the audio documentary "Double Identity" by Marta Rebzda.

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History of the Dominican church and the monastery relates to the relics of the True Cross, kept there for several ages. According to Jan Długosz, they were brought to Lublin in 1333, while another account states that it happened after 1400. New chapels were being constructed at the church one after another in order to store the relics.

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In the history of Poland, the year 1578 was market by a major event: the establishment of the highes tinstance Court, called the Crown Tribunal – Iudicium Ordinarium Generale Tribunalis Regni. It was a court of appeal against all gentry courts, the parliamentary court and the royal court.

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The Dominican church and the monastery were erected in the southern part of the Old Town Hill (wzgórze staromiejskie), on a small elevation, the so-called Dominican Hillock (górka dominikańska). The monastery’s history is related to the relics of The True Cross that were kept there until 1991.

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Standing in the middle of the market square is the edifice of the Crown Tribunal, which replaced the wooden town hall that had burned down in 1389. It is certain that a brick building existed in this place already in the 15th century, as preserved documents regarding meetings of the City Council taking place there attest, among other evidence. Initially, the building performed function of the town hall, where all the judicial and administrative authority was concentrated. Since 1578 it was the seat of the Crown Tribunal – the highest judicial authority for the nobility of Lesser Poland province. Today it houses the Wedding Palace and – in its lowermost section – a tourist route – The Lublin Underground Route.

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The Market Square was marked out after Lublin had obtained its town privileges. It was laid out in roughly square shape. The irregular form is a consequence of its location on the curve of the former fortified walls. Hence the western frontage bears a concave form, while the eastern (adjacent to the former walls) is convex. Originally, a pair of streets ran from each corner of the square. Nevertheless, as the time went on and buildings in the area were frequently rearranged, some of the streets became built-up. Lay of the land and layout of the old settlement located on the Old Town’s hill hindered any attempt to design regular-shaped lots. In the 16th century the process of consolidating the parcels had been initiated, causing alterations in the form of buildings in the vicinity of the square.

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Tadeusz Myslowski, born 1943. Polish-born American artist sculptor, painter, graphic aritist. Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. Since 1970 has been living and working in the USA.

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Nimrod Szalom Ariav (Szulem Cygielman) was born on September 24, 1926 in Lublin. Died on August 3, 2023 in Israel.

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The Lublin Umschlagplatz (formerly also known as the Lublin Death Square) is a name given to the site from which human transports with Lublin Jews were sent by the German Security Police to the death camp in Bełżec in March and April 1942.

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At the beginning of November 1942, the officers of the German Security Service (SD) and Security Police (SiPo) in Lublin commenced with the general liquidation of the residual ghetto in the suburban district of Majdan Tatarski. In the course of the operation all the various members of the Judenrat were murdered, including its chairman, Marek Alten. The Jewish informer, Szama Grajer, as well as the commandant of the Jewish police forces, Mendel (Moniek) Goldfarb, were also executed. The remaining Jews were taken to KL Lublin (Majdanek Concentration Camp) where they all perished in the gas chambers. The Nazis continued to plunder and destroy the remainder of the liquidated ghetto for several weeks.

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The Lublin residual ghetto was established in the second half of April 1942 in the working-class district of Majdan Tatarski situated on the south-eastern outskirts of the city. Several thousand Jews, who thanks to their “privileged” status survived the liquidation of the ghetto in Podzamcze, were transferred to this relatively small area. The new Jewish housing zone was called the “Musterghetto” (“master ghetto”) by the German authorities. However, overpopulation and living conditions here were dramatic. The annihilation of the district was carried out in stages, marked by successive selections. The final liquidation of the ghetto took place at the beginning of November 1942 when 200 people were murdered on its premises and those who remained alive were sent to the camp at Majdanek (KL Lublin).

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The first months of 1941 brought a tightening of German policy regarding Jews in the whole General Government territory. The advancing process of ghettoization in that period had claimed many towns and cities, among them Kraków, Radom, Częstochowa and Kielce. It was a period when the city of Lublin also witnessed the creation of its own ghetto. The small number of Jews who could reside outside its boundaries were those in possession of special permits or dispatched to working places. The privileged few included city hall and the Judenrat clerks, doctors, as well as chosen craftsmen who did specific jobs commissioned by the Germans. In the months to come, the living conditions of the majority of Jewish citizens deteriorated significantly, leading to the outbreak of typhoid fever and resulting in an increased death toll. Many of the ghetto inhabitants lived on the verge of utter desitution while the Judenrat, facing constantly diminishing money and food supplies, could not help prevent the intensifying pauperization. Despite the dramatically severe conditions, the Lublin Jews were not left dying in the streets, as was the case in the Warsaw ghetto. The situation had not improved, however, until the beginning of 1942, when the ghetto was divided.

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On the 16th of March 1942 the German security forces commenced with the liquidation of the ghetto in the Podzamcze District of Lublin, simultaneously undertaking a programme of genocide which, in the months to come, was designed to embrace the entire General Government (GG) and was aimed at nothing less than the biological extermination of the Jewish population, coupled with the plunder of Jewish property. It was part of “the Final Solution to the Jewish Question” formulated by the Third Reich.

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The work camp at 7 Lipowa Street was established at the beginning of December 1939 on the initiative of the SS and Police Commander for the Lublin District, Odilo Globocnik. The Lipowa work camp had the longest history in the entire Lublin area. At first, only civil workers were employed on its premises; however, from the turn of 1940/1941 Polish Army soldiers of Jewish descent were forced to work there. During “Aktion Erntefest” (“Harvest Festival”) carried out on the 3rd of November 1943 all of the Jewish prisoners held at KL Lublin (Majdanek Concentration Camp) were murdered. In January 1944 the camp became a new branch of KL Lublin, employing several hundred non-Jewish prisoners. It functioned until July 1944.

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The Nursery for Orphans and the Elderly was established in 1862 by the Jewish Community with the purpose of caring for orphans in need and elderly people. It was situated in the Old Town at 11 Grodzka Street. The institution operated under this address until 24 March 1942, when German forces brought it to a close with the mass murder of both child and elderly residents.

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Creation of the Majdanek camp was connected to the plans of germanization of eastern Europe. According to them Majdanek was supposed to be a source of workforce. It was designed for people of various nationalities but the most numerous group of inmates were Jews. Majdanek camp was very different from the camps in Bełżec and Sobibór.

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