RETURNING MEMORY TO PŁASZÓW

  • Renata Hanynets Lviv
Keywords: Plaszów, memorialization, place of memory, Holocaust

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to demonstrate the transformations of the Plaszów memorial space from 1945 to the present day by analyzing the monuments on the site and investigating commemorative practices related to Plaszów. Analyze how Plaszów is becoming a place of Holocaust remembrance in Krakow and evaluate the effectiveness of reviving the memory of this place.
Methodology: memorial space of Plaszów was analized on the basis of interpretations of the concept of “place of memory” in the context of Pierre Nora’s methodology. Plaszów transformation from “place of non memory” to “place of memory” is considered.
The scientific novelty of the study lies in a comprehensive analysis of the memorial landscape of Plaszów. The article examines the monuments located on the territory of the former concentration camp as a material symbol and commemorative practices associated with Plaszów, as the functioning of these symbols in the memorial, museum and cultural space of Krakow.
Conclusions: the Plaszów Memorial Space began to take shape in the postwar years, and monuments appeared in different years at the initiative of various organizations representing groups of victims of the Plaszów concentration camp. The tragic history of the territory and several monuments coexist with recreational activities carried out by the residents of the district, which indicates
that the monuments do not fully reveal Plaszów as a place where the Holocaust took place. Changes in Plaszow’s perception began in 2002 with the inclusion of the area in the list of monuments, which stimulated an architectural competition that raised questions about the future of the area. The history of Plaszów and its current state became the subject of several photo exhibitions, which contributed to the intensification of interest in its history both specialists and the general public. Since then, several organizations have dedicated lectures, discussions and exhibitions to Plaszów. Since 2017, the Historical Museum of Krakow has decided to memorialize the territory and its activities have laid the foundation of the newly created institution “Museum – Place of Memory KL Plaszów”. Over the last few years, Plaszów’s commemorative practices have become much more intense, and with the creation of the “Museum – Place of Memory KL Plaszów”, the location has every chance to gradually displace inappropriate activities from its territory and to become a place of memory about the Holocaust in Krakow.

Author Biography

Renata Hanynets, Lviv

Master’s degree from the Lviv National Academy of Arts (2014) and the European Humanities University (2020), a graduate of the program for young scientists from the Polish government (2017). Her research interests include the memory and memorialization of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe.

Published
2020-12-15