“Remember those who suffered fought and perished.” These words mark the Mur Getta Warszawskiego Plaque. This memorial stands as a testament to a tragic chapter in Warsaw’s history.
The Mur Getta Warszawskiego Plaque marks the boundary of the Warsaw Ghetto. Nazi Germany established this ghetto in 1940. It was a place of immense suffering and ultimately, rebellion.
These markers, including the Mur Getta Warszawskiego Plaque, were erected in 2008 and 2010. They stand at 22 sites along the ghetto’s former borders. These locations once held gates to the ghetto. Wooden footbridges crossed over Aryan streets here. Important buildings for the ghetto inmates once stood nearby.
Eleonora Bergman and Tomasz Lec designed the markers. They worked with Ewa Pustoła-Kozłowska and Jan Jagielski. Each marker consists of three parts. There is a bronze plaque. It measures 60 cm by 70 cm. The plaque shows a map of the ghetto’s farthest borders. The pre-war street network of Warsaw is also featured. A pin indicates the exact location of the Mur Getta Warszawskiego Plaque.
An acrylic glass plaque accompanies the bronze one. It measures 36 cm by 50 cm. Information in Polish and English details the site’s role in ghetto history. One or two historical photos are included. A brief history of the Warsaw Ghetto prefaces this information.
The inscription reads that the ghetto was cut off from the rest of the city on November 16 1940. German occupation authorities ordered it. Initially the ghetto spanned 307 hectares. Over time it shrank. In January 1942 it was divided into small and large sections. Around 360000 Warsaw Jews and 90000 from other towns were forced into the ghetto. Nearly 100000 died from hunger.
During the summer of 1942 Germans deported and murdered nearly 300000 people. They were killed in the gas chambers of Treblinka. On April 19 1943 an uprising began in the ghetto. Fighters and civilians died in combat. They also perished in the systematically burned buildings. The remaining population was murdered in concentration camps in November 1943. Only a few survived. The City of Warsaw erected the Mur Getta Warszawskiego Plaque in 2008.
Cement strips mark the exact location of the ghetto walls. These strips are 25 cm wide. Cast iron signs read “MUR GETTA 1940/GHETTO WALL 1943” in two languages.
The dates 1940-1943 are symbolic. They represent the years the Warsaw Ghetto existed. However the dates should not be taken literally. Some commemorated places were excluded in 1941-1942. One site was included in 1941. Two were included in 1942.
Most plaques stand on 2.3 m tall cement posts. These posts were designed for sett pavement. Others are placed directly on building walls.
The unveiling of the Mur Getta Warszawskiego Plaque and others occurred on November 19 2008. The mayor of Warsaw Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz inaugurated the project. On January 27 2010 the 22nd marker was unveiled on Sienna Street. This was on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
This Mur Getta Warszawskiego Plaque serves as a poignant reminder. It marks not just a boundary but a place of suffering resistance and loss. Take a moment to reflect on the history held within this space. Remember those who perished and honor their memory.