78th anniversary of Olkusz Jews extermination

June 1942 – Jewish families from Olkusz on their way to the train station, to be deported for death in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

In June we turn our memory to the tragic events in 1942, when Germans deported Jews from Olkusz to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, where they were murdered in gas chambers. This year commemoration of this tragic event was limited, without any mass gatherings, due to limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemy.

In June, at the Rynek square, there was presented an interesting exhibition by the City Council on history of Jews in Olkusz: Exhibition on history of Jews in Olkusz (in Polish).

On June 13th, at 11 a.m., a small delegation representing the inhabitants and the mayor of Olkusz, laid flowers in Auschwitz-Birkenau in the place of execution, where ashes of Olkusz Jews mixed with ashes of uncountable other victims of Nazis have been dispersed. Later, at 6 p.m., as every year, some of us met near the Starostwobuilding, at Mickiewicza Street 2, to walk to the train station following the last way of Olkusz Jews, to be deported for death in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

This year, because of epidemic conditions the Olkusz local authorities did not organize any commemoration events involving mass gatherings of people: A communication on commemoration of Olkusz Jews holocaust (in Polish).