About the Museum

The KL Plaszow Memorial Museum in Kraków, which is dedicated to the remembrance of the victims of the Plazow German Nazi Labour Camp and Concentration Camp (1942–1945), started  its operations on 1st January 2021 in line with a resolution adopted by the Kraków City Council. It is managed by the Kraków Museum.

The KL Plaszow Museum is established to preserve and manage the area of the former German Nazi concentration camp in Plaszow, operated in 1942–1945. According to estimates, about 35 thousand prisoners were detained in the camp: Jews, Poles and other nationals. 5–6 thousand people were killed in the camp.

The Museum performs research and educational tasks aimed to commemorate the history of KL Plaszow and its victims. The institution manages the former camp area entered in the list of protected heritage monuments, and an historical building known as the Grey House. A plot of land adjacent to the former camp area is designated for the Memorial construction. Both the Grey House and the Memorial will host permanent exhibitions illustrating the history of the camp.

The end of investment of the KL Plaszow Museum is scheduled for late 2025.

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Research projects

Research projects

Research conducted by the KL Plaszow Museum includes its own projects and cooperation programs focused on various aspects of the past and the present of the Memorial site. Research results are shared by way of scientific publications, speeches, lectures and meetings aimed to promote a deeper knowledge of KL Plaszow.

The topics addressed by research and scientific projects include not only the history of KL Plaszow and the fates of its prisoners, but also questions relating to the history and functioning of Kraków and the General Government during World War II, museology, studies into remembrance of the past, modern genocide crimes, and their commemoration.

The KL Plaszow Digital Archive, available since 2018, is a compendium providing knowledge of the camp and its prisoners. The archive is continually extended and supplemented.

Historical research and search queries in sources

Historical research includes search queries and work on topics related to the history of KL Plaszow, based on source materials. Questions about individual prisoners are answered, genealogy is studied and various aspects of the camp’s operation are analyzed.

Land documentation and conservation studies

The former camp area has been covered in regular surveys and analyses since 2016. They resulted in documentation of the area, and the production of maps of relics and spatial studies. Considering the special characteristics of the Memorial site, field surveys are preceded by conservation studies and analyses that are prerequisite for the optimum planning of subsequent work, including the conservation and explanation of architectural relics.

Archaeological research

A comprehensive archaeological survey of the post-camp area was conducted in 2016–2017. Permanent archaeological supervision and field prospecting are being continued at present to make secure and protect the preserved KL Plaszow site. Future surveys are planned, using non-invasive archaeological methods. The archaeological surveys provided information about the spatial layout of the camp, the characteristics of structures and their preserved relics, and revealed thousands of movable historical objects related to the history of the Memorial site.

Nature studies and inventory

The Memorial site constitutes a valuable natural area. The Museum’s activity in the field of environmental protection and nature preservation is based on reliable knowledge provided by extensive studies, analyses and inventories of natural features.

Social and sociological research

The specificity of the KL Plaszow Museum is connected with the need to undertake research related to the issues of memory, education and difficult heritage. It is possible to conduct scientific research consisting in the analysis of contemporary awareness and the role of memorial sites and museum institutions.