A memorial in Złotów – formerly West Prussian Flatow – commemorates the town's New Synagogue which was destroyed during the time of the National Socialist regime. It was erected in 2003 on the synagogue's former location, the Krautmarkt square (today: Plac Paderewskiego).
Flatow, undated, Town view, Muzeum Ziemi Złotowskiej w Złotowie
Złotów, 2012, Memorial to the destroyed synagogue, Mirosław Płoszaj
Jews were first mentioned in written documents in Złotów, which lies on the Głomia river, in 1564. 200 years later, in 1772, the town had 915 Jewish residents representing over half of the total population. In the course of the 19th century, the percentage of Jews in Złotów rapidly dropped due to migration; at the beginning of the 20th century, Jews represented merely 10 percent of the total population with 400 inhabitants. In 1933, Złotów - then part of the German Reich as Flatow - had a total of 7,000 residents of whom 190 were Jews.
Following the National Socialists' rise to power in January 1933, many Jews fled Flatow due to the increasing anti-Jewish measures; many headed for Berlin. In August 1938, for financial reasons, the strongly decimated Jewish community had to sell the synagogue to the town's administration, which had the building blown up in October 1938 – a month before the anti-Jewish pogroms in the German Reich. Jews were forced to carry off the ruins.
Two years later, the remaining Jews of Flatow were taken to a camp near Schneidemühl (today: Piła), then, at the end of February 1940, a transport of about 160 Jewish men, women and children departed for the Lublin region in occupied Poland. None of the deportees survived. In 1945, Flatow became part of Poland and has since been called Złotów. The few remaining German inhabitants were expelled or forced to become Polish citizens.
Following the National Socialists' rise to power in January 1933, many Jews fled Flatow due to the increasing anti-Jewish measures; many headed for Berlin. In August 1938, for financial reasons, the strongly decimated Jewish community had to sell the synagogue to the town's administration, which had the building blown up in October 1938 – a month before the anti-Jewish pogroms in the German Reich. Jews were forced to carry off the ruins.
Two years later, the remaining Jews of Flatow were taken to a camp near Schneidemühl (today: Piła), then, at the end of February 1940, a transport of about 160 Jewish men, women and children departed for the Lublin region in occupied Poland. None of the deportees survived. In 1945, Flatow became part of Poland and has since been called Złotów. The few remaining German inhabitants were expelled or forced to become Polish citizens.
Flatow, undated, Town view, Muzeum Ziemi Złotowskiej w Złotowie
Złotów, 2012, Memorial to the destroyed synagogue, Mirosław Płoszaj
In 1933, there were only 190 Jews left in Flatow, as many had fled to other parts of Germany. Those who remained – the exact number is not known - were deported in 1940 and later murdered.
Flatow, undated, The former synagogue on Friedrichplatz, later called Krautmarkt, public domain
The town's Jewish history came to an abrupt end with the Holocaust. The last two survivors from Flatow, Arnold Julius (1920-2012) and Walter Frankenstein (*1924) fled to Berlin in the 1930s. Julius underwent vocational training at the Pankow Jewish Home for Apprentices, survived the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Dachau, and eventually settled down in Berlin after the war. Frankenstein was at first in the Pankow and Auerbach Jewish orphanages in Berlin; he married in 1942 and went into hiding. During this time, his two sons were born. After the war, the Frankensteins emigrated to Israel and later moved to Sweden. Only in 2010/2011, after over 70 years, did Julius and Frankenstein retrace their lives in Flatow and wartime Berlin together with a documentary film team from the »Zeitzeugen TV« channel.
In 2003, the mayor of Polish Złotów had the perimeter of the former synagogue marked on what is today Paderewski square. A memorial plaque bearing an inscription in Polish, Hebrew and German was dedicated. It reads: »Here stood the synagogue of the Jewish community. It was destroyed in November 1938.« The inscription indicates that the synagogue was destroyed during the pogroms of November 1938, however, the synagogue had already been demolished several weeks beforehand.
The building of the Old Synagogue still exists, however, it has not been in use for decades.
In 2003, the mayor of Polish Złotów had the perimeter of the former synagogue marked on what is today Paderewski square. A memorial plaque bearing an inscription in Polish, Hebrew and German was dedicated. It reads: »Here stood the synagogue of the Jewish community. It was destroyed in November 1938.« The inscription indicates that the synagogue was destroyed during the pogroms of November 1938, however, the synagogue had already been demolished several weeks beforehand.
The building of the Old Synagogue still exists, however, it has not been in use for decades.
Złotów, 2012, Inscription in memory of the former synagogue, Muzeum Ziemi Złotowskiej w Złotowie
Złotów, 2012, Ruins of the Old Synagogue, Muzeum Ziemi Złotowskiej w Złotowie
- Name
- Pomnik w miejscu Synagogi
- Address
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Plac Paderewskiego
77-400 Złotów - Open
- The memorial is accessible at all times.