A memorial stone in Lviv (Polish: Lwów), situated in western Ukraine, commemorates the Jewish victims of the forced labour camp »Janowska«. Several tens of thousands of Jews perished in the camp between 1941 and 1944.
Around 110,000 Jews lived in Lviv in 1939, which then belonged to Poland, making up about one third of the city's population. After the outbreak of the Second World War, Soviet troops occupied the city. Around 100,000 Jewish refugees from the German occupied territories of Poland fled to Lviv. Many of these refugees were deported to the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the Wehrmacht occupied Lviv on June 30, 1941. During the first four days of occupation, Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing squads) and Ukrainian nationalists murdered around 4,000 Jews. In September 1941, an SS commando led by Wolfgang Mohwinkel took over the factory premises on Janowska Street. The production was to supply the German troops. The factories were later administered and extended by the Deutsche Ausrüstungswerke (DAW, German equipment works), an SS enterprise. Upon orders of the SS, Jews from Lviv had to perform forced labour in these factories. In early 1942, a forced labour camp was established adjacent to the DAW works. On the way between the camp and the DAW works members of the SS conducted a selection, and those »unfit for work« were shot in the sandy hills behind the camp (referred to as »piaski« by the inmates). From March 1942, the camp also functioned as a transit camp - Jews from Lviv ghetto or those »unfit for work« were deported to Belzec extermination camp from here. Due to the approaching of the Red Army, the camp was dissolved on July 19, 1944.
The number of victims of the Janowska forced labour camp can only be estimated. Many Jews were deported to extermination camps from here and it is not possible to determine the overall number of inmates of Janowska camp. It is assumed that at least 50,000 Jews perished in Janowska camp - they were shot or died of hunger, diseases and exhaustion.
After the war Lviv belonged to the Soviet Union. For decades there was no sign whatsoever at the former camp premises to indicate that there had been a forced labour camp and an extermination site there. One part of the premises is still occupied by a prison, others are overgrown with vegetation. It was not until 1993, two years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, that a memorial was set up to commemorate the victims. The memorial stone, weighing ten tons, was funded by Alexander Schwarz (*1924 in Borysław) who had survived the Janowska camp. There is a Star of David on the stone. The Ukrainian, Hebrew and English inscription reads: »Let the memory of all the Nazi genocide victims in Janowska death camp remain forever«. The stone also bears an inscription which speaks of 200,000 victims who perished in Janowska camp.
The former camp premises behind the memorial stone are difficult to access. A new memorial site that would provide historical information has not been commissioned yet.
The railway station Klepariv is in close vicinity of the former camp site. On the wall of the station building a small plaque indicates the fact that the Jews of Eastern Galicia had been departed to their deaths at the Bełżec extermination camp from this station.
An additional memorial is to be found in the centre of Lviv. It is dedicated to the victims of the Lviv ghetto.
The former camp premises behind the memorial stone are difficult to access. A new memorial site that would provide historical information has not been commissioned yet.
The railway station Klepariv is in close vicinity of the former camp site. On the wall of the station building a small plaque indicates the fact that the Jews of Eastern Galicia had been departed to their deaths at the Bełżec extermination camp from this station.
An additional memorial is to be found in the centre of Lviv. It is dedicated to the victims of the Lviv ghetto.
- Name
- Pamjatnik Janiws'kogo taboru smerti
- Address
-
Ulitsa Shevchenka
Lwiw - Open
- The memorial is accessible at all times.