The Lublin: Memory of the Holocaust Trail was prepared by the "Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre" Center for the 75th anniversary of the liquidation of the Lublin Ghetto and the beginning of Operation Reinherdt, which fell in 2017. The trail marks the borders of the Podzamcze ghetto and the last route of Lublin Jews leading to the Umschlagplatz, from where approximately 28,000 people were deported to the Bełżec extermination camp. The trail also includes other previously uncommemorated areas, such as the Jewish district in Wieniawa, the Majdan Tatarski ghetto, and the site of the death of children and their caregivers from the orphanage.
It's best to start your walk along the Lublin. Memory of the Holocaust trail at the "Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre" Center, where you can pick up a free guide to the Memory Trail and see the "Lublin. 43 Thousand" exhibition. Detailed information about the trail can be found at the website of the "Grodzka Gate - NN Theatre" Centre. Ośrodka „Brama Grodzka – Teatr NN”.
The distance: 4,1 km
The time: 2 hours
The ghetto boundary is part of the Memory Trail, commemorating the existence of the Podzamcze ghetto in Lublin during the occupation. It was established by the Germans on March 24, 1941. Approximately 35,000 Jews were confined within the ghetto, which was enclosed by a barbed-wire fence. The establishment of the ghetto was a fundamental act of exclusion of the Jewish community from city life and its isolation from other residents.
Marking the ghetto border – concrete tiles and murals
Forty-three concrete slabs were placed along the ghetto boundary. Their number symbolically refers to the 43,000 Jews who lived in Lublin before the war. Furthermore, murals were created in selected locations within the ghetto. They tell the story of the Jewish town in Lublin – its life and its destruction.
The distance: 4,5 km
The time: 1,5 hour
This section of the Memorial Trail commemorates the route taken by Jews as they were led to the railway ramp on Zimna Street. From there, they were deported to the Bełżec extermination camp. Columns of Jews walked along Ruska, Kalinowszczyzna, and Turystyczna Streets to the municipal slaughterhouse on Zimna Street, where the railway ramp was located. The place where they were gathered before marching to the ramp was the Maharshal Synagogue. The Memorial Trail is marked with 21 plaques bearing letters of the Hebrew alphabet; the final, 22nd letter, is located in an art installation located on the Umschlagplatz grounds.
“Mis/Remembrance of the Place” – art installation
One of the most significant and forgotten sites in Lublin associated with the extermination of Jews is the now-defunct railway ramp of the former municipal slaughterhouse on Zimna Street. From here, from March 16 to April 14, 1942, Jews were deported to the Bełżec extermination camp. The "Non/Memory of the Place" installation is located on the site of the former railway ramp.
A metal container was placed on the plot, accessible from Zimna Street through a broken wall. Through openings cut into the container's walls on both sides, shaped like Hebrew letters, we can see the plot's space. The last letter of the Hebrew alphabet is carved into the container's roof, revealing the sky. The space in which the installation was created was carved out of the entire area of the former loading dock. The wall enclosing the container is made of rusty sheet metal. The rust is intended to emphasize the process of destruction and the dying of memory.
Address: Zimna St.