Memorial to the Jews of Opoczno

The memorial on present-day ulica Stanisława Kowalskiego [Stanisław Kowalski Street], at the corner with Aleja Sportowa [Sports Avenue] above the Wągłanka river, commemorates residents of the Opoczno region of the Jewish faith who were murdered by Germans during the Second World War. It is a separate and older object than the better-known memorial in plac Kilińskiego [Kilinski Square], unveiled in 2012 – it is worth remembering this, as both concern the same subject and are easily confused.

Where exactly the memorial stands

The object is located on a street that until 1984 was called Rzeczna – by a resolution of the City Council of 9 February that year it was renamed in honour of Stanisław Albin Kowalski, an organiser of clandestine education in Opoczno during the occupation. Today it is ulica Stanisława Kowalskiego, and the memorial stands at its corner with Aleja Sportowa, above the Wągłanka.

History in three dates

The first memorial in this place was erected in 1962, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the PPR. It was given its present form in 2002, and in 2024 the City of Opoczno financed its renovation, carried out by M.A. Marleccy.

Historical background: the ghetto in Opoczno

The Germans established a Jewish ghetto in Opoczno in November 1940, resettling to it Jews from nearby towns, including Drzewica and Odrzywół. On 27 October 1942 approximately two thousand ghetto residents were gathered and transported to the death camp in Treblinka. This event is a common point of reference for all memorials and plaques commemorating the Jews of Opoczno in the city, including the park in the place of the former Jewish ghetto.

Other places of remembrance in Opoczno

The history of the Opoczno Jewish community is also recalled by the building of the former synagogue and Park Tysiąclecia, laid out on the site of the former Jewish cemetery. Together they create several points of remembrance in the city, dispersed in different locations, rather than a single central memorial.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Stanisława Kowalskiego 5, 26-300 Opoczno
• Access: vicinity of Aleja Sportowa above the Wągłanka, near the city centre
• What to expect: an open-air memorial, accessible without restrictions, in modest post-war form – not to be confused with the memorial in honour of those deported to Treblinka in plac Kilińskiego