On Saturday, 13th March 1943, the Germans began the final liquidation of the Krakow ghetto. First, the ghetto was cordoned off by SS divisions, Police, Sonderdienst and the Blue police. Jews from the A ghetto were supposed to walk to Płaszów, while those from ghetto B were to be killed, despite being  promised a relocation to Julag I. During the two-day operation, the SS men murdered a few hundred people located in shelters, hospitals and orphanages. Their corpses were transported to Płaszów, where other people, considered ”useless”, were being shot dead. The official total number of 2,000 victims killed in both, the ghetto as well as in Płaszów, does not seem to be exaggerrated, as the original number of 8,000 people who arrived at the camp increased up to over…

12th March 1682, marked in history as ”der grosjer Schülergeläuf”, was a day of serious anti-Jewish riots in Cracow. Janina Bieniarzówna thoroughy described these events in Volume 2 of  Dzieje Krakowa (The history of Cracow) as well Majer Bałaban, in Volume 2 of  Historia Żydów w Krakowie i na Kazimierzu 1304-1868 (The history of Jews in Cracow and in the Kazimierz District 1304-1868) It all stemmed from a Szachna who was sentenced to death by hanging, as a consequence of buying stolen ecclesiastical silverware. After executing the sentence, a group of students attacked and severly beat the Jews. Soon after that, other anti-Jewish riots broke out. The Jews took shelter in the Szara tenement house, while students, supported by local thugs, tried to break in there. As a result of…

Artur Markowicz , a painter and a graphic designer was born on 3rd March 1872 in Podgórze (currenty, a district in Cracow). After graduating from gymnasium, Markowicz began his studies at the Institute of Technology in Cracow, yet dropped out soon after. Between 1886-1895 he was studying at the School of Fine Arts where he got his education from Leopold Löffler, Władysław Łuszczkiewicz, Florian Cynk and Jan Matejko. From 1896 Markowicz continued his education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, receiving further education from Franz von Stuck. Between 1900-1904 he was studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, in  Jean-Léon Gérôme’s class. After returning to Poland, he lived in Tarnów for a short while, only to move to Cracow afterwards. His studio was located in a Jewish…

Jonatan Warschauer, born on 2nd March 1820 in Cracow,  was a doctor and a community activist. He was a graduate of St. Ann’s Gymnasium. After finishining the Faculty of Medicine at the Jagiellonian University in 1843, Warschauer ran his own medical practice.  He published his works in ”Tygodnik Lekarski”(Doctor’s Weekly), ”Pamiętnik Lekarski Warszawski” (Doctor’s Journal / Warsaw), ”Przegląd Lekarski”(Doctor’s Review) as well as in ”Rocznik Towarzystwa Lekarzy Polskich w Paryżu” (A Yearbook of the Polish Doctors Society in Paris). As a keen supporter of  Polish independence and the assimilation of Polish Jews, he supported the Uprising in Cracow, which resulted in his imprisonment. The author of a brochure entitled  ”O spolszczeniu Żydów galicyjskich” (About making the Galicia Jews Polish) published in 1882. A member of Cracow City Council between 1866–1888.…