Krajobraz miejsca pamięci. Terapeutyczna rola badań archeologicznych w procesie kształtowania praktyk pamięci na terenie KL Plaszow
Landscape of the site of memory. The therapeutic role of archaeology in the process of building memorial practices at KL Plaszow

Author(s): Kamil Karski
Subject(s): Sociology of Culture
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: memory; landscape; archeology of contemporary past; KL Plaszow
Summary/Abstract: The area of KL Plaszow is one of the last remnants of the concentration camp, which until now has had no institutional care. Over the past 70 years, the camp grounds slowly lost their legibility, becoming a semi-wild park in the center of a large city. Despite the presence of several memorials and information boards with the history of the camp, visitors used its area in various ways, treating it as a place of recreation, walking dogs, barbecues, but also reflection and commemoration. All these activities led to the creation of a memorial landscape of this place closely related to its park character. The aim of the article is to present the role of archaeological research carried out in KL Plaszow by the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków. In the years 2016–2017, the post-camp area was covered by non-invasive surveys and excavations. During the work, an attempt to reconstruct the topography of the camp was made, and the relics of the buildings, which practically did not leave a trace on the surface of the earth, were uncovered. Over 3,000 artifacts were collected, which are traces of prisoners’ life and history of the camp. Thus, a new, so far illegible element of the landscape of the place has been introduced. Information about fieldwork was regularly presented and made public, and its results aroused the curiosity of the inhabitants of Kraków, the local press and tourists. Their reactions to the research, however, were varied: from expressions of impatience to denials of the need of commemoration.

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