Warszawa - Footprints of Janusz Korczak

 

Janusz Korczak wrote in his  „Pamiętnik”  (‚Diary’):

 …I love Warsaw’ s Vistula River, when I’m separated with Warsaw I terribly miss. Warsaw is mine and  I’m  its. I can say more: I’m Warsaw. I was happy with Warsaw and I was sad with it. Its weather was my weather, its rain and its mad were my too. I grew up here (…) . Warsaw was the place of my work, of my stay, there were graves…”

During our virtual trip we will show you only some places connected with Janusz Korczak.These are the places we visited in December and places which are 
described in a guide book‚ Warsaw is mine’ by Barbara Puszkin.
Our trip was very intesting thanks to people from Jewish Historical Institute.

 

      Żydowski Instytut Historyczny im. Emanuela Ringelbluma (ŻIH) – Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw  carries on research  of  Jewish’s  history and culture. Since 1 January 2009  the institute has got the name by Emanuel Ringelblum.

 

1. The first point of our trip. Monument of Janusz Korczak. It shows Korczak with the group      of children  under the tree,  which reminds menorah.

 

2. Next point – Jewish Cementery. Unfortunatelly we didn’t  visit it because of the weather.

 

 The Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe. Located on Warsaw's Okopowa Street and abutting the Powązki Cemeter. The Jewish Cemetery was established in 1806 and occupies 33 hectares (83 acres) of land. The cemetery contains over 200,000 marked graves, as well as mass graves of victims of the Warsaw Ghetto. Many of these graves and crypts are overgrown, having been abandoned after the German invasion of Poland and subsequent Holocaust. Although the cemetery was closed down during World War II, after the war it was reopened and a small portion of it remains active, serving Warsaw's small remaining Jewish population.

By the gate of cementery,on  the right  there is Monument of Janusz Korczak.

 

 

The grave of  Korczak’s family: father Józef Goldschmidt, mother Cecylia Goldschmidt and grandparents Emilia and Adolf Gębiccy

      Symbolic grave of Stefania Wilczyńska, who died with  children in Treblinka.

 

6 Jaktorowska Street  – former  Krochmalna  Street. This building survived World War II. There was orphanage  kept by  Janusz Korczak and  Stefania Wilczyńska. Now there is  Dom Dziecka nr 2 im. Janusza Korczaka  and  research centre (Ośrodek Dokumentacji  i Badań) „Korczakianum”.

 

 Dom Sierot – orphanage  build in 1912.
– Since 7 October 1912  Janusz Korczak  worked there with  Stefania Wilczyńska. They
   took care  about 106 children up to 14.
– Building  survived World War I. During  the Second  World War in 1939 only a roof
   was damaged.
– In October or November 1940 orphanage  was  moved to Warsaw’ s Ghetto.
– Since 1958 there is  Państwowy Dom Dziecka nr 2 im. Janusza Korczaka (children’s
   house)  and  since 1993  research centre  (Ośrodek Dokumentacji i Badań)
   Korczakianum.