Context
Wrocław, formerly called Breslau was part of Germany before World War II and was home to one of the largest German Jewish communities in Central Europe. Decimated by the war and the enormous upheavals following the shift of borders (with Breslau becoming Wrocław and becoming Polish), the pre-war Jewish history of the city was almost completely wiped out. Preservation endeavours were also thwarted by the Communist authorities in Poland before 1989 in an attempt to homogenise its population and eradicate multiculturalism.
This history did not spare the Jewish cemetery on Gwarna Street (formerly known in German as Claassenstrasse), once a burial place for over 4,000 members of the Jewish community and in existence since the 18th century. The cemetery was destroyed during the final months of World War II, during the siege of the city. The plot of the cemetery, located in the city centre by the main Railway Station, is currently built over with apartments, garages, a municipal sport hall, and partially constitutes a de facto “no man’s land” typical for many of Central and Eastern European cities struggling with their tumultuous history and problematic Communist heritage where private land ownership and public space planning did not exist.
In 2020, the Urban Memory Foundation (UMF) was started in Wrocław out of a civic initiative launched two years prior to commemorate the site of the Jewish cemetery of Gwarna Street. The Foundation currently runs a number of local, national, and international projects. In 2022, as part of its activities, the Foundation carried out a comprehensive field study and public survey among the residents, stakeholders and descendants as to the potential commemoration of the Jewish cemetery of Gwarna.
Highlights
• Directly asking stakeholders and residents for feedback as to expectations towards remembrance and commemorative practices in their own city (Wrocław)
• Involving the most interested parties in co- shaping the future of public space around them, taking into consideration both past (a neglected and abandoned Jewish burial site of Gwarna Street) and present (quality of public space and residents’ needs)
Further information
You can find more resources about the Breslau Jewish Cemetery on Claassenstrasse (now Gwarna Street) here.
The full report (in Polish) is available here.
Challenges
• HOW to seek opinions of direct stakeholders (residents) regarding commemorative practices that have an impact on their immediate surroundings?
• HOW to strike a balance between the expectations of residents and the requirements of respect towards a burial site?
• HOW to address potential conflicts, years of neglect and reconcile various perspectives?
Description
In 2022, the Urban Memory Foundation carried out a comprehensive survey and field research on the attitude of the local community towards the commemoration of the former Jewish cemetery on Gwarna Street. As part of the research, a total of 78 interviews were conducted with a group of 100 people. The activities described in the report were carried out by a team of 21 volunteers – mainly PhD students and graduates of Wrocław universities.
The result of this work was synthesised into a report, analysing the data collected in the field as well as drawing conclusions from a range of activities carried out by UMF during the course of two years. The report was compiled under the guidance of Wrocław-based sociologists, together with local Jewish studies’ experts, architects and urban planners.
Among the key findings, the report concluded that although most residents know that a Jewish cemetery was located in the vicinity, their knowledge of the details surrounding its history vary considerably. Furthermore, the interviewees were predominantly in favour of finding ways to commemorate the Jewish cemetery, for the benefit of the local community and social justice. Additionally, they tended to indicate that a well-thought-out and intelligent way of commemorating it could help to better organise the currently chaotic public space, which suffers from an overabundance of concrete, disarray and lack of vision.
Lastly, the interviewees believed that the commemoration should closely involve the stakeholders and residents from early on, via carefully designed public consultation processes and without shying away from honest and open discussion.
Solutions
- Treating the inhabitants of the area as partners, listening to their voices.
- Presenting a variety of options for what a site can be after it is commemorated without focusing on commemoration only and respecting the inhabitants’ needs and concerns.
- Consulting the immediate neighbours of the site before moving ahead with any architectural design.
Funding
The stakeholders’ report on commemorating the Jewish cemetery on Gwarna Street was published by Urban Memory Foundation, as part of a project “Places of Remembering and Forgetting” (2021-2022), funded by Norway Grants from the Active Citizens – National Fund (EEA Grants). The community event for residents in 2021 was co-funded by the Municipality of Wrocław – Mikrogrant NGO and the ROI Community – Schusterman Family Philanthropies.
The report states, among other things, that “representatives of the local community generally agree that a pre-war Jewish cemetery should be commemorated at Gwarna Street. The topic of creating a small park or square was approved by the vast majority of research participants.
(…) The green area could become an intercultural stimulator of attachment to the place, which – due to its practical function will also be valuable for people who do not understand and do not fully identify with the history of the cemetery as a place of remembrance of the Jewish community.
Lessons Learnt
• Representatives of the local community mostly agreed that a commemoration of the pre-war Jewish cemetery of Gwarna Street could become an intercultural stimulator for the local community, creating a sense of belonging and attachment to Wrocław
• Emphasising the practicality of solutions proposed for commemoration could be valuable for people who do not fully identify with the history of the Jewish cemetery as a place of remembrance, i.e. green area or a small park could help to increase the attractiveness of public space & be compelling to most residents
• Public consultations with stakeholders around public space & commemoration should help to debunk myths and fears, address concerns and create safe space for exchanges – all perspectives are valid and should be taken into consideration, especially if coming from neighbours and the most concerned residents!