Jewish Heritage Trail in Żarki

For centuries Żarki in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland was a Polish-Jewish town. The town's Jewish Heritage Trail leads through six stops — from Koziegłowska Street to the Old Market Square — and shows what remains of that community: a synagogue, two cemeteries, the houses around the square and the sites of the ghetto. Each stop has a board in Polish and English, and the walk with reading takes about an hour and a half.

Trail stops

1. The house at 49 Częstochowska Street.
2. The site of the old Jewish cemetery — today an empty plot.
3. The new Jewish cemetery on Polna Street, in the Kierkowo area.
4. The synagogue on Moniuszki Street.
5. Jewish buildings of the Old Town.
6. The ghetto by the Old Market Square.

The trail was funded by the Silesian Voivodeship and the Town and Municipality of Żarki.

Synagogue and cemetery

The brick synagogue at 2 Moniuszki Street, by the Leśniówka river, was built around 1870 on the initiative of progressive Jews. It is the only survivor of Żarki's three free-standing synagogues. Built in a Moorish and neo-Romanesque style on a rectangular plan of 16.2 × 39.6 m, it keeps its original layout: vestibule, large prayer hall and women's gallery above the entrance. After the war, in 1954–1957, it was converted into a cultural centre, and in 2009–2011 it was restored at a cost of about PLN 5 million.

The new Jewish cemetery was founded in 1821. It covers about 1.5 ha and has more than 700 surviving matzevot; the oldest dates from 1835. The site is unfenced and remains accessible.

Remembering the Holocaust

On 4 September 1939 German soldiers shot residents of Żarki — sources differ: 102 or 104 people. In 1941 the Germans set up a ghetto in which between about 3,000 and 3,500 Jews were confined. On 6 October 1942, during the liquidation of the ghetto, about 300 people were shot at the cemetery and the rest were deported to the Treblinka extermination camp.

Did you know?

Żarki was the birthplace of Eli Zborowski (born 1925), later founder and long-serving chairman of the American Society for Yad Vashem (1981). His family was hidden by the Płaczek and Kołacz families, who were later recognised as Righteous Among the Nations.

Tripto tips

Start on Koziegłowska Street and follow the stops in order; it is an easy town walk, possible at any time. At the cemetery, move carefully among the matzevot and respect the character of the place — men customarily cover their heads. The synagogue, now a cultural centre, is easiest to see inside during cultural events. Finish on the Old Market Square, where the trail's story closes.