In the interwar period, the Jewish community represented nearly a quarter of the whole population of Sosnowiec. The district of Modrzejów, the city center and the synagogue on Dekerta street were among the important places for the Jewish community, the history of which was brutally interrupted during the Second World War. In 1942, the Jewish population was crammed into the small confines of Środula, a suburb of Sosnowiec. The ghetto existed less than a year before it was ultimately liquidated in August 1943. Some of its inhabitants were sent to forced labour camps, but a vast majority of them were murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Almost no trace of the Środula ghetto has survived until today. What remains are the witness accounts and documents that present the tragic history of Jews in Sosnowiec and Zagłębie Dąbrowskie.
The Zagłębie Theatre with its project partners: Fundacja Brama Cukermana and I Like Zagłębie invite everyone to jointly discover the rich history of Zagłębie Jews through the series of events, which include lectures, guided tours, exhibitions and regular performances of “Środula. A Maus Landscape”, a play dedicated to the memory of the Środula ghetto. All these activities will mark the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the ghettos in Sosnowiec and Będzin, which falls at the beginning of August 2023. They are also intended to restore the memory about the diverse community of people who would still be our neighbours today, had it not been for the tragic events of the 20th century.
The programme of the events is available below. Detailed information about every event will be published in our repertoire on an ongoing basis.
Events:
Nie damy się wysiedlić (We won’t be deported)
Lecture
Date and place: 16 April (Sunday), Będzin-Kamionka, ul. Rutki Laskier 24
Free entrance
Lecturers: Karolina Jakoweńko, Piotr Jakoweńko
Niegaleria – exhibition opening
Exhibition
Date and place: 24 April (Monday), Zagłębie Theater (upper foyer)
Free entrance
Curator: Małgorzata Malinowska-Klimek
Karol Rathaus Ensemble
Concert
Date and place: May, Zagłębie Theater (upper foyer)
Free entrance
Musicians: Aleksandra Hałat, Marcin Hałat
Centrala (Central Office)
Guided tour
Date and place: 14 May (Sunday),
Guide: Tomek Grząślewicz
Środula. Wczoraj i przedwczoraj (Środula. Yesterday and the day before)
Guided tour
Date and place: 4 June (Sunday),
Guides: Tomek Grząślewicz, Aleksander Blitek
Tajemnice Starego Sosnowca (The Secrets of Stary Sosnowiec)
Guided tour
Date and place: 25 June (Sunday),
Guide: Tomek Grząślewicz
Ze Środuli na Kamionkę (From Środula to Kamionka)
Guided tour
Date and place: 30 July (Sunday),
Guides: Tomek Grząślewicz, Piotr Jakoweńko
Past events:
Środula. Krajobraz Mausa (Środula. A Maus Landscape)
Play
Date and place: 7 and 8 January, Zagłębie Theater
Tickets: PLN 60 (normal), PLN 55 (discount)
Director: Remigiusz Brzyk
Ile Sosnowca jest w Mausie? (How much Sosnowiec is there in Maus?)
Lecture
Date and place: 30 January (Monday), Zagłębie Theater (upper foyer)
Free entrance
Lecturer: Tomek Grząślewicz
Środula. Ślady pamięci (Środula. Traces of Memory)
Photo exhibition
Date and place: 20 January-28 February, Zagłębiowska Mediateka
Free entrance
Curators: Magdalena Boczkowska, Paweł Ptak
Środula’43
Lecture
Date and place: 20 February (Monday), Zagłębie Theater (upper foyer)
Free entrance
Lecturer: Tomek Grząślewicz
Środula. Krajobraz Mausa (Środula. A Maus Landscape)
Play
Date and place: 25 and 26 February, Zagłębie Theater
Tickets: PLN 60 (normal), PLN 55 (discount)
Director: Remigiusz Brzyk
Ocaleni (Survivors)
Lecture
Date and place: 20 March (Monday), Zagłębie Theater (upper foyer)
Free entrance
Lecturer: Tomek Grząślewicz
The project „Traces of Zagłębie Jews” is co-funded by the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland.
Honorary patronage: Mayor of Sosnowiec, Warsaw Ghetto Museum
Contents partners: Fundacja Brama Cukermana, I Like Zagłębie
Project partners: Centrum Doskonalenia Nauczycieli w Sosnowcu, Regionalny Ośrodek Metodyczno-Edukacyjny Metis w Katowicach, MBP Sosnowiec / Zagłębiowska Mediateka, Sosnowieckie Centrum Sztuki – Zamek Sielecki
Media patronage: e-teatr.pl, TVP Katowice, ilikezaglebie.pl, 41-200.pl, Kurier Miejski
Media support: Radio Katowice
