KL Płaszów Concentration Camp Open-Air Museum: Honouring Memory, Building the Future
Nestled in the southern outskirts of Kraków, rarely visited by tourists, the site of the former Nazi German concentration camp KL Płaszów is undergoing a profound transformation. Once a neglected and overgrown area known only to a few historians and locals, it is now emerging as an important place of remembrance, education, and reflection.
A Site Reborn: From Silence to Storytelling
KL Płaszów was established in 1942 as a forced labour camp for Jews deported from the Kraków Ghetto and later expanded into a full blown concentration camp. Under the brutal command of Amon Göth—infamously portrayed in Schindler’s List by Ralph Fiennes—the camp became a symbol of cruelty and suffering.
Click on this link to find out more about the history of Płaszów.
For decades, the site remained largely untouched, marked only by scattered informational boards, the haunting Memorial of Torn-Out Hearts and other memorials on mass graves or for particular camp victims. But that silence is now being broken.
In March 2024, the Płaszów Museum launched what will ultimately become a major open-air exhibition: “KL Płaszów. A Site After, A Site Without”. This 24-hour accessible installation will include:
- 14 media stations with content in Polish, English, and Hebrew
- 41 field points and 3 archaeological windows
- A self-guided walking route that takes about 60 minutes
This exhibition will invite visitors to engage with the landscape and its layered history, offering a deeply immersive experience.
You can visit now!
At present, visitors can venture round the site, following a well marked out route. This route is dotted with information boards and visible traces of the prior functions of the area, such as the collapsed ruins of the funeral home at the New Cemetery of the Kraków Jewish community, and the nearby gutted graveyard and tombs. Detailed descriptions of the particular camp use that occupied sites, or what the topography means, are punctuated with eyewitness accounts and testimonies.
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| Ruins of the blown-up pre-burial hall at Płaszów and a 3D mockup in the foreground |
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| The pillaged Jewish cemetery at KL Płaszów concentration camp |
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| The pillaged Jewish cemetery at KL Płaszów concentration camp |
If you visit the site, it is worth clicking on the link below to get an ariel photo of the location of current points of interest.
In addition, the three planned archeological windows are now in place. Each glass covered display reveals camp remains which have been unearthed from near the surface.
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| Archeological window at KL Płaszów |
One displays pipes that at one time would have been under the camp hospital.
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| Archeological window revealing old pipes from under the hospital barrack |
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| Archeological window revealing old pipes from under the hospital barrack at KL Płaszów Concentration Camp |
Another reveals the wall of the bakehouse.
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| Bakehouse ruins at KL Płaszów Concentration Camp |
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| Bakehouse ruins at KL Płaszów Concentration Camp |
The final one is probably the most fascinating. Archeological digging has revealed a path built from Jewish matzevot (gravestones), from the Jewish cemetery that was consumed by the camp. A nearby information board reveals more about these paths, with a sad eyewitness testimony about them.
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| Gravestone road at KL Płaszów Concentration Camp |
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| Gravestone road at KL Płaszów Concentration Camp |
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| Eyewitness testimony about gravestone paths at KL Płaszów Concentration Camp |
Progress in Motion: Building the Memorial Museum
The transformation won't stop there. A full-scale Memorial Museum is currently under construction, with its grand opening planned for late 2025. Spearheaded by the City of Kraków and the Polish Ministry of Culture, the project is ambitious and deeply respectful of the site's historical gravity.
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| KL Płaszów Concentration Camp museum plans and construction |
Key features will include:
- Memorial Building: Partially underground and integrated into the hillside, it will house exhibitions, educational spaces, and archival resources.
- Pedestrian Tunnel: Connecting the museum directly to the historical camp grounds.
- Restoration of the Grey House: A former camp building that will host a permanent exhibition and mediatheque.
- Open-Air Sound Monument: A unique auditory experience to evoke memory and emotion.
- Educational Paths: Carefully marked trails that trace the original layout of the camp.
As of September 2025, the second floor of the Memorial is structurally complete, interior masonry is underway, and tunnel construction has begun.
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| The Grey House and information boards |
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| Inmates of Płaszów. Use Google Lens or similar app to translate these if you aren't Polish |
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| Inmates of Płaszów. Use Google Lens or similar app to translate these if you aren't Polish |
Looking Ahead: A Future Rooted in Remembrance
The KL Plaszow Museum is more than a historical site though—it’s a living space for dialogue, learning, and reflection. Future plans are ambitious and include:
- Expanding digital archives and virtual access for global audiences
- Hosting educational programs and guided tours for schools and institutions
- Collaborating with international Holocaust remembrance organisations
- Continuing archaeological research to uncover and preserve the hidden history that lies beneath the ground
This transformation is not just about bricks and mortar—it’s about restoring dignity, preserving truth, and ensuring that the lessons of the past remain vivid for generations to come.
For updates, visit the official KL Plaszow Museum website or follow the latest construction news via KrakowBooking’s coverage.
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