The 70 iron chairs were designed by architects Piotr Lewicki and Kazimierz Łatak to represent the abandoned furniture left on the square by displaced families.
Before it was a memorial site, the square served as the primary transit and collection point for the Kraków Ghetto's population.
The pharmacy located on the corner of the square, 'Under the Eagle,' was the only one allowed to operate within the ghetto walls and was run by Tadeusz Pankiewicz.
Tadeusz Pankiewicz documented the atrocities of the ghetto from his pharmacy and is recognized as Righteous Among the Nations.
The floor of the square is paved with stone to distinguish it from the surrounding streets, creating a sense of separation.
The number of chairs was specifically chosen to represent the chaos and mass departure of Jewish citizens during liquidation events.
Ghetto Heroes Square serves as a memorial to the Kraków Ghetto established by Nazi Germany in 1941. The square is defined by 33 large iron chairs and 37 smaller ones, symbolizing the belongings left behind by Jewish residents during the 1943 liquidation. It previously functioned as the Umschlagplatz where residents were gathered before deportation to concentration camps. The square underwent a significant architectural redesign in 2005 to incorporate its commemorative function. It is situated in the Podgórze district, historically separate from the Kazimierz Jewish quarter. The site remains a primary location for Holocaust remembrance ceremonies in Poland.
From the edge of the square looking toward the row of iron chairs with the surrounding buildings in the background.
Visit the 'Under the Eagle' Pharmacy museum on the square's edge for a deeper historical context.
Walk the perimeter of the square to see the original ghetto wall fragment located nearby on Lwowska Street.
Combine your visit with a walk through the Podgórze district to see pre-war architecture untouched by the construction of the ghetto.
Treating the memorial chairs as casual seating or playground equipment.
This is a site of historical tragedy; maintain a quiet and respectful demeanor.
