This memorial is located in Krakow, Poland, and serves as a reminder of the tragic events that took place during the Nazi occupation of the city during World War II. It commemorates the Jewish residents of the Krakow Ghetto, who were persecuted and killed by the Nazis.
The Kraków Ghetto, officially named the Jewish Residential District in Krakow, was one of five major metropolitan Nazi ghettos created by Germany in the new General Government territory during the German occupation of Poland in World War II. It was established for the purpose of exploitation, terror, and persecution of local Polish Jews. The ghetto was later used as a staging area for separating the "able workers" from those to be deported to extermination camps in Operation Reinhard. The ghetto was liquidated between June 1942 and March 1943, with most of its inhabitants deported to the Belzec extermination camp as well as to Płaszów slave-labor camp, and Auschwitz concentration camp, 60 kilometres (37 mi) rail distance.