Ghettos were established byNazi Germany in hundreds of locations acrossoccupied Poland after theGerman invasion of Poland.[1][2][3] Most ghettos were established between October 1939 and July 1942 in order to confine and segregatePoland's Jewish population of about 3.5 million for the purpose of persecution, terror, and exploitation. In smaller towns, ghettos often served as staging points for Jewishslave-labor and mass deportation actions, while in the urban centers they resembled walled-off prison-islands described by some historians as little more than instruments of "slow, passive murder", with dead bodies littering the streets.[4]
In most cases, the larger ghettos did not correspond to traditional Jewish neighborhoods, and non-Jewish Poles and members of other ethnic groups were ordered to take up residence elsewhere. Smaller Jewish communities with populations under 500 were terminated through expulsion soon after the invasion.[5][6]
The liquidation of the Jewish ghettos across theoccupied Poland was closely connected with the construction of secretivedeath camps—industrial-scale mass-extermination facilities—built in early 1942 for the sole purpose ofmurder.[7] The Nazi extermination program depended on rail transport, which enabled theSS to run and, at the same time, openly lie to their victims about the "resettlement program". Jews were transported to their deaths inHolocaust trains from liquidated ghettos of all occupied cities, includingŁódź Ghetto, the last in Poland to be liquidated in August 1944.[7][8][9] In some larger ghettos there werearmed resistance attempts, such as theWarsaw Ghetto Uprising, theBiałystok Ghetto Uprising, theBędzin and theŁachwa Ghetto uprisings, but in every case they failed against the overwhelming German military force, and the resisting Jews were either executed locally or deported with the rest of prisoners to theextermination camps.[4] By the time Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe was liberated by the Red Army, not a single Jewish ghetto in Poland was left standing.[10] Only about 50,000–120,000 Polish Jews survived the war on native soil, a fraction of their prewar population of 3,500,000.[11][12]
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In total, according to archives of theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum, "The Germans established at least 1000 ghettos in German-occupied and annexedPoland and theSoviet Union alone."[13] The list of locations of the Jewish ghettos within the borders ofpre-war and post-warPoland is compiled with the understanding that their inhabitants were either of Polish nationality from before the invasion, or hadstrong historical ties with Poland. Also, not all ghettos are listed here due to their transient nature. Permanent ghettos were created only in settlements with rail connections, because the food aid (paid by the Jews themselves) was completely dependent on the Germans, making even the potato-peels a hot commodity.[14] Throughout 1940 and 1941, most ghettos were sealed off from the outside, walled off or enclosed with barbed wire, and any Jews found outside them could be shot on sight. TheWarsaw Ghetto was the largest ghetto in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, with over 400,000 Jews crammed into an area of 3.4 square kilometres (1.3 sq mi), or 7.2 persons per room.[15] TheŁódź Ghetto was the second largest, holding about 160,000 inmates.[16] In documents and signage, the Nazis usually referred to the ghettos they created asJüdischer Wohnbezirk orWohngebiet der Juden, meaning "Jewish residential area". By the end of 1941, most Polish Jews were already ghettoized, even though the Germans knew that the system was unsustainable; most inmates had no chance of earning their own keep, and no savings left to pay the SS for further deliveries.[14] The quagmire was resolved at theWannsee conference of 20 January 1942 nearBerlin, where the "Final Solution" ("die Endlösung der Judenfrage") was set in place.[17]
The settlements listed in the Polish language,[3] including major cities, had all been renamed after the 1939 joint invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union. Renaming everything in their own image had been one way in which the invaders sought toredraw Europe's political map. AllPolish territories were assigned as either Nazi zones of occupation (i.e.Bezirk Bialystok,Provinz Ostpreußen, etc.), orannexed by the Soviet Union, soon to be overrun again inOperation Barbarossa.[3] The SovietUkraine andByelorussia witnessed the"Polish Operation" of the NKVD, resulting in the virtual absence of ethnic Poles in the USSR along the pre-war border with Poland since theGreat Purge.[18][19]
| Ghetto location inprewar and postwarPoland[20] | Population | Date of creation | Date of liquidation | Final destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in alphabetical order) | (year, month) | (year, month) | ||
| 1939–1940 The first ghetto (Piotrków Trybunalski Ghetto) was set up on 8 October 1939, 38 days after theGerman invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939.[21] Within months, the most populous Jewish ghettos in World War II, theWarsaw Ghetto and theŁódź Ghetto, had been established. | ||||
| Aleksandrów Lódzki | 3,500 | 1939 | Dec 1939 | toGłowno ghetto |
| Bełżyce | 4,500 | Jun 1940 | May 1943 | toBudzyń ghetto →Sobibor andMajdanek |
| Będzin Ghetto | 7,000[3]–28,000[22] | Jul 1940 | Aug 1943 | toAuschwitz (7,000).[23] |
| Błonie | 2,100 | Dec 1940 | Feb 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all 2,100) |
| Bodzentyn | 700 | 1940 | Sep 1942 | toSuchedniów ghetto →Treblinka.[24] |
| Brześć Kujawski | 630 | 1940 | Apr 1942 | toŁódź Ghetto →Chełmno death camp |
| Brześć Ghetto | 18,000 | December 16, 1941 | October 15, 1942 | toBrest Fortress andBronna Góra |
| Brzesko | 4,000-6,000 | fall 1941 | Sept 1942 | toAuschwitz andBelzec |
| Brzeziny | 6,000–6,800 | Feb 1940 | May 1942 | toŁódź Ghetto →Chełmno |
| Brzozów | 1,000 | 1940 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Bychawa | 2,700 | 1940 | Apr 1941 | toBelzyce |
| Chęciny | 4,000 | 1940 – Jun 1941 | Sep 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Ciechanów | 5,000[25] | 1940 | Nov 1942 | tolabour camps (1,500),Mława Ghetto →Auschwitz,[26] many killed locally.[25] |
| Dąbrowa Górnicza | 4,000–10,000 | 1940 | Jun 1943 | toAuschwitz |
| Dęblin–Irena Ghetto | 3,300–5,800 | Apr 1940 | Oct 1942 | toSobibor andTreblinka |
| Działoszyce | 15,000? | Apr 1940 | Oct 1942 | toPłaszów andBełżec extermination camp |
| Gąbin | 2,000–2,300 | 1940 | Apr 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Głowno | 5,600 | May 1940 | Mar 1941 | toŁowicz ghetto andWarsaw Ghetto (5,600) |
| Gorlice (labor camp 1st) | ? | 1940 | 1942 | toBuchenwald,Muszyna,Mielec,seeGorlice Ghetto (1941) |
| Góra Kalwaria | 3,300 | Jan 1940 | Feb 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto (3,000), 300 killed locally |
| Grodzisk Mazowiecki | 6,000 | 1940 – Jan 1941 | Oct 1942 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all 6,000) |
| Grójec | 5,200–6,000 | Jul 1940 | Sep 1942 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all 6,000) →Treblinka |
| Izbica Kujawska | 1,000 | 1940 | Jan 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Jeżów | 1,600 | 1940 | Feb 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all 1,600) |
| Jędrzejów | 6,000 | Mar 1940 | Sep 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Kazimierz Dolny | 2,000–3,500 | 1940 – Apr 1941 | Mar 1942 | toSobibor, andTreblinka |
| Kobyłka | 1,500 | Sep 1940 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Koło | 2,000–5,000 | Dec 1940 | Dec 1941 | toTreblinka (2,000) andChełmno |
| Koniecpol | 1,100–1,600 | 1940 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Konin | 1,500? | Dec 1939 | 1940 – Mar 1941 | toZagórów & other ghettos → killed locally |
| Kozienice | 13,000 | Jan 1940 | Sep 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Koźminek | 2,500 | 1940 | Jul 1942 | toChełmno |
| Krasnystaw | 2,000 | Aug 1940 | Oct 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Krośniewice | 1,500 | May 1940 | Mar 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Kutno | 7,000 | Jun 1940 | Mar 1942 | toChełmno |
| Legionowo | 3,000 | 1940 | 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Łańcut | 2,700 | Dec 1939 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Łask | 4,000 | Dec 1940 | Aug 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Łowicz | 8,000–8,200 | 1940 | Mar 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all; with labor camp)[27] |
| Łódź Ghetto | 200,000 | 8 Feb 1940 | Aug 1944 | toAuschwitz andChełmno extermination camp,labour camps (1,000) |
| Marki | ? | 1940 – Mar 1941 | 1942 | toWarsaw Ghetto |
| Mielec | 4,000–4,500 | 1940 | Mar 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Mińsk Mazowiecki Ghetto | 5,000–7,000 | Oct 1940 | Aug 1942 | toTreblinka, 1,300 killed locally |
| Mława | 6,000–6,500 | Dec 1940 | Nov 1942 | toTreblinka andAuschwitz |
| Mogielnica | 1,500 | 1940 | 28 Feb 1942 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all) →Treblinka.[28] |
| Mordy | 4,500 | Nov 1940 | Aug 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Myślenice | 1,200 | 1940 | Aug 1942 | to Skawina Ghetto (all) → Bełżec |
| Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki | 2,000–4,000 | 1940 – Jan 1941 | Dec 1942 | toPomiechówek ghetto →Auschwitz |
| Nowy Korczyn | 4,000 | 1940 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Opoczno | 3,000–4,000 | Nov 1940 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Otwock | 12,000–15,000 | Dec 1939 | Aug 1942 | toTreblinka, andAuschwitz |
| Pabianice | 8,500–9,000 | Feb 1940 | May 1942 | toŁódź Ghetto →Chełmno death camp |
| Piaseczno | 2,500 | 1940 | Jan 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all 2,500) |
| Piaski (transit) | 10,000 | 1940 | Nov 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp,Sobibor,Trawniki concentration camp |
| Piotrków Trybunalski Ghetto | 25,000[29] | 8 Oct 1939[21] | 14 / 21 Oct 1942 | toMajdanek andTreblinka (22,000),[29] killed locally also |
| Płock | 7,000–10,000 | 1939–1940 | Feb 1941 | toDziałdowo ghetto |
| Płońsk | 12,000 | Sep 1940 | Nov 1942 | toTreblinka,Auschwitz |
| Poddębice | 1,500 | Nov 1940 | Apr 1942 | toTreblinka(?) |
| Pruszków | 1,400 | 1940 | 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all 1,400) |
| Przedbórz | 4,000–5,000 | Mar 1940 | Oct 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp andTreblinka |
| Puławy | 5,000 | Nov – Dec 1939 | 1940 | toOpole Lubelskie →Sobibor |
| Radomsko | 18,000–20,000 | 1939 – Jan 1940 | 21 Jul 1943 | toTreblinka extermination camp (18,000) |
| Radzymin | 2,500 | Sep 1940 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Serock | 2,000 | Feb 1940 | Dec 1940 | to other ghettos |
| Sieradz | 2,500–5,000 | Mar 1940 | Aug 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Sierpc | 500–3,000 | 1940 | Feb 1942 | toWarsaw Ghetto →Treblinka |
| Skaryszew | 1,800 | 1940 | Apr 1942 | toSzydlowiec |
| Skierniewice | 4,300–7,000 | Dec 1940 | Apr 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all 7,000) |
| Sochaczew | 3,000–4,000 | Jan 1940 | Feb 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all 3,000) |
| Stalowa Wola | 2,500 | 1940 | Jul 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Stryj | 12,000 | 1940–1941 | Jun 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Szadek | 500 | 1940 | 1940 | to other ghettos |
| Szczebrzeszyn | 4,000 | 1940 – Apr 1941 | Oct 1942 | toBełżec death camp, killed locally also |
| Tomaszów Mazowiecki | 16,000–20,000 | Dec 1940 | Nov 1942 | toTreblinka (16,000), with 4,000 killed locally |
| Tuliszków | 230 | Dec 1939 | Jan 1940 | toKowale Pańskie →Chełmno |
| Turek | 5,000 | 1940 | Oct 1941 | toKowale Pańskie ghetto (all 5,000) |
| Tyszowce | 1,500–2,000 | 1940 | Sep 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Uchanie | 2,000 | 1940 | Nov 1942 | toSobibor |
| Ulanów | 500 | 1940 | Oct 1942 | to other ghettos |
| Uniejów | 500 | 1940 | Oct 1941 | toKowale Pańskie ghetto (all 500) |
| Warka | 2,800 | 1940 | Feb 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all 2,800) |
| Warta | 1,000–2,400 | Feb 1940 | Aug 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Warsaw Ghetto, seeMuranów neighbourhood ofWarsaw(whole)[30] | 445,000 | Oct – 15 Nov 1940 | Sep 1942 | toTreblinka extermination camp (300,000), andMajdanek,Trawniki,Poniatowa |
| Włocławek | 4,000–13,500 | Oct 1940 | Apr 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Włodawa | 10,500 [31] | (sealed) 1941 | Apr – May 1943 | toSobibor, also shot locally |
| Włoszczowa | 4,000–6,000 | Jul 1940 | Sep 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Wodzisław | 4,000 | Jun 1940 | Nov 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Wołomin | 3,000–5,500 | 1940–1942 | Apr 1943 | toTreblinka |
| Wyszogród | 2,700–3,000 | Dec 1940 | Nov 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Zagórów | 2,000–2,500 | Jul 1940 | Oct 1941 | all killed locally |
| Zamość | 12,000–14,000 | 1940 | May 1943 | toIzbica Ghetto →Bełżec,Majdanek |
| Zduńska Wola | 8,300–10,000 | 1940 | Aug 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Żychlin | 2,800–4,000 | Jul 1940 | Mar 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Żyrardów | 3,000–5,000 | Dec 1940 | Feb 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto (all 5,000) |
| 1941 Under the codenameOperation Barbarossa, Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, followed by the creation of new ghettos and mass murder of Jews bymobile killing squads. | ||||
| Augustów | 4,000 | Oct 1941 | Jun 1942 | toTreblinka andAuschwitz, shot locally |
| Bełchatów | 5,500–6,000 | Mar 1941 | Aug 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Biała Podlaska | 7,000–8,400 | Jul 1941 | Sep 1942 | toMajdanek,Sobibor,Treblinka |
| Biała Rawska | 4,000 | Sep 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Białystok Ghetto | 40,000–50,000 | 26 Jul 1941 | Nov 1943 | toMajdanek,Treblinka |
| Bielsk Podlaski | 11,000–15,100 | Aug 1941 | Nov 1942 | toTreblinka, many killed locally[32][33] |
| Biłgoraj | 2,500–3,000 | 1941–1942 | Nov 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Bobowa | 658?[34] | Oct 1941 | Aug 1942 | toGorlice andBiecz ghettos |
| Bochnia | 14,000–15,000 | Mar 1941 | Sep 1943 | toSzebnie →Bełżec andAuschwitz |
| Brześć Litewski Ghetto | 18,000 | 16 Dec 1941 | Oct 1942 | 5,000 shot locally before the ghetto was set up →Bronna Góra ravine[35] |
| Busko Zdrój | 2,000 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Chełm | 8,000–12,000 | Jun 1941 | Nov 1942 | toSobibor |
| Chmielnik | 10,000–14,000 | Apr 1941 | Nov 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Chodel | 1,400 | Jun 1941 | 1942 | to other ghettos |
| Chrzanów | 8,000 | Nov 1941 | Feb 1943 | toAuschwitz |
| Ciechanowiec | 4,000 | 1941 | Nov 1941 | toTreblinka |
| Ciepielów | 600 | Dec 1941 | 15 / 29 Oct 1942[36] | toTreblinka →Polish rescuers killed locally 6 Dec 1942.[37] |
| Czeladź | 800 | Nov 1941 | Feb 1943 | toAuschwitz |
| Częstochowa Ghetto | 48,000 | 9 Apr 1941 | 22 Sep – 9 Oct 1942 | toTreblinka extermination camp |
| Ćmielów | 1,500–2,000?[38] | 1941 | Oct (end) 1942 | toTreblinka (900),[36] rest murdered locally |
| Dąbie | 900 | 1941 | Dec 1941 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Dobre | 500–1,000 | 1941 | Sep 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Drohiczyn | 700 | Jun 1941 | Nov 1942 | toBransk andBielsk ghettos |
| Drzewica | 2,000 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Dubienka | 2,500–3,000 | Jun 1941 | Oct 1942 | to other ghettos |
| Głogów Małopolski | (120)? | 1941 | 1942 | toRzeszów ghetto → 5,000 shot locally |
| Gniewoszów (open type) | 6,580[39] | Dec 1941 | Nov 1942 | toZwoleń (5,000); 1,000 →Treblinka |
| Goniądz | 1,000–1,300 | Jun 1941 | Nov 1942 | toBogusze ghetto |
| Gorlice | 4,500 | Oct 1941 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Gostynin | 3,500 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Grajewo | 3,000 | Jun 1941 | Nov 1942 | toBogusze ghetto |
| Hrubieszów (open type) | 6,800–10,000 | Jun 1941 – May 1942 | May – Nov 1943 | toSobibor andBudzyn labour camp, many shot locally, 2,000 fled.[40] |
| Iłża | 1,900–2,000 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Inowłódz | 500–600 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toTomaszow Mazowiecki ghetto |
| Iwacewicze | 600 | 1941[41] | 14 Mar 1942 | toSłonim Ghetto, all killed locally |
| Izbica Ghetto (transit) | 12,000–22,700[42] | 1941[43] | 2 Nov 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp andSobibor, 4,500 killed locally |
| Jasło | 2,000–3,000 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | to other ghettos |
| Jedwabne | 100–130 | Jul 1941 | Nov 1941 | toŁomża Ghetto →Treblinka, 340 killed locally.[44] |
| Kalisz | 400 | 1941 | 1942 | to other ghettos |
| Kałusz | 6,000 | Jun 1941 | Nov 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp, several hundreds executed locally |
| Karczew | 700 | Mar 1941 | Oct 1941 | toWarsaw Ghetto |
| Kielce Ghetto | 27,000 | Mar 1941 | Aug 1942 | toTreblinka, with 6,000 killed locally |
| Kłobuck | 2,000 | 1941 | Jun 1942 | toAuschwitz |
| Knyszyn | 2,000 | Jun 1941 | Nov 1942 | toBialystok Ghetto |
| Kobryn | 8,000 | Jun 1941 | Oct 1942 | all killed locally |
| Kock | 2,500–3,000 | Jun 1941 | Dec 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Kodeń | ? | Jun 1941 | Sep 1942 | toMiedzyrzec Podlaski Ghetto |
| Kolbuszowa | 2,500 | 1941 | Sep 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Koluszki | 2,000 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Końskie | 10,000 | 1941 | Jan 1943 | toTreblinka |
| Korczyn | 2,000 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Kraków Ghetto | 20,000 (pop. 68,500) | Mar 1941 | Mar 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp andPłaszów; 48,000 expelled in 1940.[45] |
| Kraśnik | 5,000–6,000 | 1940–1941 | Nov 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Krynki | 5,000–6,000 | Jun – Nov 1941 | Nov 1942 | toKiełbasintransit camp →Treblinka[46] |
| Książ Wielki | 200?[47] | 1941 | Nov 1942 | toMiechów ghetto |
| Kunów | 500 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Limanowa | 2,000 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Lipsk | 3,000 | Dec 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Lubartów Ghetto | 3,269–4,500 | Jun 1941 | Oct 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Lublin Ghetto | 30,000–40,000 | 24 Mar 1941 | Nov 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp (30,000)[48] andMajdanek (4,000) |
| Lwów Ghetto | 115,000–160,000 | Jun – Nov 1941 | Jun 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp andJanowska concentration camp |
| Łapy | 600 | Jun – Jul 1941 | Nov 1942 | toBiałystok Ghetto |
| Łaskarzew | 1,300 | 1941 | Sep 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Łęczyca | 3,000–4,300 | 1941 | Jun 1942 | toChełmno, many killed locally |
| Łomża Ghetto | 9,000–11,000 | Jun 1941 | Nov 1942 | toAuschwitz, many killed locally |
| Łosice | 5,500–6,000 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Łuków | 10,000[3] | 1941 | Oct – Nov 1942 | toTreblinka (Oct: 7,000; Nov: 3,000)[49] |
| Łuck Ghetto | 25,000[3] | Dec 1941 | 19 / 24 Aug 1942 | all killed locally (most at Polanka)[50] |
| Maków Mazowiecki | 3,500–5,000 | 1941 | Dec 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Michałowo | 1,500 | 1941 | Nov 1942 | toBialystok Ghetto |
| Miechów | 4,000 | 1941 | 1942 | toBełżec (1,000 killed locally) |
| Nowe Miasto | 3,700 | 1941 | 22 Oct 1942 | toTreblinka (3,000),[49] rest killed locally |
| Nowogródek | 6,000?[47] | Jun 1941 | Oct 1942 | all killed locally |
| Nowy Sącz Ghetto | 20,000 | Aug 1941 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Nowy Targ | 2,500 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Nowy Żmigród | 1,300 | 1941 | Jul 1942 | all killed locally |
| Olkusz | 3,000–4,000 | 1941 | Jun 1942 | toAuschwitz |
| Opatów Ghetto | 10,000 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Opole Lubelskie | 8,000–10,000 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toSobibor andPoniatowa ghetto |
| Osiek | 500 | 1941 | Jun 1942 | toOżarów ghetto →Treblinka[51] |
| Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski | 16,000 | Apr 1941 | 10 Jan 1943 | toTreblinka[citation needed] |
| Ozorków | 3,000–5,000 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toŁódź Ghetto →Chełmno |
| Pajęczno | 3,000 | 1941 | 1942 | toŁódź Ghetto |
| Parczew | 7,000 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Piątek | ? | 1941 | Jul 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Pilzno | 788?[34] | 1941 | Jun 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Pińczów | 3,000–3,500 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Pionki (labor camp) | 682[52] | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toZwoleń ghetto →Treblinka |
| Połaniec | 2,000 | 1941 | 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Praszka | ? | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Rabka | 300 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Radom Ghetto | 30,000–32,000 | Mar 1941 | Aug 1942 | toTreblinka extermination camp |
| Radomyśl Wielki | 1,300?[34] | 1941 | 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Radoszyce | 3,200?[53] | 1941 | Nov 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Radzyn Podlaski | 2,000–3,000 | 1941 | Dec 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Rajgród | 1,200 | 1941 | Nov 1942 | toBogusze |
| Rawa Mazowiecka | 4,000 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Rejowiec | 3,000 | 1941 | 1943 | toAuschwitz,Sobibor andMajdanek |
| Ropczyce | 800 | 1941 | Jul 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Ryki | 1,800–3,500 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka andSobibor |
| Rymanów | 1,600?[34] | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toKraków Ghetto,Bełżec extermination camp, killed locally |
| Sędziszów Małopolski | 2,000 | 1941 | Jan 1942 | toBełżec |
| Siedlce Ghetto | 12,000–18,000 | Jun – Aug 1941 | Nov 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Siemiatycze | 7,000 | 1941 | Nov 1942 | toSobibor |
| Sieniawa | 3,000 | 1941 | 1942 | all killed locally |
| Siennica | 700? | 1941 | 15 Sep 1942 | toTreblinka (700)[49] |
| Skarżysko-Kamienna | 3,000 | 1941 | 1942 | toTreblinka (2,500), the rest killed locally |
| Skrzynno | ? | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toOpoczno ghetto |
| Słonim Ghetto | 22,000 | Jul 1941 | 15 Jul 1942[54] | all killed locally (Jul-41: 1,200; Nov: 9,000; Jul-42: 10,000) |
| Słuck | 3,000–8,500 | Jun 1941 | Nov 1942 | all killed locally |
| Sokołów Małopolski | 3,000 | 1941 | Jul 1942 | toBełżec |
| Sokołów Podlaski | 4,000–7,000 | Jun 1941 | Sep 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Sokółka | 8,000–9,000 | Jun 1941 | Nov 1942 | toKiełbasin →Treblinka |
| Solec | 800 | 1941 | Dec 1942 | toTarlow ghetto |
| Stanisławów Ghetto | 20,000 | Dec 1941 | Feb 1943 | killed locally →toBełżec |
| Starachowice | 6,000 | Apr 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Stary Sącz | 1,000 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec |
| Staszów | 7,000 | 1941 | Dec 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Stopnica | 5,000 | 1941 | Nov 1942 | toTreblinka, many killed locally |
| Strzemieszyce Wielkie | 1,800[55] | 1940–1941 | May – 15 Jun 1942 | toBędzin Ghetto (500),Auschwitz (1,400) |
| Strzyżów | 1,300[55] | 1941 | 26 / 28 Jun 1942 | toRzeszów ghetto, killed locally →Bełżec |
| Suchedniów | 5,000 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Sulejów | 1,500 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Szczuczyn | 2,000 | 1941 | Jul – Nov 1942 | toBogusze transit camp, killed locally |
| Śniadowo | 650 | 1941 | Nov 1942 | toZambrow ghetto |
| Tarczyn | 1,600 | 1941 | Feb 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Tarnobrzeg (ghetto & camp) | 500[56] | Jun 1941 | Jul 1942 | toDębica ghetto →Bełżec |
| Tarnogród | 2,600–5,000 | 1941 | Nov 1942 | toBełżec from ghetto & camp, many killed locally |
| Tarnopol Ghetto | 20,000 | Jul – Aug 1941 | Jun 1943 | toBełżec, many killed locally |
| Tarnów | 40,000 | Mar 1941 | Sep 1943 | 10,000 killed locally,Bełżec (10,000),Auschwitz |
| Tomaszów Lubelski | 1,400–1,500 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toBełżec |
| Tyczyn | ? | 1941 | Jul 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Wadowice | 1,400[57] | 1941 | Aug 1943 | toAuschwitz |
| Wąwolnica | 2,500 | 1941 | May 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Węgrów | 6,000–8,300 | 1941 | Sep 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Wieliczka | 7,000 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Wielun | 4,200–7,000 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp, killed locally |
| Wieruszów | 1,400 | 1941 | Aug 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Wilno Ghetto | 30,000–80,000[3] | Sep 1941 | Sep 1943 | killed locally (21,000 before ghetto was set up)[58] |
| Wiślica | 2,000 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toJędrzejów ghetto |
| Wolbrom | 3,000–5,000 | 1941 | Sep 1942 | toBełżec, many killed locally |
| Wysokie Mazowieckie | 5,000 | 1941 | Nov 1942 | toZambrow ghetto |
| Zabłudów | 1,800[59] | Jul 1941 | 2 Nov 1942 | 10th Calvary camp nearBiałystok →Treblinka (1,400) |
| Zambrów | 3,200–4,000 | 1941 | Jan 1943 | toAuschwitz, mass killings locally |
| Zawiercie | 5,000–7,000 | 1941 | Oct 1943 | toAuschwitz (5,000) |
| Zelów | ? | 1941 | Sep 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Zwoleń (open type) | 6,500–10,000[60] | 1941 | 29 Sep 1942 | toTreblinka extermination camp (8,000)[61] |
| Żarki | 3,200 | 1941 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Żelechów | 5,500–13,000 | 1941 | Sep 1942 | toTreblinka |
| 1942 On January 20, 1942, at theWannsee conference nearBerlin,Reinhard Heydrich informed senior Nazi officials that "the final solution of the Jewish question" was deportation from the ghettos and subsequent mass extermination of the Jews. Implementation plan developed. Six death factories were built by German firms inoccupied Poland within two-to-six months. | ||||
| Andrychów | 700 | Sep 1942 | Nov 1943 | toAuschwitz concentration camp |
| Annopol | ? | Jun 1942 | Oct 1942 | toKraśnik ghetto |
| Baranów Sandomierski | 2,000 | Jun 1942 | Jul 1942 | toDębica ghetto, (all) |
| Biecz | 700–800 | Apr 1942 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Czortków | 4,000 | Apr 1942 | Sep 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Dąbrowa Tarnowska | 2,400–3,000 | Oct 1942 | Sep 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp andAuschwitz |
| Dębica | 1,500–4,000 | 1942 | Mar 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Drohobycz Ghetto | 10,000 | Mar 1942 | Jun 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Dubno | 9,000? | Apr 1942 | Oct 1942 | all killed locally |
| Frysztak Ghetto | 1,600[34] | 1942 | 18 Aug 1942 | toJasło ghetto → killed inWarzyce forest |
| Hrubieszów (labor camp) | 200[40] | May 1942 | May 1943 | toBudzyn, killed locally,seeHrubieszów # 122 above (6,800) |
| Jasienica Rosielna | 1,500 | 1942 | Aug 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Kołomyja (ghetto & camp) | 18,000 | 1942 | Feb 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp, many killed locally |
| Koprzywnica | 1,800 | 1940 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Kowale Pańskie | 3,000–5,000 | 1939–1942 | 1942 | toChełmno extermination camp |
| Kowel | 17,000 | May 1942 | Oct 1942 | all killed locally |
| Kraśnik (ghetto & camp) | 5,000 | 1940–1942 | Nov 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Krosno | 600–2,500 | Aug 1942 | Dec 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Lesko | 2,000 | 1942 | Sep 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Lubaczów | 4,200–7,000 | Oct 1942 | Jan 1943 | toSobibor, many killed locally |
| Łachwa Ghetto | 2,350 | 4 Apr 1942 | Sep 1942 | killed locally, 1,500 in an uprising.[62] |
| Łęczna | 3,000 | Jun 1942 | Nov 1942 | toSobibor, many killed locally |
| Międzyrzec Podlaski Ghetto | 20,000 | 28 Aug 1942 | 18 Jul 1943[63] | toTreblinka (17,000), hundreds killed locally.[64] |
| Ożarów | 4,500 | Jan 1942 | Oct 1942 | toTreblinka |
| Pińsk Ghetto | 26,200 | Apr 1942 | Oct 1942 | toBronna Góra (3,500), the rest killed locally |
| Przemyśl | 22,000–24,000 | Jul 1942 | Sep 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp,Auschwitz,Janowska |
| Przeworsk | 1,400?[34] | Jul 1942 | Oct 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Przysucha | 2,500–5,000 | Jul – 15 Aug 1942 | 27 / 31 Oct 1942[65] | toTreblinka (5,000)[66] |
| Sambor Ghetto | 8,000–9,000 | Mar 1942 | Jul 1943 | toBełżec extermination camp, many killed locally |
| Sosnowiec Ghetto | 12,000 | Oct 1942 | Aug 1943 | toAuschwitz |
| Starachowice (labor camp) | 13,000 | 1942 | 1942 | toTreblinka,see alsoStarachowice ghetto |
| Stryj | 4,000–12,000 | 1942 | Jun 1943 | all killed locally |
| Sucha Beskidzka | 400[67] | 1942 | 1943 | toAuschwitz |
| Szydłów | 1,000 | Jan 1942 | Oct 1942 | toChmielnik ghetto |
| Tarnogród (labor camp) | 1,000 | 1942 | 1942 | seeTarnogród ghetto →Bełżec extermination camp |
| Tomaszów M. (labor camp) | 1,000 | 1942 | May 1943 | toStarachowice,[68]see also Tomaszów Mazowiecki Ghetto (1940) |
| Tuchów | 3,000 | Jun 1942 | Sep 1942 | toBełżec extermination camp |
| Zdzięcioł Ghetto | 4,500 | 22 Feb 1942 | 30 Apr – 6 Aug 1942 | killed locally duringZdzięcioł massacres |
The ghetto inhabitants – most of whom were murdered duringOperation Reinhard – possessed Polish citizenship before the Nazi–Soviet invasion of Poland, which in turn enabled over 150,000Holocaust survivors registered atCKŻP to take advantage of the later repatriation agreements between the governments of Poland and the Soviet Union, and legally emigrate to the West to help form the nascentState of Israel.[69] Poland was the onlyEastern Bloc country to allow free Jewishaliyah without visas or exit permits upon the conclusion of World War II.[70] By contrast, Stalin forcibly brought Soviet Jews back to USSR along with all Soviet citizens, as agreed to in theYalta Conference.[71]
Some Jewish populations remained in the ghettos after their destruction. Many Jewish people were not able to leave the ghettos, either because they were too destitute or because they were still surrounded by Germans.[72] This resulted in many of the ghettos' inhabitants dying from harsh conditions such as exposure, lack of food, and diseases. Those who left faced the challenge of seeking a place where they as displaced people could be resettled.[73]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)Czerwony Bór massacres.