Description of the attraction
Monument to Ghetto Heroes - A monument in Warsaw dedicated to the inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto, built on the site of the first battle during the 1943 ghetto uprising. Earlier, the square housed the buildings of horse artillery barracks, called the Volynsky barracks, built in 1788. Before the outbreak of World War II, there was a military prison here, and after - the Judenrat of the Warsaw ghetto.
The idea of building a monument in the place of the Warsaw Ghetto was announced by the Committee of Polish Jews. In April 1946, the opening of the first monument took place. It was a circular memorial plaque, on which a palm branch was carved - a symbol of martyrdom. The monument also bore an inscription in Polish, Hebrew and Yiddish: “For those who died in an unprecedented heroic struggle for the dignity and freedom of the Jewish people, for a free Poland, for the liberation of man - Polish Jews.” The plaque is surrounded by a red sandstone parapet. The color of the stone was not chosen by chance: it is a symbol of the blood shed in battles.
Soon, a decision was made on the need for a second monument. The work began in 1947 under the direction of Nathan Rapoport with funds raised by Jewish organizations. The second monument was unveiled on April 19, 1948, the fifth anniversary of the ghetto uprising.
The 11-meter-high monument is a stone parallelepiped containing sculptures of rebels - men, women and children. On the east side, you can see images of women and the elderly who are suffering. This part of the composition was named “The Procession to Destruction”.
The monument gained worldwide fame in December 1970 when German Chancellor Willy Brandt knelt during a wreath-laying ceremony on the steps of the monument to express regret over the crimes committed against the Jewish people during World War II.
