Treblinka Memorial Stones

The photograph above shows a large memorial stone at the beginning of the cobblestone path which leads up to the site of the former Nazi death camp at Treblinka. On the stone is a map showing a gravel pit in the center with the Treblinka labor camp to the left and the extermination camp to the right. On a real map, the gravel pit and the former labor camp are located to the south of the extermination camp. The labor camp was in existence for about a year before the death camp was established at Treblinka; it was located about a mile from the death camp.

The aerial photo below shows the section of the camp that is now a Memorial site. The site of the former barracks for the SS men and the Jewish workers is now covered with trees.

In the background of the photograph below are two stones placed at an angle to form a gate into the former Treblinka death camp, and in the foreground, there are 6 memorial stones, set close together. On the extreme right in the photo below is the Memorial stone shown in the photo above.

Each of the six stones is inscribed with a different language including Hebrew, English and Polish. The inscription says that the camp was in operation from July 1942 to August 1943 and that during those 13 months, 800,000 Jews were killed there. It also mentions the Aug. 2, 1943 uprising, calling it the "armed revolt which was crashed (sic) in blood by the Nazi hangmen." It was this uprising, along with those at Sobibor and the Warsaw ghetto, which motivated the Nazis to execute all the Jews at the Trawniki forced labor camp near Lublin, along with the Jews at the Poniatowa camp, in November 1943.

The pamphlet which I purchased from the Visitor's Center at Treblinka says that "After the riot the camp was being slowly liquidated and in November of 1943 it was not existing already." By this time, the Germans were losing the war on the Eastern front and were in retreat. The Treblinka camp was completely dismantled and all the buildings were destroyed when it was liquidated, according to the Soviet Union whose soldiers discovered the site of the abandoned camp in 1944. Among the few survivors were those who had escaped during the uprising and had joined the partisans hiding in the forests.

The photo below shows the forest, looking toward the east, on the left side of the cobblestone path as you enter. The line of stone markers delineate the original northern border of the camp. The area to the right of the stones is the former location of the barracks for the Treblinka SS staff members and the Ukrainian guards. It is so quiet here that the only sound is your own footsteps on the cobblestone path. This peaceful setting is near the site of the ashes of 870,000 Jews who were murdered here.

Stone Sculpture

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This page was last updated on January 24, 2010