Warsaw Ghetto Walls, Warsaw

In the hard and terrible times of 1940, the Nazis created the Warsaw Ghetto, by building 18 km (11 miles) of brick walls around the Jewish quarter. The construction of the ghetto wall started on April 1, 1940. The wall was typically 3 m (9.8 ft) high and topped with barbed wire. Escapees could be shot on site. The borders of the ghetto changed many times during the next few years.

After the end of World War II, the freestanding walls of the Jewish district, which survived the Ghetto Uprising and the Warsaw Uprising, were largely demolished. Fortunately, a few fragments of the walls running between the properties have been preserved so you still get a feeling for the hardship and suffering endured by the Jews, who were forced to live there.

Tip:
Go and find the few walls remaining between apartment blocks and, if you do, also find the only remaining synagogue that survived the war. Alternatively, consider visiting the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews for more information.