MAP OF THE FORMER EXTERMINATION CAMP IN CHELMNO ON THE NER Map of the former extermination camp at Chelmno compiled by archaeologists excavating the site
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 37.000 inches (93.98 cm) | Width: 22.375 inches (56.833 cm)
Creator(s)
- Zdzislaw Lorek (Creator)
- Muzeum Okregowe w Koninie (Publisher)
Archival History
The map was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1989 by the Muzeum Okręgowe w Koninie.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Muzeum Okręgowe w Koninie
Scope and Content
Hand-colored printed map of the forest camp of Chelmno killing center in German-occupied Poland, produced following archaeological excavations in 1986 and 1987. Killing operations at Chelmno were split between two locations, a manor house (Schlosslager) in the village and a camp in the Rzuchowski forest (Waldlager) 2.5 miles northwest of the village. The large number of corpses created a threat of disease and discovery by Allied forces, so the bodies were exhumed and burned in seven primitive pit furnaces. In the fall of 1942, the furnaces were replaced with two open-air crematoria consisting of concrete foundations topped by a grate of train rails. In March 1943, the manor house and open-air crematoria in the forest were demolished. Killing operations at Chelmno resumed from June to July 1944, and were carried out entirely in the forest camp, necessitating the construction of new buildings. The Germans abandoned the camp on January 17, 1945, having killed over 172,000 people. The map is a compilation of information from field photos taken in in 1958 and 1979; maps drawn in 1951, 1961, and 1987; and oral information from 1989. It identifies features found through archaeological excavations between 1951 and 1989. The excavations of 1986-87, and later work have identified additional furnaces, crematoria, and mass graves at the site.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Hand-colored archaeological map, printed in purple ink on a rectangular sheet of off-white paper, depicting the area of Chelmno killing center in the Rzuchowski forest. The base map is printed in purple ink, outlining the layout of the site. The irregular, uncolored shapes represent open grassy areas, which are labeled from top to bottom as Kwatera I-IV. The four areas have no clear divisions between them. Dashed lines shaded with green and yellow represent forested areas. In the upper right corner, printed in purple, is an open rectangle with a cross inside, representing the mass grave of Polish hostages killed in 1939. In the middle of the map, within one of the green areas, is a rhombus with a pattern of crosses on the interior, representing a symbolic grave for children from Lidice. In the lower left uncolored section of the map are two sets of small boxes. Five boxes outlined and shaded in red represent crematorium furnaces from 1944; five boxes shaded in yellow represent unnamed features. In the center of the page are long, thin rectangles shaded in blue, and a smaller blue rectangle representing Jewish graves and a mass grave. Near the blue features are four small, purple rectangles, representing other areas of excavation. Also depicted on the map are symbols representing monuments and plaques, former railroad tracks, and the unconfirmed locations of other features. The legend is located in a large rectangle on the lower right side. Below the legend, in the bottom right corner are two inset, circular maps and a printed north arrow. The maps show the location of the site in relation to the city of Konin, and the location of Chelmno within a larger district. The edges of the paper are slightly creased and worn, and the paper has yellowed with age.
Corporate Bodies
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories.
- Crematoriums--Poland.
- Exhumation--Cremation--Poland.
- Execution sites--Excavation--Material culture.
- Chełmno (Koło, Poland)
- Executions and executioners--Poland--History.
- Archaeology and history.
- Mass burials--Poland.
- Rzuchowa (Poland)
Genre
- Site plans.
- Object
- Information Forms