Warta, Poland
Warta (Polish: [ˈvarta] (
Warta | |
|---|---|
 Church of Virgin Mary, built in the 15th century, rebuilt in the years 1696-1708. | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Warta | |
| Coordinates: 51°42′N 18°38′E | |
| Country |  |
| Voivodeship | Łódź |
| County | Sieradz |
| Gmina | Warta |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jan Serafiński |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.84 km2 (4.19 sq mi) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • Total | 3,303 |
| • Density | 300/km2 (790/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 98-290 |
| Website | http://www.gimwarta.pl |
Before World War II about 50 percent of the town's population was Jewish. When the Germans invaded, they immediately brutalized this population, kidnapping them for forced labor, robbing them of their possessions, and in early 1940, forcing them into a ghetto, leaving behind their furniture and other possessions for locals and Germans to take. In spring 1942, several Jews, including the rabbi, were hung, allegedly for sending bread to Jews who had been sent to forced labor camps. In August 1942, all Jews were rounded up and held in a church for three days with nothing to eat. Some died from hunger and thirst, others were shot there. Afterwards, around 1000 were sent to the Chelmno killing camp where they were immediately gassed. Another few hundred were sent to the Lodz ghetto. Perhaps more than 50 Warta Jews of the 2000 who lived there before the war survived. A few came back after the war, but two were killed by Polish nationalists after the war ended, and the others left the town. [2]
Gallery
A Bernardine friar painting, Warta monastery
Statue of Stanisław Skarżyński in his hometown, Warta
Park in Warta
Cemetery chapel in Warta
References
- Population. Size and Structure and Vital Statistics in Poland by Territorial Division in 2016, as of December 31 (PDF). Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 2017. p. 117. ISSN 2451-2087.
- m, Geoffrey (2012). Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos. Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press. p. Volume II 112-113. ISBN 978-0-253-35599-7.
