Archaeology in the Shadow of Schindler’s List

Abstract

This paper presents some of the preliminary results of non-invasive and invasive archaeological research on the terrain of a former German Nazi labour and concentration camp in Plaszow, a suburb of Krakow. The starting point is a reference to Schindler's List - a film that is partially about the camp (KL Plaszow in German) and which created a certain social picture of it. This paper discusses the history of archaeological research relating to Holocaust landscapes in Poland, and sketches the historical context related to the opening, functioning, closing and later reusing of the campscape. The last section provides a glimpse into the archaeological field research and its results. The main thesis of this paper is that the history of World War II, including the Holocaust, is transforming in front of our eyes into archaeology. The paper shows how archaeology can play an active and crucial role in discovering, documenting and interpreting material remains related to the Holocaust and its manifold consequences.