Results of Archaeological Rescue Excavations at the Site of the Former German Forced Labour Camp KL Jawischowitz, Oświęcim District

Abstract

The paper presents the results of rescue archaeological excavations carried out at the site of the former German forced labour camp KL Jawischowitz, a sub-camp of KL Auschwitz-Birkenau. It discusses the historical material related to individual phases of use of the building complex as well as the camp architecture and the accompanying technical infrastructure. The remains of architecture connected with two blocks of flats and the camp infrastructure functioning in the years 1942–1945 and also used later were discovered. Movable ­historical objects obtained during the research in the form of fragments of ceramics (porcelain, tiles, and construction ceramics) and glass, connected with the functioning of the German forced labour camp, were also analysed. Between 1945 and 1950, the camp was used by the authorities of the Polish People’s Republic as a forced labour camp for German citizens, members of the NSDAP and the Hitlerjugend, Volksdeutsche, and people suspected of disloyalty to Poland. The last stage of the operation of the former camp complex took place after 1950, when it was converted into a workers’ housing estate. Since the demolition of the housing estate in the 1970s the area has been used as a park, which is currently undergoing revitalisation.