Top 10 Astonishing Facts about the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes

Top 10 Astonishing Facts about the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes

The Ghetto Memorial is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, commemorating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943 during World War II. It was the site of the first armed clashes of the uprising and is located in an area that was formerly part of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Therefore, this article will delve into some astonishing facts about the monument and the historical value it holds for the people of Warsaw.  Furthermore, the article is critical in providing the reader with immense knowledge about past events that shaped the political and social landscape of Poland and the mindset of the people.

1 The Leon Suzin plaque

The Central Committee of Polish Jews decided to build a monument to commemorate the Ghetto partisans as early as 1944. The monument was designed by an architect known as Leon Suzin. The first part of the monument which was a small memorial tablet was unveiled in 1946.

The tablet was in the shape of a circle with palm leaves, the Hebrew letter “B”, and inscriptions in Hebrew, Polish and Yiddish. The inscription on the memorial tablet said, “For those who fell in an unprecedented and heroic struggle for the dignity and freedom of the Jewish people, for a free Poland, and the liberation of mankind. Polish Jews”. After the unveiling of the plague, it was decided that a bigger monument would be built in the future.

2 The new monument

The monument of the ghetto heroes by Pudelek-Wikimedia

After the plaque by Suzin had been erected, a new, larger monument was sculpted by Nathan Rapoport. He worked under the supervision of Leon Suzin and the monument was unveiled in April 1948.  The monument was 36 feet tall which makes it quite a large monument.

The sculptor Rapoport explained that the wall of the monument was designed to mimic not just the Ghetto walls but also the Wailing wall found in Jerusalem. The monument has thus framed the events that happened in Warsaw and also the iconographic figure of Judaism’s holiest site.  The stones that were used to build the monument were from German supplies.

3 The Western part of the monument

A picture of the war heroes by Simon Burchell-Wikimedia

The western part of the memorial features bronze statues of rebel men, women and children armed with rifles and Molotov cocktails. At the centre of this frieze is the figure of Mordechai Anielewicz (1919 – 8 May 1943), leader of the Zidowska Organizaça Bozyova which translates to the Jewish Combat Organization in English during the uprising.

4 The Eastern side of the monument

The eastern side of this monument shows how the Jews were persecuted at the hands of the Nazi oppressors. The monument has an inscription written in three languages saying, “Jewish nation to its fighters and martyrs”. The monument takes a visitor back in history where they can reflect on past events that shaped the country and how they affected the lives of the Jews living in Warsaw.  In doing so, one becomes socially conscious and learns to be considerate when talking about certain topics.

5 There is a film series about the monument

In the effort of educating and creating awareness about past events that shaped the trajectory of the country. “Remnants of the Warsaw Ghetto “is a film series that has sixteen short guided tours that present the history of places and the people who are associated with them. The monument of the Ghetto Heroes is among the places talked about in the film.

This initiative is great in that it opens the mind of the people to the things that happened in the country, the parties involved and the outcome it had. Therefore, before people decide to do something, they can reflect on past events and decide if the outcome it will have is the one they want for their country.

6 It was the site of Willy Brandt’s genuflection

Inscriptions at the monument by ekeidar-Wikimedia

The Rapoport monument was the site where the West-German Chancellor Willy Brandt genuflected as a way to show humility and recognition for the Warsaw uprising that happened in 1970 during the cold war. This is remarkable in that it shows that the uprising and the effects it had on the people of the city are recognised.

7 Getting to the monument to the Warsaw Ghetto Heroes

To get to the monument to the ghetto heroes, the easiest way is to take public transport using public transport around Warsaw is convenient and easy. One can catch a tram or a bus to get to the monument as all buses stop at the road that the monument lies along. The convenience is nice in that it allows one to visit the monument while they have some little time and are within the city.

8 The monument signifies bravery and sacrifice

The monument of the Ghetto Heroes by Adrian-Wikimedia

Courage, sacrifice, heroism at its best. These are the sublime words that the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Memorial elicits from all who see it, whether in Warsaw or Yad Vashem. This work is a monument to the bravery and spirit of the Jewish ghetto warriors who bravely and against all odds opposed the Nazis in the unprecedented uprisings of April and May 1943.

9 The representation of women in the monument

This is one of the controversial topics about the monument. This is because the only obvious female shown at the monument is a woman with a prominently exposed breast which can be taken to symbolize the destruction of motherhood by the uprising.

10 The representation of the Nazi

The representation of the Nazis in the monument is interesting in that the true portrayal of where the Jews were being whipped is not shown instead, they are just depicted as helmets and bayonets in the background. In doing so, the true picture of the uprising is not clearly brought out.