Recently visited Krakow with our lass for a few days. Didn’t get much chance to get out and there was no chance she was letting me out at night on my own. Anyways whilst she went for a massage I had an hour to burn, so I headed off to the local tourist spots.
First stop was Benedict’s fort, but after trying my bloody best and nearly dislocating my shoulder I just couldn’t quite fit. So with time being tight I quickly moved onto the quarry.
Bumped into some English dude there so if you see this. How do pal.
First stop was Benedict’s fort, but after trying my bloody best and nearly dislocating my shoulder I just couldn’t quite fit. So with time being tight I quickly moved onto the quarry.
Bumped into some English dude there so if you see this. How do pal.
History
In 1873 the company 'Liban & Ehrenpreis', established by two successful industrial Jewish families, built a quarry at the site which included various buildings and a railway line. Years later the success of the quarry was soon changed into more sinister means when Poland became over-ruled by Nazi occupation. Between the years 1942 - 1944, Liban was made into a labour-intensive penal camp where 800 Poles were kept as prisoner and 21 inmates were executed.
In 1993, Liban was transformed once again – by Steven Spielberg. Whilst filming Schindler's List the quarry of Liban was cinematically made to resemble Płaszów concentration camp. Not wanting to film at actual Płaszów itself was done out of respect. Whilst the 34 mock watchtowers & barracks have since been removed, some of the set still exists within the overgrowth of nature and the genuine historical structures
Pics
As you approach the quarry you are greeted by these brick buildings, which are bare, graffed up and used as firewood storage. Exciting.
Lime kilns. I was weighing up going up, but being on my own, in a rush and it generally not being worth the risk I didn’t bother. They are rotten as hell up top.
I did however go up this spiral staircase which was a massive struggle due to dragging my bloody mahoosive cajones behind me LOLLLLLL
As you can see the quarry is quite overgrown these days and also pretty damp.
Similar sort of view from the film
Making my way down the rusty steps you get to the base of the quarry where the tombstone pathway is. These were cast in concrete for Schindler’s list to replicate the tombstone path from the Plaszow Labour Camp which was only a few hundred yards away.
and the pavement in the film
Looking back at the kilns you can see the fence posts with insulated pegs from the filmset.
and the kilns in the background whilst Ralph Fiennes gets the rope.
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