May 18, June 22, November 9, 2024
Krzycka Street 45, Wrocław
Inclusive Commemoration – German cemetery in Wrocław
Series of participatory events and fieldwork aimed at revitalising and documenting the former German cemetery
Krzycka Street 45, Wrocław
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events Programme
The activities undertaken at the Former German Protestant Cemetery on Krzycka Street led to the recovery, documentation, and preservation of a significant portion of Wrocław’s difficult heritage. The activities successfully combined professional conservation work, community collaboration, and public engagement, resulting in the excavation of more than 50 gravestones, the restoration of selected tombstones, and the development of a future lapidarium concept. All activities were organised by the Urban Memory Foundation and a key partner: local civic initiative “Spod ziemi patrzy Breslau” which focuses on recovering and commemorating pre-war German cemeteries in Wrocław.
Through coordinated efforts involving specialists, municipal and regional public authorities, volunteers, and local communities these actions have contributed to strengthening local engagement, promoting awareness of difficult heritage, and fostering sustainable protection of historical sites. The public cultural event and concert further amplified interest in the site, strengthening local memory and fostering a sense of shared responsibility for neglected heritage. Overall, we were able to start revitalisation of a pre-war German cemetery, recover some of the biographies of people buried there (regular residents of Breslau/Wrocław), and also help rebuild community connections to overlooked histories, creating long-term foundations for sustainable heritage protection in Wrocław.
Photos: Andrzej Skobejko, Adam Marecik, Alan Weiss
Historical context: After 1945, when the German city of Breslau became Polish Wrocław, Wrocław’s National City Council ordered the liquidation of German cemeteries, leading to the destruction of 44 out of 70 sites by the late 1980s. The process involved removing tombstones and leveling the grounds, usually converting them into green spaces without conducting exhumations, making them “invisible cemeteries.” Tombstones were repurposed for cemetery use or as construction materials locally and elsewhere in Poland. The cemetery on Krzycka Street (former Trentinstraße) was handed over to and managed by the Polish Catholic parish, and remained in use until 1958, unusually for Wrocław avoiding liquidation for some time. However, in the 1970s its southern section was destroyed, with pre-war tombstones pushed into a reserve area and buried.
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10.00
Conservation Workshop I
Krzycka Street 45
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10.00
Conservation Workshop II
Krzycka Street 45
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12.00
Public Cultural Event - guided walk & concert
Krzycka Street 45
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Conservation Workshop I
18 May, 2024
10.00
Krzycka Street 45
Krzycka Street 45 Teaching foundational conservation skills: restoring inscriptions on granite gravestones using mineral paints, gilding inscriptions with gold leaf, restoring inscriptions on sandstone using mineral paints, on-site demonstrations and hands-on learning. Trainers: Dariusz Dembiński — Master Stonemason, Andrzej Wróblewski — Heritage Conservator.
Conservation Workshop II
22 June, 2024
10.00
Krzycka Street 45
Krzycka Street 45 Conservation techniques & modern technologies: laser-cleaning demonstrations by the IRLaser team, use of safe non-invasive laser methods for stone conservation, inscription restoration on seven stele, conservation of the gravestone of Anna Schnitte (installed the previous year). Trainers: Dariusz Dembiński — Master Stonemason, IRLaser specialists.
Public Cultural Event - guided walk & concert
9 November, 2024
12.00
Krzycka Street 45
Krzycka Street 45 The programme include: a historical guided walk presenting biographies of individuals living in pre-war Breslau and buried at the cemetery, educational commentary on the site’s significance, a concert featuring Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, performed by artists from Ukraine and Belarus: Katarzyna Czekanowska (soprano), Natalia Akinina-Kalada (mezzosoprano), Natalia Czekanowska (piano).