Alternate names: Wodzisław Śląski [Pol], Loslau [Ger], Vladislav [Cz], Wodzisuaw Ślůnski [Slov], Vladislavia [Lat], Wodzisław, Wodisław-Śląski. 50°00' N, 18°28' E, 290 km S of Warsaw, 100 km W of Kraków, and 30 miles (48 km) SW of Katowice, the provincial capital. Jewish population: 302 (in 1890). Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), XIII, p. 733: "Wodzisław". This town in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland with 50,493 inhabitants in 2007 and the seat of Wodzisław County was previously in Katowice Voivodeship (1975-1998). Six miles from the Czech Republic border on the southern outskirts of the metropolitan area known as the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (Polish: Górnośląskie Zagłębie Węglowe, GZW). Apart from Wawel castle and the medieval market square, a Jewish part of the town remains with the 1826 synagogue on ulicy Targowe as a movie theater.The ritual slaughterhouse on the street Michalski and on the side of the current Kusza street opposite the residence of PZU can be seen. The town established in 1257 years became a trade center with Wrocław and Cracow. Its proximity to the Czechoslovakia also attracted Jews, who probably lived here since its founding. Before the sixteenth century no anti-Semitic incidents were documented.On January 22, 1945 a death march from Auschwitz, 35 miles away, ended in Wodzisław_Śląski, where the prisoners were put on freight trains to other camps. The SS marched 60,000 prisoners out of the camp. Approximately 15,000 prisoners died along the way. [July 2009]
CEMETERY: Normal 0 On a hill called Żydowina, the Jewish population buried their dead in Mikołów until the order published by the Prussian authorities in May 1814. The kahal established its own cemetery because of delays transporting their dead to Mikołów cemeteries (1682 was the date of old Jewish cemetery in Mikołów and 1815, the new). Before WWII stone stairs led to the cemetery. Nazi Storm troopers, Volksdeutsches, and German public utility services liquidated the cemetery. The most valuable gravestones were taken to Germany leaving the sandstone and human remains for building roads. After WWII 15,000 Soviet soldiers were buried in the cemetery the Soviets turned into a military cemetery. In 1995 a gravestone from the Jewish cemetery was found during Wałowa Street construction and was placed in the local museum [daughter of Hana Jojsifa, d July 14, 1914). A plan to raise a commemorative gate is coordinated by local museum or Zamkowej 3, (Castle) (see Saving the heritage for more information about purchasing a building block. [July 2009]
REFERENCE: brochure written by. Każmierz Mroczka, entitled "History wodzisławskich Jews", published in 2002 by Wodzislawski Association for European Integration. "After the steps of memory". [July 2009]