Blue line through the Warsaw Ghetto

View from the Niska/Stawki street schools in direction to Saint Augustine's Church. The blue line marks the direction on the bird view photo and the yellow line the edge of the roof at Niska/Stawki school that was during WWII SS HQ.

The blue arrow points the roof and the chimney at the edge of the roof at Niska/Stawki school - the place where the girl shown on above photo was sitting (posing). The school building was during WWII, the SS HQ.

The picture of a girl (top left) and the sea of ruins of the Warsaw ghetto. She sits on the roof of the school building at Niska and Stawki Street. This particular building still stands today and houses University of Warsaw. Behind this building was Umschlagplatz with cattle wagons and trains going every day in the same direction, to the death camps.

In the background of the picture one can discern the silhouette of the Saint Augustine's Church, well known building from other pictures of the destroyed ghetto.

The T-shaped cross-road is the intersection of Muranowska or Mila street and Zamenhofa.

The power of this picture is best felt by comparing this image with another photo – made from the Saint Augustine's Church and pointing in opposite direction as shown below.

View from the Saint Augustine's Church in direction to Umschlagplatz and the schools at Niska/Stawki street. The blue line marks the direction on the bird view photo above.

Between the Saint Augustine's Church at Dzielna street and the school at Niska and Stawki streets where the girl sits, there are visible two prisons. Pawiak and Gesiówka. 

During the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Pawiak prison at Dzielna street became an assault base for the Nazis. Jailers from the Pawiak, commanded by Franz Bürkl, volunteered to hunt the Jews.

Gesiówka prison, bottom, in the middle of the picture, was, after the Ghetto Uprise in April 1943, transformed to the labour and concentration camp (KL Warschau). Prisoners were brought a.o from Auschwitz. 20 000 prisoners were murdered at the camp, 10 000 of them Jews brought from Auschwitz. On the right of the picture there are visible tracks of temporary tracks and small wagons.

Gesiówka prison, in the middle of the picture, was, after the Ghetto Uprise in April 1943, transformed to the labour and concentration camp (KL Warschau). Prisoners were brought a.o from Auschwitz. 20 000 prisoners were murdered at the camp, 10 000 of them Jews brought from Auschwitz.

Jewish activists at the ruins of the Dror movement commune at 34 Dzielna Street in the Warsaw (Warszawa) ghetto. later main part of Jewish Fighting Organization (ZOB). In the photo: Yitzhak Cukierman - Zuckerman (third from the left), Israel Barzilai (second from the left). Photographed on August 13, 1946.

We know that during WWII Janusz Korczak was working at the Main Shelter of the Ghetto at 39 Dzielna str.

Janusz Korczak had also a very close cooperation with the zionist groups at the kibutz at 34 Dzielna str - Anielewicz, Cukierman, Lubetkin that later formed Jewish Fighting Organization (ZOB). Children from Korczaks Dom Sierot were performing at 34 Dzielna and both Korczak and Stefa Wilczynska were giving there lectures.
Anielewicz was the commander of Warsaw Ghetto Uprise. After his death 


On 1st August, 1944 Warsaw uprising broke out. Icchak Cukierman was the commander of the unit fighting within the Armia Ludowa [People’s Army]. It was was an independent Jewish platoon of ŻOB and numerous survivors from the Warsaw Ghetto Uprise in 1943 joined it..

Saint Augustine's Church at the bottom on the picture between described addresses 34 and 39 Dzielna street. Above them Pawiak and Gesiówka prisons. Picture taken prior the WWII.

Anielewicz and underground press was located at Cukiermans flat at Dzielna str.