"To Bring Memory Back" edition 2006-2007
CZŁUCHÓW - Gimnazjum Nr 1
Who are we
We are inhabitants of the small Pomeranian town of Człuchów. Our group consists of 15 students from 2nd and 3rd class of the Middle School No 1 in Człuchów. Under patronage of our history teacher, Ms Katarzyna Kordykiewicz, we discover the history of our town and its multicultural roots.
Why we do this project
Since we have learned on a history lesson that our school is located right near the former Jewish cemetery, we decided to gather as much information as possible about the past of our town, nations and cultures who influenced its development, architecture and its present state. We also realized that it is a perfect opportunity to discover the Jewish culture, so close to us before the war and so distant today.
Jewish community in our town
The year 1466 marks the historical moment: the Człuchów region is again under the Polish reign. Since then the Jews, fleeing from Western Europe because of prosecutions, start coming and settling here. In 17th century Człuchów there was already a Jewish quarter with synagogue (built in 1570), school and cemetery. First written remarks about Człuchów date back to the times, when the starost of the town was the prince Michał Radziwiłł. In 1748 the Jewish Suburb was inhabitated by 158 Jews grouped in 16 families. In 1895 their number had grown to 367. At the beginning of the 20th century the numbers start to diminish, among others because of the prosecutions imposed by the German authorities. The Kristallnacht of 1938 leave its mark on Człuchów too; that night the synagogue was set on fire and many Jews were robbed and beaten.
What we do in the project
We’re familiarizing our students with the history of settling and development of the Jewish community in Czluchow. We are learning about Jewish culture and traditions. We try to localize the remains of Jewish architecture in our town. We try to memorize the burial place of the Jews on the ground of the nonexistent Jewish cemetery. We will record this information in shape of bulletins, press articles, and our website. Our dream is to visit Jewish-related places throughout the country- such as Kazimierz district in Cracow. In November we have visited Youth Care Center in Debrzno, a town located dozen kilometers from Czluchow. The youths from the center since few years take care of the cemetery, under the patronage of Mr Ireneusz Jablonski. We have learned that today there are about 40 matzevot remaining on the cemetery, with well preserved inscriptions written in Hebrew and German. The tombstones are in good state, which we were able to verify ourselves. The names and dates of birth and death are well visible. Thanks to such souvenirs we might experience ourselves the cultural differences in the past of our region.
What we are going to do next
1.Gather the informations; maps, articles, pictures, books, interviews.
2.Prepare the leaflet presenting our activities.
3.Meet Mr Zdzisław Matyla, an expert in the history of Człuchów.
4.Visit the Regional Museum of Człuchów.
5.Look for the traces of Jewish past in the town of Debrzno, where the Jewish cemetery was located.
