Karolina Jakoweńko (Poland)
Będzin was once a dynamic multicultural city; today, it is part of the periphery of the Silesian-Dąbrowski Basin agglomeration. Its history, culture, and traditions make up a fascinating, memorable story. Jews lived in Będzin from its earliest days. Just before the start of World War II, approximately half the city’s residents – 29,000 people
– were Jewish. To this day, we can admire the prewar prayer house at the Cukerman Gate, the Jewish cemetery founded after the 19th-century cholera epidemic, the vestiges of the ghetto in the centre of town, and the buildings that Jews erected along the main streets. The city of Będzin is an open-air museum where, at every step, we can experience the painful absence of these prewar residents and their culture.

Tour organized by Foundation Brama Cukermana in Będzin