Tyniec | Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Destruction the Jews from the Krakow vicinity in Tyniec

1 Killing site(s)

Kind of place before:

Forest

Memorials:

Yes

Period of occupation:

1939-1944

Number of victims:

At least 150

Witness interview

Anna W., born in 1936: "It was during the warm months, either in 1942 or 1943. I remember seeing about five horse-drawn carts coming from the direction of the village center, heading toward the forest. The carts were filled with people: men, women, and even small children. At that time, the forest was much smaller than it is today; we all knew that spot as ’Skołczanka.’ I didn’t see the killings with my own eyes, but my neighbor told me everything. He had been requisitioned by the village head (sołtys) to go to the forest and dig the pits. He told me about the execution and said the pits were covered with lime afterward. People in the village whispered that there was even a Catholic man among the victims that day. To my knowledge, those bodies were never moved; they were never exhumed. They remain there in the forest to this day." (Witness N°YIU1090P, interviewed in Tyniec, on June 28, 2019)

Polish Archives

5 VII 1942r.

"The Nazis murdered three individuals of Jewish nationality from Radwan in Tyniec (now part of Krakow). Those who perished were:

Goldstein, Jan – born September 7, 1878

Herman, Maria – born October 12, 1881

Herman, Markus – born October 25, 1880 "

[Source: Sąd pow. W Chrzanowie, ZG 50/46]

12 VII 1942 r.

"Gestapo officers executed approximately 150 Jews in Tyniec (now part of Krakow) who had been brought from Skawina and Łąki Tynieckie. The victims’ bodies were buried in the Tyniec Forest." [Source: AGK, ASG, sygn. 9, k. 215.]

Historical note

Tyniec is situated in the western part of Krakow, on the right bank of the Vistula River. It remained an independent village until January 1, 1973, when it was officially integrated into the city of Krakow.

Not much is known about the prewar Jewish community of Tyniec. However, archival records and survivor testimonies offer significant insight into the neighboring Jewish populations of Krzeszowice, Tenczynek, Nowa Góra, Liszki, and Czernichów. Before the Second World War, these areas were home to a diverse and deeply rooted Jewish population. Krzeszowice, located approximately 24 km away from Tyniec, acted as the primary regional hub; with nearly 500 Jewish residents, it was a center of industry and culture, maintaining two synagogues and numerous Zionist and social organizations. In the surrounding villages of Liszki, Czernichów, Tenczynek, and Nowa Góra, Jewish life was more rural and integrated into the local landscape. Families here typically operated the inns, mills, and shops that served as the social heart of their communities.

Holocaust by bullets in figures

Following the arrival of German troops in September 1939, Tyniec and the surrounding localities initially served as a brief refuge for those fleeing the city of Krakow. Wealthy Jewish families from Krakow, seeking to evade the tightening restrictions within the urban center, relocated to the countryside where they stayed for a short period. In villages such as Tyniec and Czernichów, local private residences were adapted into provisional houses of prayer, where Jewish residents gathered each Saturday to observe their religious traditions.

This period of relative stability ended in 1941, when most of the region’s Jewish residents were transferred to the Krakow Ghetto. However, certain families were temporarily exempt from relocation, remaining in rural districts under "free foot" status (wolna stopa) due to their essential roles in agriculture. This exemption ultimately ended in early July 1942, when the German Landkomisariat in Krzeszowice issued a decree ordering all remaining Jewish residents from Krzeszowice, Tenczynek, Nowa Góra, Liszki, and Czernichów to relocate to Skawina—a process that was carried out over the following days.

As the transport column from Krzeszowice passed through the Tyniec area heading to Skawina, it was intercepted by German forces. Approximately 150 individuals, mostly the elderly, the infirm, and children categorized as "unfit for labor", were separated from the column, loaded onto trucks, and driven into the nearby Tyniec Forest to be shot. Archival sources offer conflicting dates for this Aktion, citing either July 8 or July 12, 1942. However, historical records and testimonies from Baudienst laborers most consistently identify July 8 as the day the mass shooting occurred.

Upon reaching the forest, the victims were ordered to deposit their valuables in one pile and their clothing in another before being lined up at the edge of three pits previously dug by Baudienst (Construction Service) laborers. Members of a Sonderdienst squad carried out the shooting, though the gunfire did not always result in immediate death. Both the deceased and the wounded fell into the pits in layers. Consequently, many victims were buried alive as the pits were filled. Following the shooting, SS officers slightly covered the bodies with lime and soil, forcing the Baudienst workers to complete the burial.

While archival records specifically document the shooting of approximately 150 Jews in the Tyniec Forest, the memorial site commemorates over 500 Jewish victims. This higher figure may reflect the total number of individuals from various surrounding localities murdered at the site throughout the summer of 1942, beyond the single documented Aktion in early July.

For more information about the killing of Jews in Skawina please follow the corresponding profile.

Nearby villages

• Skawina
• Tenczynek

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