1977 Polish Multilingual Map of Nazi Crimes in the Voivodeships of Kielce and Radom, Poland

A chilling 1977 Polish wall map detailing Hitler's crimes and the fight against the invasion and occupation in the voivodeships of Kielce and Radom. It was published by Kielce's Provincial Citizens' Committee for the Protection of Monuments of Struggle and Martyrdom. It is ever more poignant in the light of modern revisionist historical research that has re-evaluated the Polish role in the Holocaust, as well as efforts by the current Polish government to legislate and control the historical record. All text on the piece is in Polish, Russian, English, French, and German.

Emphasizing Nazi Crimes

The map depicts the entirety of the voivodeships of Kielce and Radom along with the surrounding region, including the western portion of Łódź. Icons detail Nazi crimes. Black German iron crosses are the most prominent and mark mass execution sites. The largest crosses symbolize massacres of over 10,000 individuals. Small symbols mark the area's two sub-camps of the Nazi concentration camp system, in stark contrast to the well over 100 iron crosses. Other symbols mark towns that were totally destroyed and their population exterminated, partially destroyed towns with only partial extermination of the population, forced labor camps, penitentiary labor camps, and prisoner-of-war camps. Symbols also mark sites of crimes committed against Polish and Soviet prisoners of war.

Fighting the Invasion and Occupation

The other symbols present highlight actions taken against the Nazis. Orange crosses mark the battlegrounds of the Polish Armed Forces, while green crosses mark the battle sites of Polish guerrilla forces. Red stars mark Red Army and Soviet guerrilla battle sites. Small symbols with red 'x's through them highlight locations of sabotage actions taken against the Nazis. Small red explosions mark 'the more important railway acts of sabotage.' Other symbols mark cemeteries and graves for Polish and Soviet forces buried in Poland. A special symbol is used to mark commemoratory collective tombs of Allied Armies soldiers.

Through a Soviet Lens

When this map was issued, Poland was firmly part of the Soviet Eastern Bloc. While the map is sensitive to the plight of Poles in general and especially the Soviets who suffered under the Nazis, this map is representative of the Soviet party line regarding 'Hitler's atrocities' - that all nations suffered, fought, and won equally. Aside from the Soviets and Poles, there is no mention of any specific ethnic or religious group. There also is naturally no mention of the Soviet Union's repressive actions and war crimes against Poles.

This derives from the necessity of kowtowing to Soviet censorship. Although the Nazis and Hitler specifically are demonized, there is no clear anti-German bias. The map appears to have been produced from impartial sources to represent Nazi war crimes accurately. Through this and similar maps, much of the current leadership of Poland, who grew up in the Soviet Era, received their education and understanding of the Holocaust.

Today, historical revisionism regarding Poland's role in the Holocaust encompasses a contentious area of public discourse. The narrative traditionally highlights Poland as a nation under German occupation, with Poles risking their lives to help Jews. This happened. However, current scholars are bringing to light instances where some Poles collaborated with Nazis or participated in the persecution of Jews. This revisionism has sparked intense debate, influenced by broader considerations of national identity, memory, and responsibility. Current efforts by the Polish government to legislate how the Holocaust is remembered, particularly laws making it illegal to accuse the Polish nation of complicity in the Holocaust, have further intensified these debates, highlighting the ongoing struggle over the historical memory.

Publication History and Census

This map was edited by Urszula Cichowska, Krystyna Zalewska, and Wanda Łyżwińska and published by the Provincial Citizens' Committee for the Protection of Monuments of Struggle and Martyrdom in Kiele (Wojewódzkiego Obywatelskiego Komitety Ochrony Pomników Walki i Męczeństwa w Kielcach) in 1977. We note two examples cataloged in OCLC, which are part of the collections at the Herder-Institut and the National Library of Poland, Biblioteka Narodowa.