Czarne in Galicia: “Miasto dzieci świata” (PL)

24.06.2024 - 17:00 / Galicia Jewish Museum, ul. Dajwór 18

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away beyond the mountains and the seas was the City of the World’s Children. This is a story some would like to imagine about Rabka, an idyllic spa town where children could find healing in a mild climate. But, is it true or is it just a fairytale?

Beata Chomątowska writes about the history of Rabka-Zdrój, beginning from the discovery of beneficial mineral salts there. The golden age of the spa was during the interwar period, when, under the management of the Kaden family, our Polish “Magic Mountain” was developed and expanded with elegant guesthouses, dance floors and elite schools for teenagers from well-to-do families. Then came the dark days: a new school was set up in Rabka where members of the SS practiced executions. Slowly, the Jewish citizens of the town begin to disappear forever. In 1945, there were attacks on local Jewish orphanages and the so-called “cursed soldiers” refused to lay down their weapons for a long time. Communist Poland then created a sanatorium complex for children in Rabka where dedicated doctors fought for the health of future generations. In the memories of many of the patients, however, the place more resembles a penal colony.

Rabka is not a fairytale place, but it’s also just a place of horror. As a former citizen says, it is a town full of ambiguity which hides its uneasy, fascinating past.

This event is part of the project “20 for 20. A Series of Meetings with 20 Authors for the Galicia Jewish Museum’s 20th Anniversary”. The project was financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Fund for Promoting Culture.