Baczków | Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Marian B., born in 1932: "During the ghetto liquidation, I went to Bochnia. I saw a boy killed by a German trying to escape. Jews were also trucked to the Baczków killing site." ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum Bronisława G., born in 1927: “In Baczków, there were two Jewish families. The Szlamek family, who owned a shop, had two men who survived the war by hiding in barns. The other family ran a mill”. ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum Bronisława G., born in 1927: “In the fall of 1942 or 1943, I saw several trucks from Bochnia arrive, carrying Jewish men, women, and children. As they entered the forest, I saw gold being thrown out. Soon, I heard gunshots”. ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum Bronisława G., born in 1927: “My father was picking mushrooms when the Germans ’encouraged’ him to watch the shooting. He told me the victims were shot in groups. I never went to the killing site myself.” ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum Stefan G., born in 1935: “Before the war, I lived in Proszówki, which is located 4 km from Baczków. There were two Jewish families in Proszówki who owned two shops.” ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum Stefan G., born in 1935: “One autumn afternoon, I first heard screams, then saw trucks from Bochnia approaching. As they turned toward the Puszcza Niepołomicka forest, the screams intensified.” ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum Stefan G., born in 1935: “Near the Puszcza Niepołomicka forest, by the road, 2-3 pits had been dug, likely by the Baudienst members, and filled with lime. The Baudienst also had to cover these pits after a day-long execution.” ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum The killing and burial site of 500 Jews, primarily children, the elderly, and the sick, in the Puszcza Niepołomicka Forest, near Proszówki village. ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum The monument commemorating the shooting of 500 Jews, brought here by truck and shot by the Nazis on August 25, 1942, during the liquidation of the Bochnia ghetto. ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum The mass grave in the Puszcza Niepołomicka Forest contains the remains of 500 Jews from the Bochnia ghetto, who were shot by the Nazis on August 25, 1942. ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum The inscription on the monument reads: "Here lie approximately 500 Jewish victims murdered by Nazi thugs on 25 VIII 1942." ©Piotr Malec/Yahad – In Unum

Destruction of Jews from Bochnia ghetto in Baczków

1 Killing site(s)

Kind of place before:
Puszcza Niepołomicka Forest
Memorials:
Yes
Period of occupation:
1939-1944
Number of victims:
500

Witness interview

Bronisława G., born in 1927: "It all happened in a single day, as I recall—sometime in 1942 or 1943. The Germans brought Jewish men, women, and children from the direction of Bochnia in several trucks. As the vehicles entered the forest, I saw some of the Jewish people throwing gold out of the trucks. The Germans followed behind in separate cars.

I watched the convoy arrive, and soon after, I heard a series of gunshots echoing through the woods. My father, who had been in the forest picking mushrooms, was spotted by the Germans and "encouraged" to witness the execution. Later, he told me the victims were killed in groups.

One detail stayed with him—something he never forgot. Among those about to be killed was an engaged couple. They asked to be buried together in the same pit.

I know that the mass graves had been dug in advance by men brought in by the Germans. After the executions, the pits were covered with lime. I never visited the site myself, and the bodies were never exhumed.

To this day, the locals still call that place “Na Grobach” - “on the graves.” (Witness N°YIU1079P, interviewed in Baczków, on June 25, 2019)

Polish Archives

"In 1942, I was forcibly conscripted into the Baudienst in Niepołomice. I was assigned to the first company, which carried out improvement work in the Puszcza Niepołomicka forest. In August 1942—though I don’t recall the exact date—we were woken during the night and ordered to report to the assembly square.

At the assembly, 50 Junaks (Baudienst members) were selected. 25 of us were placed into one truck; the remaining 25, including myself, were loaded into another. Our truck went first to a warehouse in Niepołomice, where we were ordered to load several dozen bags of lime. At another warehouse, we picked up shovels. During the entire process, no one told us where we were going or why.

After the trucks were loaded, we were taken to the forest in Baczków. When we arrived, I saw that large pits had already been dug. The area was heavily guarded by the Feldgendarmerie. I recognized them by the chains and half-moon-shaped plaques worn around their necks. Many German soldiers in feldgrau (grey-green) uniforms were stationed around the pits. Machine guns mounted on tripods were positioned nearby. That’s when we understood—we had been brought here to help bury people. The lime, the shovels, the preparations—it all made sense.

Then a German officer spoke to us, and his words were translated by an interpreter. He said that an execution of Jews was about to begin and strictly forbade us from taking any of the victims’ belongings, under penalty of death.

Shortly afterward, two trucks full of Jews arrived. Once unloaded, the Jews—including young children—were ordered to strip completely and leave their clothes and possessions in designated piles. German soldiers then escorted them to the edge of the pit. There, they were lined up and shot by soldiers armed with submachine guns. The victims fell directly into the pit. If anyone showed signs of life, a German officer would walk up and finish them off with a pistol.

The execution lasted nearly the entire day. After each group of victims was shot, we were forced to cover the bodies with lime and earth. I don’t remember how many Jews were killed during this Aktion. I was terrified—convinced that once the killing was over, they might shoot us too, to eliminate witnesses.

A group of about fifty soldiers, all armed with submachine guns, carried out the executions. I don’t know which officer was in charge, as I was too afraid to focus on details. For the same reason, I don’t recall the insignia on the uniforms of the soldiers or officers, nor can I say which unit they belonged to. I had never seen any of them before—and never saw them again after that day.

I later learned that the other group of Junaks, the one sent to Bochnia, had been forced to load the belongings of the Jews. Because these were direct orders, refusing to take part was not an option.

I have no further information on this matter."[Deposition of Roman Babraj, resident of Wiśnicz Nowy (house no. 148), a former Junak, born in 1922, concerning the shooting of hundreds of Jews, executed in Baczków in August 1942; made on March 24, 1970; Village of Baczków/Puszcza Niepołomicka Forest; Prosecutor Cracow, Bochnia & Niepołomice, P1010250- P1010252]

Historical note

Baczków is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Bochnia, within Bochnia County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 4 km (2 miles) north of Bochnia and 36 km (22 miles) east of the regional capital, Kraków.

Little is known about the pre-war Jewish community in Baczków. According to witnesses interviewed by Yahad - In Unum, only two Jewish families lived in the village before the Second World War. One of them, the Szlama family, owned a local shop, while the other family operated a mill.

In contrast, the nearby town of Bochnia—about 8 km from Baczków—had a thriving and well-established Jewish community, numbering over 3,000 individuals in 1939. This community maintained several houses of prayer and a Jewish cemetery. Jews played a central role in Bochnia’s economy, particularly in commerce. They owned a wide array of businesses, including shops, restaurants, mills, and artisanal workshops.

The Jewish community in Bochnia also had a significant intellectual and professional presence, especially during the interwar period. Many Jewish residents were doctors, teachers, and lawyers, with a notable number holding degrees from Jagiellonian University. The economic prominence of the community was especially visible in the town’s merchant class: out of 272 registered merchants in pre-war Bochnia, 239 were Jewish.

Holocaust by bullets in figures

Bochnia County, including the village of Baczków, was occupied by German forces in September 1939. Immediately after the occupation, the German authorities began implementing a series of repressive measures targeting the Jewish population across the region. The nearby town of Bochnia soon became a major gathering point for Jews from surrounding areas, and its Jewish population increased significantly with the arrival of refugees—first from Kraków in May 1940, then from Krzeszowice in March 1941, and later from Mielec in the spring of 1942.

In the weeks leading up to the first major deportation Aktion in August 1942, additional Jews were relocated to the Bochnia ghetto. These included approximately 1,500 Jews from Nowy Wiśnicz, as well as others from nearby villages such as Brzeźnica, Bogucice, Lipnica Murowana, Rzezawa, Targowisko, Trzciana, Uście Solne, and Zabierzów.

Between August 25 and 27, 1942, during a mass deportation operation carried out by the Gestapo, SS units, and Ukrainian auxiliaries, approximately 4,000 Jews were deported from Bochnia to the Bełżec extermination camp. At the same time, on August 25, around 500 elderly and sick Jews were selected and transported by truck to the Puszcza Niepołomicka Forest near Baczków, where they were executed. Some sources suggest that the number of victims may have reached as many as 800.

According to witnesses interviewed by Yahad, as the trucks approached the killing site, some victims—realizing their fate—began throwing valuables out of the vehicles. Upon arrival in the forest, the Jews were forced out of the trucks. A German officer ordered them to strip completely and place their clothing and belongings in designated areas. The victims, including young children, were escorted to the edge of pre-dug pits, where they were shot in groups by German soldiers armed with submachine guns. If anyone showed signs of life after falling into the pit, a German officer would finish them off with a pistol.

The shootings continued for most of the day, with trucks making repeated trips to bring more victims. Members of the Baudienst (forced labor service), who had been brought to the site earlier, were forced to cover the bodies with lime and earth after each round of executions.

After the liberation, a collective monument was erected at the burial site in Puszcza Niepołomicka to commemorate the Holocaust victims. The monument bears an inscription listing some of the names of those killed, including: Chaja Symcha Banach, Samson Brerman, Chaja Rachel (surname illegible), Szloma Erlich, Ita Ebner, Jehuda Leib Feinger, Samuel Feniger, a woman named Frager with a child, Chaim Samson Garfunkel, Natan Genger, Aron and Chana Greiwers, Alster Leib Gutfreund, Regina Gutfreund, Sara Landerer, the Lerners, Jehuda and Małka Matzner, Mendel Brauch Nabel, Eliezer Plaster, Helena Reich, Reizl Gisl (daughter of Abraham), Neftali Herz Rosner with wife Rachel, Akpiba Rotkopf, Chaim Szehnberg, Icchek and Pesil Ulmans, and Rebeka Weinfeld. Many surnames remain illegible or missing, as the list was reconstructed from memory.

The fate of most members of the two Jewish families who lived in pre-war Baczków remains unknown. However, it is almost certain that they shared the tragic fate of millions of other Jews murdered during the Holocaust. According to Yahad witnesses, two Jewish men from the Szlama family survived by hiding with Christian neighbors.

For more information about the destruction of the Jewish community in Bochnia, please refer to the corresponding profile.

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