Sonderaktion Krakau
Encyclopedia
Sonderaktion Krakau was the codename for a German operation against professors and academics from the University of Kraków and other Kraków
universities at the beginning of World War II
.
It was carried out as part of the action plan to exterminate the Polish
intellectual elite known as Intelligenzaktion
, especially in those centres, such as Kraków, which were slated by the Nazis to become culturally German.
professors and assistants arrived at noon at room 66 of the Collegium Novum
building, no lecture was conducted. They were instead imprisoned under the pretext that the university was working without German consent. Twenty-one professors from the Mining Academy
(attending a meeting in a different room), 5 visiting professors, and 13 university employees and students who were in the building were also arrested. All 183 were later sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp
and Dachau.
Following loud international protest, 101 of those surviving professors who were older than 40 were released on 8 February 1940. Additional academics were released later. Although university professors were not sent directly to gas chambers
, many were elderly and did not survive even a short stay under the grim living conditions in the camps where dysentery
was common and warm clothes in winter were rare. 15 died in the camps and another 5 died within days of release. Among the notable professors who died in Sachsenhausen were Ignacy Chrzanowski, Stanisław Estreicher, Kazimierz Kostanecki, Antoni Meyer, and Michał Siedlecki.
In 1942, many of those who survived Sonderaktion Krakau formed an underground university
in defiance of German edicts. Among the 800 students of the underground university was Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II.
Today, there is a plaque commemorating the events of Sonderaktion Krakau in front of Collegium Novum
in Kraków. Every 6 November, black flags are hung outside all Jagiellonian University buildings and the Rector of the University personally lays wreaths on the graves of those who suffered.
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
universities at the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
It was carried out as part of the action plan to exterminate the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
intellectual elite known as Intelligenzaktion
Intelligenzaktion
Intelligenzaktion was a genocidal action of Nazi Germany targeting Polish elites as part of elimination of potentially dangerous elements. It was an early measure of the Generalplan Ost. About 60,000 people were killed as the result of this operation...
, especially in those centres, such as Kraków, which were slated by the Nazis to become culturally German.
History
On November 6, 1939, a little over two months after the German Invasion of Poland, Obersturmbannführer SS Bruno Müller commanded Professor Tadeusz Lehr-Spławiński, then the University's rector, to require all professors to attend a lecture on German plans for Polish education. The rector agreed and sent an invitation throughout the university. When 144 Jagiellonian UniversityJagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
professors and assistants arrived at noon at room 66 of the Collegium Novum
Collegium Novum
The Collegium Novum is the Neo-Gothic main building of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, built in 1873-1887. Based on a design by architect Feliks Księżarski to match the oldest building of the University, it was opened for the 500th anniversary of the University's foundation...
building, no lecture was conducted. They were instead imprisoned under the pretext that the university was working without German consent. Twenty-one professors from the Mining Academy
AGH University of Science and Technology
AGH University of Science and Technology is the second largest technical university in Poland, located in Kraków. The university was established in 1919, and was formerly known as the University of Mining and Metallurgy...
(attending a meeting in a different room), 5 visiting professors, and 13 university employees and students who were in the building were also arrested. All 183 were later sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
and Dachau.
Following loud international protest, 101 of those surviving professors who were older than 40 were released on 8 February 1940. Additional academics were released later. Although university professors were not sent directly to gas chambers
Gas Chambers
Gas Chambers is a fast, hollow and shallow point break type of wave. Being that it is a high performance wave it is well suited for the average to pro level surfer. Gas Chambers is located on the North Shore of Oahu about a 1/4 of a mile north of Ehukai Beach Park and 1/2 a mile west of Sunset...
, many were elderly and did not survive even a short stay under the grim living conditions in the camps where dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
was common and warm clothes in winter were rare. 15 died in the camps and another 5 died within days of release. Among the notable professors who died in Sachsenhausen were Ignacy Chrzanowski, Stanisław Estreicher, Kazimierz Kostanecki, Antoni Meyer, and Michał Siedlecki.
In 1942, many of those who survived Sonderaktion Krakau formed an underground university
Education in Poland during World War II
This article covers the topic of underground education in Poland during World War II. Secret learning prepared new cadres for the post-war reconstruction of Poland and countered the German and Soviet threat to exterminate the Polish culture....
in defiance of German edicts. Among the 800 students of the underground university was Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II.
Today, there is a plaque commemorating the events of Sonderaktion Krakau in front of Collegium Novum
Collegium Novum
The Collegium Novum is the Neo-Gothic main building of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, built in 1873-1887. Based on a design by architect Feliks Księżarski to match the oldest building of the University, it was opened for the 500th anniversary of the University's foundation...
in Kraków. Every 6 November, black flags are hung outside all Jagiellonian University buildings and the Rector of the University personally lays wreaths on the graves of those who suffered.
See also
- IntelligenzaktionIntelligenzaktionIntelligenzaktion was a genocidal action of Nazi Germany targeting Polish elites as part of elimination of potentially dangerous elements. It was an early measure of the Generalplan Ost. About 60,000 people were killed as the result of this operation...
- Aktion KrakauAktion KrakauOperation Reinhard in Kraków was a major 1942 German Nazi anti-Jewish operation in Kraków, Poland, headed by SS-Oberführer Julian Scherner as part of the countrywide Aktion Reinhard , mass murder of Polish Jews in General Government under the command of SS and Polizeifuhrer Odilo...
- German AB Action operation in Poland
- Invasion of Poland (1939)Invasion of Poland (1939)The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
- Massacre of Lwów professorsMassacre of Lwów professorsIn July 1941, 25 Polish academics from the city of Lwów, Poland ; now in Ukraine) were killed by Nazi German occupation forces along with their families and guests...
- Operation TannenbergOperation TannenbergOperation Tannenberg was the codename for one of the extermination actions directed at the Polish people during World War II, part of the Generalplan Ost...
- Treatment of Polish citizens by occupiersTreatment of Polish citizens by occupiersThe occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during the Second World War began with invasion of Poland in September 1939, and formally concluded with the defeat of Nazism by the Four Powers in May 1945. Throughout the entire course of foreign occupation the territory of Poland was...