Ghettos in Europe during the Holocaust

In the Holocaust, Nazi Germany set up ghettos across Europe. These were separate, closed-off areas where the Nazis forced Jewish people to live, apart from everybody else. Some Roma people, Greeks, and Soviets were also forced into ghettos.^[1]

People building a wall around the Warsaw Ghetto in August 1940

Nobody was allowed to leave the ghettos without special permission. Living conditions were so terrible that they killed many people. Tens of thousands of Jews died in ghettos from starvation, disease, freezing to death, and the terrible conditions.^[2] In some ghettos, one in every five people died.^[2][3] Eventually, the Nazis used the ghettos to collect people before deporting them to concentration camps.^[4][5]

The Nazis established around 1500 ghettos during the Holocaust. They liquidated nearly all of these ghettos between the 1930s and 1945. Sometimes this meant sending everyone to concentration camps and shooting people who resisted.^[5] In other cases, the Nazis executed all of the people inside the ghetto.

Purposes

The Nazis used ghettos for many reasons:^[4][6]

• To segregate people (almost always Jews)
• To persecute and mistreat people
• To make people do forced labor
• To gather and hold people before deporting them to concentration camps
• To starve and kill people

History

A house in Bedzin, Poland during the deportation of Jews to the ghetto

Jewish people had often been forced to live in ghettos in Europe, with the first one being set up in Venice in the 1500s.

The first Nazi ghetto was established in Beuthen, Germany, in the 1930s. Between that time and the end of World War II in 1945, the Nazis and their collaborators established about 1500 ghettos. They stretched as far west as Amsterdam in German-occupied Netherlands; as far north as Pushkin in partially German-occupied Russian SFSR; as far east as Krasno-Vostochnyi, also in partially German-occupied Russian SFSR; and as far south as Kalavyrta in partially German-occupied Greece.

A Jew in the Bedzin ghetto (1940; from a Nazi propaganda film)

In 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland, and took control of areas where two million Polish Jews lived. This was four times as many Jewish people as Germany had in 1933.^[7] Two years later the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, where another few million Jews lived. To control this new population of Jewish people, the Nazis forced Jews into ghettos (also called "Jewish residential quarters").^[1]

By mid-1941, the Nazis had forced almost all Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland into ghettos.^[8] By the end of the war, almost every person who had lived in a ghetto had died or been executed by the Nazis.

The last ghetto to exist was the Theresienstadt "camp-ghetto" in the town of Terézin, in German-occupied Czechia.^[9] It was liberated on 8 May 1945, while the Nazis were liquidating the ghetto (deporting everyone inside, shooting anyone who resisted, and destroying the ghetto.)

Conditions

"A funeral in the Theresienstadt Ghetto" by Bedřich Fritta

Conditions in the ghettos were terrible. They were often extremely crowded, and there was not enough food for everyone.^[5] The largest (the Warsaw ghetto) held more than 400,000 Jews crowded into an area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 square km).^[4]

Starvation was widespread. Contagious diseases spread quickly because of the overcrowding and lack of sanitation.^[5] In the winter months, freezing to death was common.^[5]

Historians estimate that tens of thousands of Jews starved, froze to death, or died from illness in the Nazi ghettos.^[5]

Types of ghettos

Lwow Ghetto courtyard (1942)

Historians have different opinions about how many ghettos existed in Nazi-occupied Europe. There were some smaller and lesser-known ghettos. (These include Voikovshtadt Ghetto in Kerch Raion, Crimea, and three little-known ghettoes in Stavropol Krai, Russia: the Krasno-Vostochnyi, Georgiyevsk, and Kislovodsk Ghettos.) There may still be ghettos whose names and locations have been forgotten.

Closed ghettos

Closed (or "enclosed") ghettos were surrounded by fences, walls, or barbed wire. A person could be executed for trying to escape from an enclosed ghetto - or for helping someone else escape.^[10]

The largest ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto, was surrounded by a brick wall. The Minsk and Lwow Ghettos are examples of ghettos enclosed by barbed wire. In the Soviet Union, ghettos in Riga, Glebokie, Daugavpils, and Mir were enclosed. In May 1942 the residents of the Mir Ghetto were transferred to Mir Castle Ghetto, supposedly for better security.

The Minsk Ghetto (Belarus, 1941)

Open ghettos

Open ghettos did not have physical barriers separating them from other parts of town. However, Jews were not allowed to come and go freely. There were rules about when and why they could enter and leave the ghetto.^[10]

In Poland, there were open ghettos in Dąbie and Zdunska Wola. In Ukraine, the Tuczyn and Uman Ghettos were open. So were the Bielefield Ghetto in Germany; the Mainewicze Ghetto in Volhynia; and the Gnivan Ghetto in GK Zhytomor.

In Eastern Belorussia, open ghettos existed in Beshenkovichi, Ostrovno Ghetto, and Chasniki. The Chasniki Ghetto was liquidated in mid-February 1942, six months after it was established.

Partial ghettos

In a few places, only part of the Jewish population had to live in ghettos. These included the Domaczewo, Horochow, Byten, and Letichev Ghettos.

During the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the Nazis burnt the ghetto to the ground (April 1943)

Destruction ghettos

According to the Holocaust Encyclopedia:^[10]

Destruction ghettos were tightly sealed off and existed for between two and six weeks before the Germans and/or their collaborators deported or shot the Jewish population [gathered] in them.

In Belarus, destruction ghettos existed in Parichi and Orsha. In Ukraine, the Samgorodok Ghetto lasted just a few weeks in May 1942 before the Nazis liquidated it. Also in Ukraine, the Khar'kov (Kharkiv) Ghetto was well-known for being short-lived, makeshift, and overcrowded. In Crimea, there was a destruction ghetto in Dzhankoi.

Ghettos in occupied Poland

Ghetto location in prewar and postwar Poland[11]	Population	Date of creation	Date of liquidation (deporting or killing people)	Final destination
(in alphabetical order)		(year, month)	(year, month)
1939–1940 The first ghetto (Piotrków Trybunalski Ghetto) was set up on 8 October 1939, 38 days after the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939.[12] Within months, the Warsaw Ghetto and the Łódź Ghetto, had been set up.
Aleksandrów Lódzki	3,500	1939	Dec 1939	to Głowno ghetto
Bełżyce	4,500	Jun 1940	May 1943	to Budzyń ghetto → Sobibor and Majdanek
Będzin Ghetto	7,000–28,000[13]	Jul 1940	Aug 1943	to Auschwitz (7,000).[14]
Błonie	2,100	Dec 1940	Feb 1941	to Warsaw Ghetto (all 2,100)
Bodzentyn	700	1940	Sep 1942	to Suchedniów ghetto → Treblinka.[15]
Brześć Kujawski	630	1940	Apr 1942	to Łódź Ghetto → Chełmno death camp
Brzesko	4,000-6,000	fall 1941	Sept 1942	to Auschwitz and Belzec
Brzeziny	6,000–6,800	Feb 1940	May 1942	to Łódź Ghetto → Chełmno
Brzozów	1,000	1940	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Bychawa	2,700	1940	Apr 1941	to Belzyce
Chęciny	4,000	1940 – Jun 1941	Sep 1942	to Treblinka
Ciechanów	5,000[16]	1940	Nov 1942	to labour camps (1,500), Mława Ghetto → Auschwitz,[17] many killed locally.[16]
Dąbrowa Górnicza	4,000–10,000	1940	Jun 1943	to Auschwitz
Dęblin–Irena Ghetto	3,300–5,800	Apr 1940	Oct 1942	to Sobibor and Treblinka
Działoszyce	15,000?	Apr 1940	Oct 1942	to Płaszów and Bełżec extermination camp
Gąbin	2,000–2,300	1940	Apr 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Głowno	5,600	May 1940	Mar 1941	to Łowicz ghetto and Warsaw Ghetto (5,600)
Gorlice (labor camp 1st)	?	1940	1942	to Buchenwald, Muszyna, Mielec, see Gorlice Ghetto (1941)
Góra Kalwaria	3,300	Jan 1940	Feb 1941	to Warsaw Ghetto (3,000), 300 killed locally
Grodzisk Mazowiecki	6,000	1940 – Jan 1941	Oct 1942	to Warsaw Ghetto (all 6,000)
Grójec	5,200–6,000	Jul 1940	Sep 1942	to Warsaw Ghetto (all 6,000) → Treblinka
Izbica Kujawska	1,000	1940	Jan 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Jeżów	1,600	1940	Feb 1941	to Warsaw Ghetto (all 1,600)
Jędrzejów	6,000	Mar 1940	Sep 1942	to Treblinka
Kazimierz Dolny	2,000–3,500	1940 – Apr 1941	Mar 1942	to Sobibor, and Treblinka
Kobyłka	1,500	Sep 1940	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Koło	2,000–5,000	Dec 1940	Dec 1941	to Treblinka (2,000) and Chełmno
Koniecpol	1,100–1,600	1940	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Konin	1,500?	Dec 1939	1940 – Mar 1941	to Zagórów & other ghettos → killed locally
Kozienice	13,000	Jan 1940	Sep 1942	to Treblinka
Koźminek	2,500	1940	Jul 1942	to Chełmno
Krasnystaw	2,000	Aug 1940	Oct 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Krośniewice	1,500	May 1940	Mar 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Kutno	7,000	Jun 1940	Mar 1942	to Chełmno
Legionowo	3,000	1940	1942	to Treblinka
Łańcut	2,700	Dec 1939	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Łask	4,000	Dec 1940	Aug 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Łowicz	8,000–8,200	1940	Mar 1941	to Warsaw Ghetto (all; with labor camp)[18]
Łódź Ghetto	200,000	8 Feb 1940	Aug 1944	to Auschwitz and Chełmno extermination camp, labour camps (1,000)
Marki	?	1940 – Mar 1941	1942	to Warsaw Ghetto
Mielec	4,000–4,500	1940	Mar 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Mińsk Mazowiecki Ghetto	5,000–7,000	Oct 1940	Aug 1942	to Treblinka, 1,300 killed locally
Mława	6,000–6,500	Dec 1940	Nov 1942	to Treblinka and Auschwitz
Mogielnica	1,500	1940	28 Feb 1942	to Warsaw Ghetto (all) → Treblinka.[19]
Mordy	4,500	Nov 1940	Aug 1942	to Treblinka
Myślenice	1,200	1940	Aug 1942	to Skawina Ghetto (all) → Bełżec
Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki	2,000–4,000	1940 – Jan 1941	Dec 1942	to Pomiechówek ghetto → Auschwitz
Nowy Korczyn	4,000	1940	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Opoczno	3,000–4,000	Nov 1940	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Otwock	12,000–15,000	Dec 1939	Aug 1942	to Treblinka, and Auschwitz
Pabianice	8,500–9,000	Feb 1940	May 1942	to Łódź Ghetto → Chełmno death camp
Piaseczno	2,500	1940	Jan 1941	to Warsaw Ghetto (all 2,500)
Piaski (transit)	10,000	1940	Nov 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp, Sobibor, Trawniki concentration camp
Piotrków Trybunalski Ghetto	25,000[20]	8 Oct 1939[12]	14 / 21 Oct 1942	to Majdanek and Treblinka (22,000),[20] killed locally also
Płock	7,000–10,000	1939–1940	Feb 1941	to Działdowo ghetto
Płońsk	12,000	Sep 1940	Nov 1942	to Treblinka, Auschwitz
Poddębice	1,500	Nov 1940	Apr 1942	to Treblinka(?)
Pruszków	1,400	1940	1941	to Warsaw Ghetto (all 1,400)
Przedbórz	4,000–5,000	Mar 1940	Oct 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp and Treblinka
Puławy	5,000	Nov – Dec 1939	1940	to Opole Lubelskie → Sobibor
Radomsko	18,000–20,000	1939 – Jan 1940	21 Jul 1943	to Treblinka extermination camp (18,000)
Radzymin	2,500	Sep 1940	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Serock	2,000	Feb 1940	Dec 1940	to other ghettos
Sieradz	2,500–5,000	Mar 1940	Aug 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Sierpc	500–3,000	1940	Feb 1942	to Warsaw Ghetto → Treblinka
Skaryszew	1,800	1940	Apr 1942	to Szydlowiec
Skierniewice	4,300–7,000	Dec 1940	Apr 1941	to Warsaw Ghetto (all 7,000)
Sochaczew	3,000–4,000	Jan 1940	Feb 1941	to Warsaw Ghetto (all 3,000)
Stalowa Wola	2,500	1940	Jul 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Stryj	12,000	1940–1941	Jun 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp
Szadek	500	1940	1940	to other ghettos
Szczebrzeszyn	4,000	1940 – Apr 1941	Oct 1942	to Bełżec death camp, killed locally also
Tomaszów Mazowiecki	16,000–20,000	Dec 1940	Nov 1942	to Treblinka (16,000), with 4,000 killed locally
Tuliszków	230	Dec 1939	Jan 1940	to Kowale Pańskie → Chełmno
Turek	5,000	1940	Oct 1941	to Kowale Pańskie ghetto (all 5,000)
Tyszowce	1,500–2,000	1940	Sep 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Uchanie	2,000	1940	Nov 1942	to Sobibor
Ulanów	500	1940	Oct 1942	to other ghettos
Uniejów	500	1940	Oct 1941	to Kowale Pańskie ghetto (all 500)
Warka	2,800	1940	Feb 1941	to Warsaw Ghetto (all 2,800)
Warta	1,000–2,400	Feb 1940	Aug 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Warsaw Ghetto[21]	445,000	Oct – 15 Nov 1940	Sep 1942	to Treblinka extermination camp (300,000), and Majdanek, Trawniki, Poniatowa
Włocławek	4,000–13,500	Oct 1940	Apr 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Włodawa	10,500 [22]	(sealed) 1941	Apr – May 1943	to Sobibor, also shot locally
Włoszczowa	4,000–6,000	Jul 1940	Sep 1942	to Treblinka
Wodzisław	4,000	Jun 1940	Nov 1942	to Treblinka
Wołomin	3,000–5,500	1940–1942	Apr 1943	to Treblinka
Wyszogród	2,700–3,000	Dec 1940	Nov 1942	to Treblinka
Zagórów	2,000–2,500	Jul 1940	Oct 1941	all killed locally
Zamość	12,000–14,000	1940	May 1943	to Izbica Ghetto → Bełżec, Majdanek
Zduńska Wola	8,300–10,000	1940	Aug 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Żychlin	2,800–4,000	Jul 1940	Mar 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Żyrardów	3,000–5,000	Dec 1940	Feb 1941	to Warsaw Ghetto (all 5,000)
1941 Under the codename Operation Barbarossa, Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. The Nazis created new ghettos there and used mobile killing squads to murder Eastern European Jews.
Augustów	4,000	Oct 1941	Jun 1942	to Treblinka and Auschwitz, shot locally
Bełchatów	5,500–6,000	Mar 1941	Aug 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Biała Podlaska	7,000–8,400	Jul 1941	Sep 1942	to Majdanek, Sobibor, Treblinka
Biała Rawska	4,000	Sep 1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Białystok Ghetto	40,000–50,000	26 Jul 1941	Nov 1943	to Majdanek, Treblinka
Bielsk Podlaski	11,000–15,100	Aug 1941	Nov 1942	to Treblinka, many killed locally[23][24]
Biłgoraj	2,500–3,000	1941–1942	Nov 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Bobowa	658?[25]	Oct 1941	Aug 1942	to Gorlice and Biecz ghettos
Bochnia	14,000–15,000	Mar 1941	Sep 1943	to Szebnie → Bełżec and Auschwitz
Brześć Litewski Ghetto	18,000	16 Dec 1941	Oct 1942	5,000 shot locally before the ghetto was set up → Bronna Góra ravine [26]
Busko Zdrój	2,000	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Chełm	8,000–12,000	Jun 1941	Nov 1942	to Sobibor
Chmielnik	10,000–14,000	Apr 1941	Nov 1942	to Treblinka
Chodel	1,400	Jun 1941	1942	to other ghettos
Chrzanów	8,000	Nov 1941	Feb 1943	to Auschwitz
Ciechanowiec	4,000	1941	Nov 1941	to Treblinka
Ciepielów	600	Dec 1941	15 / 29 Oct 1942[27]	to Treblinka → Polish rescuers killed locally 6 Dec 1942.[28]
Czeladź	800	Nov 1941	Feb 1943	to Auschwitz
Częstochowa Ghetto	48,000	9 Apr 1941	22 Sep – 9 Oct 1942	to Treblinka extermination camp
Ćmielów	1,500–2,000?[29]	1941	Oct (end) 1942	to Treblinka (900),[27] rest murdered locally
Dąbie	900	1941	Dec 1941	to Chełmno extermination camp
Dobre	500–1,000	1941	Sep 1942	to Treblinka
Drohiczyn	700	Jun 1941	Nov 1942	to Bransk and Bielsk ghettos
Drzewica	2,000	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Dubienka	2,500–3,000	Jun 1941	Oct 1942	to other ghettos
Głogów Małopolski	(120)?	1941	1942	to Rzeszów ghetto → 5,000 shot locally
Gniewoszów (open type)	6,580[30]	Dec 1941	Nov 1942	to Zwoleń (5,000); 1,000 → Treblinka
Goniądz	1,000–1,300	Jun 1941	Nov 1942	to Bogusze ghetto
Gorlice	4,500	Oct 1941	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Gostynin	3,500	1941	Aug 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Grajewo	3,000	Jun 1941	Nov 1942	to Bogusze ghetto
Hrubieszów (open type)	6,800–10,000	Jun 1941 – May 1942	May – Nov 1943	to Sobibor and Budzyn labour camp, many shot locally, 2,000 fled.[31]
Iłża	1,900–2,000	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Inowłódz	500–600	1941	Aug 1942	to Tomaszow Mazowiecki ghetto
Iwacewicze	600	1941[32]	14 Mar 1942	to Słonim Ghetto, all killed locally
Izbica Ghetto (transit)	12,000–22,700[33]	1941[34]	2 Nov 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp and Sobibor, 4,500 killed locally
Jasło	2,000–3,000	1941	Aug 1942	to other ghettos
Jedwabne	100–130	Jul 1941	Nov 1941	to Łomża Ghetto → Treblinka, 340 killed locally.[35]
Kalisz	400	1941	1942	to other ghettos
Kałusz	6,000	Jun 1941	Nov 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp, several hundreds executed locally
Karczew	700	Mar 1941	Oct 1941	to Warsaw Ghetto
Kielce Ghetto	27,000	Mar 1941	Aug 1942	to Treblinka, with 6,000 killed locally
Kłobuck	2,000	1941	Jun 1942	to Auschwitz
Knyszyn	2,000	Jun 1941	Nov 1942	to Bialystok Ghetto
Kobryn	8,000	Jun 1941	Oct 1942	all killed locally
Kock	2,500–3,000	Jun 1941	Dec 1942	to Treblinka
Kodeń	?	Jun 1941	Sep 1942	to Miedzyrzec Podlaski Ghetto
Kolbuszowa	2,500	1941	Sep 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Koluszki	2,000	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Końskie	10,000	1941	Jan 1943	to Treblinka
Korczyn	2,000	1941	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Kraków Ghetto	20,000 (pop. 68,500)	Mar 1941	Mar 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp and Płaszów; 48,000 expelled in 1940.[36]
Kraśnik	5,000–6,000	1940–1941	Nov 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Krynki	5,000–6,000	Jun – Nov 1941	Nov 1942	to Kiełbasin transit camp → Treblinka[37]
Książ Wielki	200?[38]	1941	Nov 1942	to Miechów ghetto
Kunów	500	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Limanowa	2,000	1941	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Lipsk	3,000	Dec 1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Lubartów Ghetto	3,269–4,500	Jun 1941	Oct 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Lublin Ghetto	30,000–40,000	24 Mar 1941	Nov 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp (30,000)[39] and Majdanek (4,000)
Lwów Ghetto	115,000–160,000	Jun – Nov 1941	Jun 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp and Janowska concentration camp
Łapy	600	Jun – Jul 1941	Nov 1942	to Białystok Ghetto
Łaskarzew	1,300	1941	Sep 1942	to Treblinka
Łęczyca	3,000–4,300	1941	Jun 1942	to Chełmno, many killed locally
Łomża Ghetto	9,000–11,000	Jun 1941	Nov 1942	to Auschwitz, many killed locally
Łosice	5,500–6,000	1941	Aug 1942	to Treblinka
Łuków	10,000	1941	Oct – Nov 1942	to Treblinka (Oct: 7,000; Nov: 3,000) [40]
Łuck Ghetto	25,000	Dec 1941	19 / 24 Aug 1942	all killed locally (most at Polanka) [41]
Maków Mazowiecki	3,500–5,000	1941	Dec 1942	to Treblinka
Michałowo	1,500	1941	Nov 1942	to Bialystok Ghetto
Miechów	4,000	1941	1942	to Bełżec (1,000 killed locally)
Nowe Miasto	3,700	1941	22 Oct 1942	to Treblinka (3,000),[40] rest killed locally
Nowogródek	6,000?[38]	Jun 1941	Oct 1942	all killed locally
Nowy Sącz Ghetto	20,000	Aug 1941	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Nowy Targ	2,500	1941	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Nowy Żmigród	1,300	1941	Jul 1942	all killed locally
Olkusz	3,000–4,000	1941	Jun 1942	to Auschwitz
Opatów Ghetto	10,000	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Opole Lubelskie	8,000–10,000	1941	Oct 1942	to Sobibor and Poniatowa ghetto
Osiek	500	1941	Jun 1942	to Ożarów ghetto → Treblinka[42]
Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski	16,000	Apr 1941	10 Jan 1943	to Treblinka[source?]
Ozorków	3,000–5,000	1941	Aug 1942	to Łódź Ghetto → Chełmno
Pajęczno	3,000	1941	1942	to Łódź Ghetto
Parczew	7,000	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Piątek	?	1941	Jul 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Pilzno	788?[25]	1941	Jun 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Pińczów	3,000–3,500	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Pionki (labor camp)	682[43]	1941	Aug 1942	to Zwoleń ghetto → Treblinka
Połaniec	2,000	1941	1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Praszka	?	1941	Aug 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Rabka	300	1941	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Radom Ghetto	30,000–32,000	Mar 1941	Aug 1942	to Treblinka extermination camp
Radomyśl Wielki	1,300?[25]	1941	1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Radoszyce	3,200?[44]	1941	Nov 1942	to Treblinka
Radzyn Podlaski	2,000–3,000	1941	Dec 1942	to Treblinka
Rajgród	1,200	1941	Nov 1942	to Bogusze
Rawa Mazowiecka	4,000	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Rejowiec	3,000	1941	1943	to Auschwitz, Sobibor and Majdanek
Ropczyce	800	1941	Jul 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Ryki	1,800–3,500	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka and Sobibor
Rymanów	1,600?[25]	1941	Aug 1942	to Kraków Ghetto, Bełżec extermination camp, killed locally
Sędziszów Małopolski	2,000	1941	Jan 1942	to Bełżec
Siedlce Ghetto	12,000–18,000	Jun – Aug 1941	Nov 1942	to Treblinka
Siemiatycze	7,000	1941	Nov 1942	to Sobibor
Sieniawa	3,000	1941	1942	all killed locally
Siennica	700?	1941	15 Sep 1942	to Treblinka (700)[40]
Skarżysko-Kamienna	3,000	1941	1942	to Treblinka (2,500), the rest killed locally
Skrzynno	?	1941	Oct 1942	to Opoczno ghetto
Słonim Ghetto	22,000	Jul 1941	15 Jul 1942[45]	all killed locally (Jul-41: 1,200; Nov: 9,000; Jul-42: 10,000)
Słuck	3,000–8,500	Jun 1941	Nov 1942	all killed locally
Sokołów Małopolski	3,000	1941	Jul 1942	to Bełżec
Sokołów Podlaski	4,000–7,000	Jun 1941	Sep 1942	to Treblinka
Sokółka	8,000–9,000	Jun 1941	Nov 1942	to Kiełbasin → Treblinka
Solec	800	1941	Dec 1942	to Tarlow ghetto
Stanisławów Ghetto	20,000	Dec 1941	Feb 1943	killed locally → to Bełżec
Starachowice	6,000	Apr 1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Stary Sącz	1,000	1941	Aug 1942	to Bełżec
Staszów	7,000	1941	Dec 1942	to Treblinka
Stopnica	5,000	1941	Nov 1942	to Treblinka, many killed locally
Strzemieszyce Wielkie	1,800[46]	1940–1941	May – 15 Jun 1942	to Będzin Ghetto (500), Auschwitz (1,400)
Strzyżów	1,300[46]	1941	26 / 28 Jun 1942	to Rzeszów ghetto, killed locally → Bełżec
Suchedniów	5,000	1941	Aug 1942	to Treblinka
Sulejów	1,500	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Szczuczyn	2,000	1941	Jul – Nov 1942	to Bogusze transit camp, killed locally
Śniadowo	650	1941	Nov 1942	to Zambrow ghetto
Tarczyn	1,600	1941	Feb 1942	to Treblinka
Tarnobrzeg (ghetto & camp)	500[47]	Jun 1941	Jul 1942	to Dębica ghetto → Bełżec
Tarnogród	2,600–5,000	1941	Nov 1942	to Bełżec from ghetto & camp, many killed locally
Tarnopol Ghetto	20,000	Jul – Aug 1941	Jun 1943	to Bełżec, many killed locally
Tarnów	40,000	Mar 1941	Sep 1943	10,000 killed locally, Bełżec (10,000), Auschwitz
Tomaszów Lubelski	1,400–1,500	1941	Oct 1942	to Bełżec
Tyczyn	?	1941	Jul 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Wadowice	1,400[48]	1941	Aug 1943	to Auschwitz
Wąwolnica	2,500	1941	May 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Węgrów	6,000–8,300	1941	Sep 1942	to Treblinka
Wieliczka	7,000	1941	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Wielun	4,200–7,000	1941	Aug 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp, killed locally
Wieruszów	1,400	1941	Aug 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Wilno Ghetto	30,000–80,000	Sep 1941	Sep 1943	killed locally (21,000 before ghetto was set up)[49]
Wiślica	2,000	1941	Oct 1942	to Jędrzejów ghetto
Wolbrom	3,000–5,000	1941	Sep 1942	to Bełżec, many killed locally
Wysokie Mazowieckie	5,000	1941	Nov 1942	to Zambrow ghetto
Zabłudów	1,800[50]	Jul 1941	2 Nov 1942	10th Calvary camp near Białystok → Treblinka (1,400)
Zambrów	3,200–4,000	1941	Jan 1943	to Auschwitz, mass killings locally
Zawiercie	5,000–7,000	1941	Oct 1943	to Auschwitz (5,000)
Zelów	?	1941	Sep 1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Zwoleń (open type)	6,500–10,000[51]	1941	29 Sep 1942	to Treblinka extermination camp (8,000)[52]
Żarki	3,200	1941	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Żelechów	5,500–13,000	1941	Sep 1942	to Treblinka
1942 On January 20, 1942, at the Wannsee Conference near Berlin, Reinhard Heydrich informed senior Nazi officials that "the final solution of the Jewish question" was deportation from the ghettos and subsequent mass extermination of the Jews. German companies in Nazi-occupied Poland built six death factories (extermination camps) within two to six months.
Andrychów	700	Sep 1942	Nov 1943	to Auschwitz concentration camp
Annopol	?	Jun 1942	Oct 1942	to Kraśnik ghetto
Baranów Sandomierski	2,000	Jun 1942	Jul 1942	to Dębica ghetto, (all)
Biecz	700–800	Apr 1942	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Czortków	4,000	Apr 1942	Sep 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp
Dąbrowa Tarnowska	2,400–3,000	Oct 1942	Sep 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp and Auschwitz
Dębica	1,500–4,000	1942	Mar 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp
Drohobycz Ghetto	10,000	Mar 1942	Jun 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp
Dubno	9,000?	Apr 1942	Oct 1942	all killed locally
Frysztak Ghetto	1,600[25]	1942	18 Aug 1942	to Jasło ghetto → killed in Warzyce forest
Hrubieszów (labor camp)	200[31]	May 1942	May 1943	to Budzyn, killed locally, see Hrubieszów # 122 above (6,800)
Jasienica Rosielna	1,500	1942	Aug 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Kołomyja (ghetto & camp)	18,000	1942	Feb 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp, many killed locally
Koprzywnica	1,800	1940	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Kowale Pańskie	3,000–5,000	1939–1942	1942	to Chełmno extermination camp
Kowel	17,000	May 1942	Oct 1942	all killed locally
Kraśnik (ghetto & camp)	5,000	1940–1942	Nov 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Krosno	600–2,500	Aug 1942	Dec 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Lesko	2,000	1942	Sep 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Lubaczów	4,200–7,000	Oct 1942	Jan 1943	to Sobibor, many killed locally
Łachwa Ghetto	2,350	4 Apr 1942	Sep 1942	killed locally, 1,500 in an uprising.[53]
Łęczna	3,000	Jun 1942	Nov 1942	to Sobibor, many killed locally
Międzyrzec Podlaski Ghetto	20,000	28 Aug 1942	18 Jul 1943[54]	to Treblinka (17,000), hundreds killed locally.[55]
Ożarów	4,500	Jan 1942	Oct 1942	to Treblinka
Pińsk Ghetto	26,200	Apr 1942	Oct 1942	to Bronna Góra (3,500), the rest killed locally
Przemyśl	22,000–24,000	Jul 1942	Sep 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp, Auschwitz, Janowska
Przeworsk	1,400?[25]	Jul 1942	Oct 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Przysucha	2,500–5,000	Jul – 15 Aug 1942	27 / 31 Oct 1942[56]	to Treblinka (5,000)[57]
Sambor Ghetto	8,000–9,000	Mar 1942	Jul 1943	to Bełżec extermination camp, many killed locally
Sosnowiec Ghetto	12,000	Oct 1942	Aug 1943	to Auschwitz
Starachowice (labor camp)	13,000	1942	1942	to Treblinka, see also Starachowice ghetto
Stryj	4,000–12,000	1942	Jun 1943	all killed locally
Sucha Beskidzka	400[58]	1942	1943	to Auschwitz
Szydłów	1,000	Jan 1942	Oct 1942	to Chmielnik ghetto
Tarnogród (labor camp)	1,000	1942	1942	see Tarnogród ghetto → Bełżec extermination camp
Tomaszów M. (labor camp)	1,000	1942	May 1943	to Starachowice,[59] see also Tomaszów Mazowiecki Ghetto (1940)
Tuchów	3,000	Jun 1942	Sep 1942	to Bełżec extermination camp
Zdzięcioł Ghetto	4,500	22 Feb 1942	30 Apr – 6 Aug 1942	killed locally during Zdzięcioł massacres

Ghettos in the Soviet Union

After Operation Barbarossa, many ghettos appeared in Nazi-controlled parts of the Soviet Union.

In modern-day Belarus

There were many ghettos in Belorussia: the region we now call Belarus.

In Ostryna, a ghetto was opened in October 1941. Five hundred Jews from a neighboring village, Nowy Dwor, were also forced into the Ostryna Ghetto.

Some ghettos in Belarus were large. The Minsk Ghetto (1941-1944) held around 100,000 Jews. Another in Grodno held about 25,000.

In Korelicze (now Karelichy), a ghetto operated for just a few months, from February to May 1942. When the ghetto was liquidated, its Jewish residents were sent to the Nowogrodek Ghetto.

There were also ghettos in Białystok, Pruzhany, Shklov, and Smilovitsky.

In modern-day Ukraine

In Krymno (now Krymne), a ghetto was formed in May 1942 and liquidated just a few months later, starting on September 6.^[60]

There were several destruction ghettos in Ukraine. The Berdichev (Berdychiv), Zhytomor (Zhytomyr), and Vysotsk Ghettos existed for just a few weeks.^[61][62]

There were also ghettos in:^[63]

• Bobrka
• Brailov
• Chelmnik
• Kalinovka
• L'vov
• Medzhybizh
• Mogliev Podolski
• Proskurov

• Zhornishche

In other areas

In Lithuania, there were ghettos in Wilno, Kaunas, and Siauliai. There was a ghetto in Liepaja, Latvia. The Red Army liberated the Il'ino Ghetto (in modern-day Russia on January 25, 1942, saving 200 Jews.

References

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5. "Nazi Germany and the Establishment of Ghettos". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. 2023-10-19. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
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11. Location names in other languages are available through the active links.
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13. Maciej i Ewa Szaniawscy, "Zagłada Żydów w Będzinie w świetle relacji" (Extermination of Jews in the light of testimony) Archived 2012-02-22 at the Wayback Machine.  (in Polish) According to 1946 research by Wojewódzka Żydowska Komisja Historyczna in Katowice, wrote Maciej i Ewa Szaniawscy, there were around 30,000 Jews in Będzin following the invasion, including those who came in from neighbouring settlements. Between October 1940 and May 1942, the first 4,000 Jews were deported. In May 1942 additional 2,000 and in August, 5,000 more. Deportations between August 1942 and mid June 1943 amounted to additional 5,000. On 22 June 1943 the next transport of 5,000 Jews departed to Auschwitz, and finally, between 1–3 August 1943, the remaining 8,000 were sent away. The dispersed Jews who stayed, amounting to 1,000 persons, were deported between early October 1943 and July 1944. In total, about 28,000 Jews are believed to have been deported from the Będzin Ghetto. This information however, is not confirmed by the two main sources of the remaining data nor the Jewish Historical Institute, listing only 7,000 victims.
14. Będzin in the Jewish Historical Institute community database. Archived February 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Warsaw.
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42. "Osiek. History of Jewish community". Virtual Shtetl. Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
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