Sobibor - Lager III, Polish Monument and the Sobibór extermination camp memorial

There are two monuments currently positioned in the grounds of the former extermination camp, located in an area that was formally Lager III. The first is a cuboid block that for the purposes of this blog will be called the 'Polish Monument' and the other is a large spherical dome that this blog will call the Sobibór extermination camp memorial, located towards the back of the site.

The Polish Monument

The cuboid block represents where a brick building with gas chambers once stood. Previously there was a red stone sculpture in front of the cuboid structure that represents a woman, looking up at the sky, holding a small child in her arms. I have seen this in photographs taken by other people. There has been a huge amount of archaeological work all across the site over he past 7 years, especially around the area previously occupied by the two monuments. I can only assume that the red stone sculpture was removed during this work, while it was deemed too big to move the cuboid block. I did not see this sculpture during my visit in January, but in October I found it tied to a pallet behind the temporary museum building. It is a breath-taking sculpture and I am glad I saw I in the flesh, finally.



Red stone sculpture represents a woman
looking up at he sky holding a small child

Red stone sculpture at the former grounds
of the Sobibor Extermination camp

In January: The large spherical dome I have called the Sobibór extermination camp memorial is apparently a mound of the sand mixed with ashes and bone fragments of the Jewish victims surrounded by a wall. In January we walked to the memorial. The area around the  Sobibór extermination camp memorial and the pathway is thought to contain several mass graves.

The relative position of the Cuboid block and the Sobibór
extermination camp memorial

The large spherical dome at Sobibor



When we returned in October the whole area leading to the Sobibór extermination camp memorial was cordoned off and access forbidden. I can only assume that the archaeological work continues. The photographs below show where several mass graves are thought to be located around the Sobibór extermination camp memorial.


No entry to the pathway or area around
the Sobibor ExterminationCamp
Memorial in October 2016.



The pathway to the  Sobibor Extermination
Camp Memorial and surrounding area
cordoned off.



 

The Sobibor Extermination Camp Memorial.
In the foreground is the suspected location
 of the various mass graves.
The area had been cordoned off.

The area of ground to the right of the
pathway leading to the Sobibor
Extermination Camp Memorial thought
to contain mass graves..
The area had been cordoned off.