'LIVING MONUMENTS' TREES AT THE MUSEUM - MEMORIAL SITE AT BELZEC (Drzewa 'zywe pomniki' w Muzeum-Miejscu Pamieci w Belzcu)

• Authors: Malczynski Jacek
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The article deals with the history of trees growing in the area of former extermination camp in Belzec, since its establishment in 1941 until the opening of the Museum - Memorial Site in 2004. Using the notion of landscape, understood, after Simon Schama, as a cultural representation of nature, the author makes an attempt at reconstructing the camp and post-camp landscape. He subsequently proceeds to discussion of a new commemoration project for whose needs most of the trees were cut whilst only a few older oaks were assigned the role of witnesses. Referring to Giorgio Agamben's typology of witnesses, the author shows that trees offer an example of another type of witness. The notions used by the Italian philosopher preclude non-human forms of testimony and prevent understanding of what trees growing in Shoah venues are.

Keywords

EN

BELZEC - HOLOCAUST MUSEUM; COMMEMORATION; WITNESSING.

Discipline

• ANTHROPOLOGY: ANTHROPOLOGY

• Publisher: Institute of Literary Research, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Teksty Drugie (Second Texts)
• Year: 2009
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 208-214
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Malczynski Jacek

• Jacek Malczynski, c/o Uniwersytet Wroclawski, Kolegium MISH, pl. Uniwersytecki 1, 50-137 Wroclaw, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

09PLAAAA06709