In Memory of the Roma and Sinti Imprisoned in the Labour Camp in Bełżec

Two scouts wearing scout uniforms and capes stand on either side of three granite plaques commemorating Roma and Sinti victims in Bełżec.
On 23 October 2026, at the Museum and Memorial in Bełżec, together with representatives of local government, educational and cultural institutions, scouts and young people, we paid tribute to the Roma and Sinti imprisoned in the German labour camp in Bełżec in 1940.

The commemoration began with a lecture entitled “The Extermination of the Roma and Sinti in Light of the Operation of the Labour Camp and the Extermination Camp in Bełżec”, during which participants learned about the origins and history of these communities and their fate during the Second World War. This was followed by a guided tour of the Memorial site.

Participants attend an educational session at the Museum and Memorial in Bełżec, seated at tables. A presentation entitled “Roma and Sinti: Origins” is displayed on the screen.

The central point of the commemoration was a ceremony at the monument in Lipki. Delegations and participants laid flowers and lit candles there in tribute to the victims. A guard of honour at the monument was kept by scouts from the 23rd Scout Troop “Ekoharce”.

The event was attended by representatives of the Bełżec Municipality authorities, led by the Head of the Municipality, Mateusz Jarosz, staff of the Museum and Memorial in Bełżec, led by its Head, Ewa Koper, as well as representatives of local educational and cultural institutions. Pupils from primary schools in Bełżec and Wiązownica were also present.

Participants stand solemnly before the memorial slab dedicated to Roma and Sinti victims. White flowers and memorial candles rest on the slab, while scouts in uniform stand on either side.

The memorial in Lipki commemorates the Roma and Sinti who, between May and July 1940, were murdered or died of starvation and exhaustion in the German Nazi labour camp in Bełżec.

We thank all participants for attending and for joining us in honouring the memory of the victims.

 
 
 
Scouts in uniform place memorial candles on the slab commemorating Roma and Sinti victims in Bełżec. Other participants stand behind them.
  • Six participants stand in a row in front of the memorial commemorating Roma and Sinti victims in Bełżec. Five of them hold memorial candles. Granite memorial plaques and autumn trees are visible in the background.
  • Participants in the commemoration of Roma and Sinti victims stand near the memorial in Bełżec, holding memorial candles. The monument and autumn trees are visible in the background.
  • Participants in the commemoration stand beside the memorial slab dedicated to Roma and Sinti victims in Bełżec, holding memorial candles. A bouquet of white flowers rests on the slab, surrounded by trees with yellow autumn leaves.
  • A scout in uniform bends down to place a memorial candle on the slab commemorating Roma and Sinti victims in Bełżec, beside a bouquet of white flowers. Other participants in the ceremony, including representatives of local authorities and institutions, as well as scouts, stand nearby.
  • A group of young people stands before three granite plaques of the memorial commemorating Roma and Sinti victims in Bełżec. The participants listen to a student dressed in historical clothing standing beside the monument.
  • A group of young people and their teachers visits the grounds of the former German Nazi extermination camp in Bełżec. The participants stand on a pathway among metal memorial elements, with a vast field covered in dark stones in the background.
  • A group of young people visits the historical exhibition at the Museum and Memorial in Bełżec. The participants listen to a guide standing in front of exhibition panels.