The railway ramp of the Warszawa Falenica station at 49A Patriotów Street has been entered into the register of monuments. It is an important object for the region and a witness to the tragic events of World War II.
The proceedings were carried out at the request of the Society of Falenica Lovers. Andrzej Mizera, a spokesman for the Masovian conservator of monuments, wrote that this object is related to the history of Falenica and its development.
“The ramp has historical and scientific values that are important in the region. It is a relic of the railway infrastructure from the period of construction of the Vistula Railway station in the then Villas Falenicki. It has retained the authenticity of its substance and form from the beginning of the 20th century,” the spokesman for the conservator said on Tuesday.
The facility is related to the history of Falenica and its development. This was influenced, among others, by: railway investment – the route of the Vistula Iron Road, connecting Mława (on the then Prussian-Russian border) with Kowel in Volhynia – put into operation in 1877. In 1897, the operation of the third section of the Vistula Railway began, connecting the Otwock – Pilawa stations, then Wawer and Celestynów. Summer resorts developed along the railway route, including: the so-called Falenica Villas, built in 1895 as a result of the division of the Falenica farm. Around 1897, a stop for the Vistula Railway was established in this town, which was built on the western side of the tracks.
The ramp witnessed tragic events
During World War II, the monument also witnessed tragic events related to the deportation of approximately 8,000 Jews to the Treblinka extermination camp. The tragedy took place on August 20, 1942 and concerned 6.5 thousand Jewish people from the ghetto in Falenica and about a thousand who were driven away in the “death march” from the ghetto in Rembertów and several hundred who were driven from Otwock, where the ghetto was liquidated the day before.
“The railway ramp has historical and scientific values. It is a material testimony to the history of the extermination of Polish Jews. It is in the public interest to place it under conservation protection,” Mizera said.
Main photo source: Masovian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments/Facebook