Cmentarz – muzeum. Poza kategoriami .......... 41

THE CEMETERY – MUSEUM: BEYOND CATEGORIES

The article tries to answer the following question: what is the relation between KL Plaszow Memorial Site and the issue of intangible heritage defined by principles included in the convention of UNESCO. Combination of these two grounds is problematic as the analysed area has completely tangible character. This is a place of the former camp and area which contains both the ashes of murdered victims of German Nazi terror and bodies of persons buried at two Jewish cemeteries. Today, in the intangible dimension, there is a process of both denial and rejection of these facts by some stakeholders using the post-camp area and park zone. The issues of heritage perceived through the prism of the presented situation around commemorating the camp is considered in the contexts of historical, cultural, memory and museum studies. After the analysis of the background, one can state that the category of other is crucial for the understanding of the presented situation. This category marks the post-camp area and at the same time it depends on wider cultural phenomena than the ongoing conflict. However, it is unquestionable that all processes which take place around former camp Plaszow belong to the heritage category determined wider than classification proposed by the convention of UNESCO. These processes are variable and such situation creates the possibility of future transformation of the discussed area reception which is now characterised by negation. A change may depend on the way of acting manifested by new caretakers of the memory place – Museum KL Plaszow and their educational activities. It is also possible that in future the redefinition of the UNESCO intangible heritage will correspond with this change.