Liban Quarry
ul. Za Torem
The name of the quarry, Liban, comes from the name of its owner, a Kraków industrialist Bernard Liban, who opened a lime kiln here in 1873, yet it may be worth noting that the tradition of quarrying stone for construction and the calcining of lime in the area of Krzemionki dates back to the Middle Ages. All that has been left are remnants of steel kilns and conveyors.
In 1942–44 the Nazi occupant turned the stone quarry into a penal labour camp for Poles. More than 2000 people were incarcerated in this place of hard labour throughout that time. Many died, and the liquidation of the camp was especially tragic. Today, the wartime suffering of the victims of the camp is commemorated by a monument situated within.
The Schindler’s List film crew arrived at the quarry in 1993. The actual camp in Płaszów was recreated here with 34 barracks, seven guard towers, and a faithful replica of commandant Amon Göth’s villa. The roads were lined with concrete replicas of matzevot. This is where a range of camp scenes were shot, including those portraying the hard labour of the inmates, the execution of Diana Reiter (Elina Löwensohn) and the meeting of Oscar Schindler (Liam Neeson) with Icchak Stern (Ben Kingsley). Remnants of film props can still be found in the quarry: slabs pretending to be the matzevot, fence poles, and stairs.