83rd Anniversary of the Uprising

From 11 to 14 October 2026, the Museum and Memorial in Sobibór organised and took part in a series of events commemorating the 83rd anniversary of the outbreak of the armed uprising by prisoners at the German death camp in Sobibór. The programme, spanning several days, was dedicated to honouring the memory of the participants in the uprising and the victims of the camp, with educational and cultural activities playing an important role in the commemorations.

25th Sobibór Run

The commemorations began on 11 October with the 25th Sobibór Run, held under the motto “Save from Oblivion – Educate for the Future”. Participants set off from the Museum and Memorial in Sobibór, following a route through Sobibór, Wołczyny and Orchówek to Włodawa. The 25th anniversary edition of the event was particularly special, as runners took on the half-marathon distance for the first time. Organised for many years as an act of active remembrance for the victims of the German death camp in Sobibór, the run once again combined historical commemoration with a commitment to educating future generations.

International Study Visit

On 12 October, the Museum and Memorial in Sobibór hosted an international study visit for young people, organised in cooperation with the Foundation for Polish-German Reconciliation. The event brought together participants from the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Ukraine. As part of the programme, the participants joined a guided tour of the site of the former German death camp and visited the permanent exhibition “SS-Sonderkommando Sobibor. German Death Camp 1942–1943”. They also took part in an educational workshop entitled “Esther’s Journey to Sobibór”, focusing on the life story of Esther Raab, one of the camp’s survivors.

Commemorative Ceremony

The highlight of the commemorations was the ceremony held on 14 October, marking the anniversary of the prisoners’ uprising. A commemorative ceremony took place near the clearing with the mass graves, honouring the participants in the uprising and the victims of the German death camp in Sobibór. During the ceremony, speeches recalled both the tragic history of the site and the courage of the prisoners who took up arms against their German perpetrators on 14 October 1943.

Following the ceremony, a lecture was held in the educational room of the Museum and Memorial in Sobibór. The lecture was delivered by Florian Ross, a representative of the Bildungswerk Stanisław Hantz association, an activist and educator specialising in Holocaust history and the culture of remembrance.

The speaker presented the history of the establishment of the Avenue of Remembrance, discussing the circumstances surrounding its creation and the significance of this initiative as a form of individual commemoration of the camp’s victims.

The commemorations concluded with an evening concert at the Museum–Synagogue Complex in Włodawa, organised in cooperation with the Foundation for Polish-German Reconciliation.

This year’s commemorations marking the 83rd anniversary of the prisoners’ uprising at the German death camp in Sobibór brought together various forms of remembrance, including an anniversary ceremony, historical education, sporting activities, and cultural events. Their shared aim was to preserve the memory of the victims and the participants in the uprising, and to pass on knowledge of their experiences and fates to future generations.