Operation Sonderaktion Krakau was a brutal action carried out by Nazi Germany on November 6, 1939, in Kraków, during which 183 academics were arrested, mainly from the Jagiellonian University. This event was part of the occupier's broader plan aimed at destroying Polish intelligentsia and culture. Most of the arrested were sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where 15 professors lost their lives.

Sonderaktion Krakau is one of the most tragic chapters in the history of Polish science. On November 6, 1939, Nazi Germany began mass arrests of professors from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. This brutal action aimed to destroy Polish intelligence and culture.

This event was part of the occupier's broader plan to eliminate Polish intellectual elites. In a single day, 183 academics were arrested, including 155 Jagiellonian University professors. Most of them were sent to concentration camps, where many lost their lives. Sonderaktion Krakau became a symbol of Nazi terror against Polish science and culture.

Sonderaktion Krakau was part of Nazi Germany's broader plan to destroy Polish intelligence and culture. This action fit into the context of Poland's occupation and the policy of exterminating intellectual elites.

Krakow was captured by German forces on September 6, 1939. The city became the capital of the General Government, an administrative unit created by the Nazis in occupied Polish territories. The occupiers quickly introduced restrictive regulations, limiting Polish rights and beginning systematic exploitation of the city's cultural and economic resources. The Jagiellonian University, one of Europe's oldest universities, was closed and its assets confiscated.

Nazi policy towards Polish intelligence was based on the assumption that intellectual elites posed the greatest threat to the occupier. The plan included:

1. Systematic arrests of scientists, artists, and cultural activists
2. Closure of educational and cultural institutions
3. Confiscation and destruction of library and museum collections
4. Ban on scientific and cultural activities by Poles

The aim of these actions was the complete elimination of the Polish intellectual class, which was intended to facilitate the Germanization of the occupied territories. Sonderaktion Krakau represented the culmination of this policy in relation to Krakow's academic community.

The arrests of Jagiellonian University professors as part of Sonderaktion Krakau began on November 6, 1939. This action, carried out by German occupiers, constituted an unprecedented attack on Polish intelligentsia and Krakow's academic community.

Sonderaktion Krakau began on November 6, 1939, at 12:00 noon in the Collegium Novum of Jagiellonian University. SS-Sturmbannführer Bruno Müller called a special meeting of all academic staff under the pretext of delivering a lecture about the Third Reich's attitude toward science and higher education. Professors, assistants, and administrative staff attended the meeting, unaware of the gathering's true purpose. In room 56 of Collegium Novum, 183 scholars assembled, including 155 professors from Jagiellonian University and other Krakow institutions.

The German occupiers employed deceptive and brutal methods during the arrests:

1. Deception: Calling a meeting under the false pretext of an academic lecture
2. Surprise: Sudden announcement of arrest for all present without stating reasons
3. Brutality: Use of force against protesting and resisting scholars
4. Isolation: Immediate isolation of arrestees from the outside world
5. Mass scale: Simultaneous detention of large numbers of people, preventing effective resistance

After the arrest announcement, the scholars were transported to the Montelupich prison in Krakow. From there, they were moved to the barracks of the 20th Infantry Regiment on Mazowiecka Street, and then to a prison in Wrocław. Eventually, most of the arrestees were sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where they were subjected to brutal interrogations and inhumane living conditions. This action marked the beginning of systematic terror against Polish intelligentsia and aimed at the complete elimination of Polish intellectual elites.

Sonderaktion Krakau encompassed not only the Jagiellonian University but also other scientific institutions in Krakow. The scale of arrests was significant and had far-reaching consequences for the Polish academic community.

Sonderaktion Krakau resulted in the arrest of 183 people in total, including 155 professors and lecturers from the Jagiellonian University. Among those detained were prominent scientists such as:

• Tadeusz Lehr-Spławiński, rector of Jagiellonian University
• Stanisław Kutrzeba, Secretary General of the Polish Academy of Learning
• Ignacy Chrzanowski, literary historian
• Stanisław Pigoń, Polish studies scholar

The arrests included representatives from various scientific fields, including:

• Philosophers
• Historians
• Philologists
• Mathematicians
• Physicists
• Chemists
• Biologists

Sonderaktion Krakau was not limited to the Jagiellonian University. The action also included other scientific institutions in Krakow:

1. Mining Academy: 21 arrested academic staff
2. Academy of Commerce: 3 detained scientists
3. Polish Academy of Learning: several members arrested
4. State Institute of Fine Arts: 2 professors detained

The arrests also affected scientists from other cities who were in Krakow at the time of the action. Among them were:

• Professor from the University of Warsaw
• Scientists from the Catholic University of Lublin
• Academic staff from Poznan

The scale and scope of the arrests clearly indicate the systematic nature of the action targeted against Polish intelligentsia. Sonderaktion Krakau dealt a significant blow to the Polish academic community, depriving it of prominent representatives from various fields of science.

Sonderaktion Krakau had devastating effects on Polish science and culture. This action not only directly affected the arrested scientists but also impacted the functioning of the Jagiellonian University and the entire academic community in Krakow.

The arrested professors experienced traumatic events in concentration camps. 183 detained scientists were first taken to the Montelupich prison, and then to the Sachsenhausen camp. The conditions in the camp were inhumane:

• Hard physical labor
• Starvation food rations
• Lack of proper medical care
• Brutal treatment by guards

As a result of these conditions, 15 professors died in the camp. The others, thanks to international interventions, were released in February and March 1940. Some of them continued their scientific work underground or in exile.

Sonderaktion Krakau paralyzed the activities of the Jagiellonian University:

• Closure of the university by the occupier
• Confiscation of university property
• Loss of prominent scientists and educators
• Interruption of scientific research continuity
• Ban on conducting official educational activities

In response to these repressions, the academic community organized secret teaching. The Jagiellonian University continued its activities underground, educating students and conducting scientific research in conspiratorial conditions. This form of intellectual resistance allowed for the preservation of Polish science and culture during the occupation period.

Sonderaktion Krakau, despite the passing years, remains a vivid symbol of Polish intelligentsia's resistance against Nazi terror. The memory of these tragic events is preserved through various forms of commemoration and education.

Krakow organizes annual commemorations of Sonderaktion Krakau on November 6. The ceremonies include:

• Laying wreaths at the memorial plaque in Collegium Novum
• Formal academic sessions dedicated to the history of the event
• Exhibitions presenting documents and memorabilia related to the arrested professors
• Concerts and theatrical performances addressing the theme of Sonderaktion Krakau

The Jagiellonian University actively engages in organizing these events, emphasizing the continuity of academic tradition and paying tribute to the sacrifice of their predecessors.

Sonderaktion Krakau is a crucial element of Polish collective memory about World War II. Its significance is manifested in:

• Symbolizing the resistance of Polish intelligentsia against the occupier
• Demonstrating the systematic nature of Nazi policy to exterminate Polish elites
• Inspiring academic research on the fate of Polish intelligentsia during occupation
• Shaping national identity and maintaining the spirit of resistance
• Strengthening historical awareness among young generations of Poles

This event is frequently referenced in discussions about Poland's wartime losses and the importance of protecting cultural heritage during conflicts.

• Sonderaktion Krakau began on November 6, 1939, at the Collegium Novum of the Jagiellonian University.
• A total of 183 people were arrested, including 155 professors and lecturers from the Jagiellonian University and other Krakow universities.
• The action was part of the Nazis' broader plan to destroy Polish intelligentsia and culture.
• Most of the arrested were sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where 15 professors died.
• Sonderaktion Krakau paralyzed the Jagiellonian University's operations but led to the organization of underground education.
• This event remains an important symbol of Polish intelligentsia's resistance and is commemorated annually.

Sonderaktion Krakau was a watershed moment in the history of Polish science and culture. The brutality of the action and its far-reaching consequences deeply shocked the academic community.

Despite enormous losses, these events demonstrated the indomitable spirit of Polish intelligentsia. Secret teaching and continuation of research in conspiracy testify to the strength of spirit and determination of scholars.

Today, Sonderaktion Krakau remains a symbol of resistance against Nazi terror. Annual commemorations remind us of the victims and inspire subsequent generations to cherish the values of academic freedom and culture.