Jews were instructed to move to the brick factory from the synagogue, their homes, and the designated apartments. The factory was about 40-minute walk distance from the city center. The area also operated as a tranzit station for transports, which passed through Kosice, deporting Jews from other countries and regions.
For several weeks, the brick factory became home of the nearly 16.000 Jewish people who were gathered there. Due to the lack of food and the terrible hygienic conditions, many people died in the ghetto. The brick factory was guarded by the gendarmerie, the area could only be left with special permission. Several tried to escape, often unsuccessfully, but there was no mass escape attempt.
Deportation began on May 15, 1944. The Jews of Kosice and its surrounding villages were deported to Auschwitz with four transports.
Today, at the former site of the brick factory there is a monument commemorating the deportees. Swipe left to see the monument and the memorial plaque in the pictures above.