Jaworzno Labor Camp was originally used for Jewish victims in the Holocaust. It was a labor camp extension of Auschwitz. Victims were divided into two groups- one to mine coal, the other to build a coal-burning power plant. In 1947, when all ethnically Ruthenian Polish citizens were relocated by the Polish government from southern to northern Poland, about 4000 community members accused of any form of resistance were put into Jaworzno camp to keep them out of the way while the Polish army rounded up all Ruthenian citizens. For example, many Greek Catholic priests were put in Jaworzno. Like other victims before them, they worked in the mines or on the power plant.They were fed 1/2 loaf of bread and clear soup per day. When the transports were complete, most were released and sent to live with their relocated families. Some didn't live that long. Abuse by Polish prison guards was common. Guards appear to have assumed all prisoners were part of the Ukrainian Insurgency Army (UPA) which had killed tens of thousands of Polish Roman Catholics in southern Poland. However, many contradict this assumption. Some sources say UPA members were typically shot when captured. Some say anyone accused of helping the UPA was imprisoned in Russia, not Poland, then sent to Siberia. How many, if any of the prisoners in Jaworzno were linked to the UPA is still unknown.

161 prisoners died. Each was dumped into a pit in the woods behind the camp. In 1995, the Polish government released a long-secret list of their names so that families could finally learn what had happened to their missing loved ones. The same document describes some of the torture methods used on some prisoners. The document is available online. A Greek Catholic memorial cross was placed on top of the mass grave. A memorial service was held, and several services have occurred since.

An oral history is on youtube [not English]. A partial translation of the government document is on semanchuk.com and on bukowskotriangle.com.