Title picture

The Life of Vladek Spiegelman

  • Vladek Born

    Vladek Born

    Vladek born on October 11th, 1906
  • Vladek and Anja Meet

    Vladek and Anja Meet

    The two are introduced in Sosnowiec, Poland.
  • Vladek and Anja Marry

    Vladek and Anja Marry

    The couple are married after Vladek moves to Sosnowiec.
  • Richieu is Born

    Richieu is Born

    Richieu is born in Sosnowiec, Poland
  • Vladek Drafted

    Vladek Drafted

    Vladek is drafted into the Polish Army to fight against the Nazis.
  • Vladek Captured as POW

    Vladek Captured as POW

    Nazi soldiers take Vladek prisoner. Poland is soon defeated.
  • Vladek Released from Work Camp

    Vladek Released from Work Camp

    Through a family friend, Orbach, Vladek is able to escape murder and hide out.
  • Vladek Returns to Sosnowiec

    Vladek Returns to Sosnowiec

    Vladek is reunited with his family after sneaking across the Poland-Germany Border.
  • Jews in Sosnowiec Moved to Ghetto

    Jews in Sosnowiec Moved to Ghetto

    All the Jews in Sosnowiec are forcibly moved into the Stara quarter of Sosnowiec. Jews become increasingly persecuted.
  • Vladek's Father Deported

    Vladek's Father Deported

    Vladek's father is taken from the Ghetto during a mass inspection. He dies in an Auschwitz gas chamber.
  • Jews in Sosnowiec Moved to Another Ghetto

    Jews in Sosnowiec Moved to Another Ghetto

    The remaining Jews in the Sosnowiec Ghetto are moved to an old village, Srodula. Richieu is taken to Zawriercie to avoid being deported.
  • Anja's Parents Killed

    Anja's Parents Killed

    Vladek and Anja escape death through bribing a Jewish official, Haskel. Anja's parents are not able to escape and are sent to a death camp.
  • Richieu Killed

    Richieu Killed

    Tosha, Anja's older sister, kills herself and the children she is caring for, including Richieu, in Zawriercie to avoid the gas chambers.
  • Srodula Ghetto Liquidated

    Srodula Ghetto Liquidated

    All Jews remaining in the Srodula ghetto are taken to concentration camps. Vladek and Anja are still successfully hidden.
  • Vladek and Anja sent to Auschwitz

    Vladek and Anja sent to Auschwitz

    The couple tries to escape to Hungary with smugglers but are caught by Nazi soldiers while leaving on a train. They are sent to the concentration camp, Auschwitz.
  • Auschwitz Evacuated

    Auschwitz Evacuated

    Nazi soldiers march remaining Jews to the Dachau camp to escape the oncoming Red Army.
  • Dachau Liberated

    Dachau Liberated

    The concentration camp, Dachau, is liberated by American forces. Soon after, Vladek and his friend, Shivek, meet the Americans.
  • Germany Surrenders

    Germany Surrenders

    Germany surrenders to the allies and the European theater of WWII ends.
  • Vladek in U.S. Refugee Camp

    Vladek in U.S. Refugee Camp

    In the summer of 1945, Vladek reaches the American run displaced persons camp, Garmisch-Partenkirchen
  • Vladek in Refugee Camp

    Vladek in Refugee Camp

    In the summer of 1945, Vladek reaches an American run displaced persons camp.
  • Vladek and Anja move to Sweden

    Vladek and Anja move to Sweden

    During 1946, the couple moves to Sweden from Poland, where Vladek becomes a partner in a department store.
  • Art Spiegelman Born

    Art Spiegelman Born

    Art is born in Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Anja's Suicide

    Anja's Suicide

    Anja, Vladek's wife, commits suicide. Both Art and Vladek are devastated.
  • Vladek Dies

    Vladek Dies

    Vladek Spiegelman dies at age 75 of a heart attack.