The village was founded in the 14th century by the
Polish noble family of Pilecki, and was settled by the descendants of German colonists, who called it
Markhof. The Pileckis also founded a Catholic parish in the village. During
World War II it was under
German occupation. On 24 March 1944 a patrol of German police came to the house of
Józef and Wiktoria Ulma, where they found eight Jewish members of the Szall and Goldman families. At first the Germans executed all the Jews. Then they shot the pregnant Wiktoria and her husband. When the six children began to scream at the sight of their parents' bodies, Joseph Kokott, a German police officer (
Volksdeutsche from Koblov in
Hlučín Region), shot them after consulting with his superior. The other killers were Eilert Dieken, Michael Dziewulski and Erich Wilde. Afterwards the Germans robbed the house and workshop of the Ulma family and organized an alcoholic libation. On the 60th anniversary of this tragedy, a memorial was erected in memory of the family. The family was beatified by the Catholic Church, with the ceremony taking place in Markowa on 10 September 2023 by papal delegate Cardinal
Marcello Semeraro. Other Polish families also
hid Jews in Markowa, and at least 17 Jews survived the German occupation and the
Holocaust in five Polish homes. ==See also==