Dr Tomasz Szczepański Participates in the 85th Anniversary Commemorations of the Katyn Massacre in Chorzów
On 8 May 2025, commemorative events marking the 85th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre were held in Chorzów. Among the invited guests were representatives of the Chorzów municipal authorities, accompanied by the Municipal Guard, members of the uniformed services, representatives of the Polish Historical Society, clergy, members of the Nationwide Association “Police Family 1939” (Katowice Branch), and residents of Chorzów. A large number of secondary school students from local schools also took part in the ceremonies. The Katyn Museum was represented by Dr Tomasz Szczepański.
The commemorations began in Hutników Park in Chorzów with the unveiling and blessing of a memorial obelisk bearing a commemorative plaque dedicated to the Poles murdered by the NKVD in the spring of 1940 – the victims of the Katyn Massacre. The obelisk was erected on the site where a monument to Red Army soldiers, which had stood there since 1973, was removed in November 2023. The decision to dismantle the controversial monument was preceded by detailed geophysical surveys commissioned by the city in 2022, which conclusively confirmed that there were no burials at the site.
The next part of the anniversary programme was the academic session held at the Intergenerational Integration Centre in Chorzów, entitled “Zbrodnia bez przedawnienia: Katyń w kontekście 85. rocznicy – świadectwo i refleksja” (in English: A Crime Without a Statute of Limitations: Katyn in the Context of the 85th Anniversary – Testimony and Reflection). The event was organised by the Katowice Branch of the Polish Historical Society and the Juliusz Ligoń Association of Friends of Chorzów. Participants had the opportunity to attend several presentations, including Dr Tomasz Szczepański’s lecture entitled “The Struggle for the Truth about the Katyn Massacre, 1943–1990”. His presentation focused on the long-standing efforts to reveal the truth about the NKVD’s murder of Polish prisoners of war and on the gradual dismantling of the Katyn cover-up in the post-war period.
The local anniversary commemorations provided an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of preserving the memory of the victims of the Katyn Massacre and to reflect on the continuing relevance of this history today.
Photographs: Chorzów City Hall
