Dr Tomasz Szczepański at the Scholary Conference “Katyń 1940 rok – Prawda, pamięć i powinność”
On 25 March 2025, the Polish Navy Museum hosted the public academic session “Katyń 1940 rok – Prawda, pamięć i powinność” [in English: Katyn 1940 – Truth, Memory and Duty], organised to mark the 85th anniversary of the Katyn massacre. The event brought together museum professionals, members of Katyn families, students, and all those interested in the history and remembrance of the victims murdered by the Soviet NKVD in the spring of 1940.
The conference was opened by Tomasz Miegoń, Director of the Polish Navy Museum, and Dr Barbara Pytko, President of the Katyn Family Association in Gdynia, who also moderated the session.
The programme began with a lecture by Dr Tomasz Szczepański of the Katyn Museum entitled “The Struggle for the Truth about the Katyn Massacre, 1943–1990”. His presentation focused on the decades-long efforts to uncover the truth about the fate of thousands of Polish officers murdered by the Soviet authorities, as well as on the process of restoring public memory of the victims after years of suppression and disinformation.
Dr Barbara Pytko then presented a paper on the victims of the Katyn massacre connected with Gdynia, recalling the stories of local residents who were among those murdered in Katyn, Kharkiv and Mednoye.
One of the most moving parts of the programme was the presentation “Letters from Katyn – The Impact of the Katyn Massacre on the Children of the Victims”, prepared by students and members of Katyn families. Personal testimonies and family memories illustrated the lasting consequences of the crime across generations.
The second part of the event featured a screening of “Officer’s Wife”, directed by Piotr Uzarowicz, a film based on a true family story connected with the Katyn tragedy.
The session concluded with a discussion and summary devoted to the importance of historical remembrance and the responsibility to pass knowledge of the Katyn massacre on to future generations.
