Educational Workshops “Discovering History: Ostashkov – Tver – Mednoye”
On 17 October 2025, educational workshops entitled “Discovering History: Ostashkov – Tver – Mednoye” were held in Warsaw. The event brought together police officers, civilian staff from the Provincial Police Headquarters in Katowice, and members of the National Association ‘Police Family 1939’. The workshops formed part of the commemorations marking the 85th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre.The workshops were organised by Grzegorz Grześkowiak and Inspector Patryk Polok, Secretary of the Association’s Board, who serves in the Office of the Provincial Police Commander in Katowice, in cooperation with the Katyn Museum.
During the event, Grzegorz Grześkowiak presented two historical documents from the Association’s archives to Sebastian Karwat, Director of the Katyn Museum:
– a Diploma of the Medal of the Tenth Anniversary of Regained Independence, awarded in 1929 to Franciszek Misała, an officer of the Silesian Voivodeship Police serving in the Mounted Police Unit in Cieszyn, who later became a victim of the Katyn Massacre;
– a travel identification document issued to Franciszka Urbańczyk, wife of Prison Guard Józef Urbańczyk from Tarnowskie Góry, who was also a victim of the Katyn Massacre.
As part of the educational programme, participants visited the permanent exhibition at the Katyn Museum and attended commemorative lectures delivered by Grzegorz Grześkowiak, entitled “The Silesian Voivodeship Police 1922–1939”, and Sebastian Karwat, entitled “The Katyn Massacre: History, Politics and Remembrance”.
The participants also paid tribute to the officers of the Polish State Police and the Silesian Voivodeship Police who fell victim to the Katyn Massacre. At the Mednoye memorial plaque within the Katyn Epitaph at the Katyn Museum, Grzegorz Grześkowiak and Board Member Jerzy Urbańczyk lit memorial candles in their honour.
The educational visit also included a tour of the permanent exhibition at the new headquarters of the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw.
