Prezentacja albumu “Dla Niepodległej – opowieść o historii i tradycji Służby Więziennej”
On 20 April 2023, the Katyn Museum hosted the presentation of the album “Dla Niepodległej – opowieść o historii i tradycji Służby Więziennej” [in English: For an Independent Poland – A Story of the History and Traditions of the Prison Service]. The publication explores the history and ethos of the pre-war Polish Prison Service and commemorates officers of the service who became victims of the Second World War. Deputy Minister of Justice Michał Woś emphasised that the album also tells the story of Prison Service officers murdered by the Soviet authorities in Katyn and highlights their contribution to the service of an independent Poland.
Director General of the Prison Service, General Jacek Kitliński, recalled that among Prison Service personnel who lost their lives during the war, the largest group—more than 400 individuals—were victims of the Katyn Massacre. He stressed that the publication is intended to preserve the memory of these heroes and the values to which they remained faithful.
A particularly significant part of the event was the donation to the Katyn Museum of seventeen original photographs from the exhumations carried out in Katyn in 1943. The photographs were discovered in Italy by Marek Kwiliński, a former Prison Service officer. These unique images were acquired together with a copy of the first edition of Monte Cassino by Melchior Wańkowicz and subsequently donated by the Bartoszyce Historical and Exploration Association “Rosenthal”. The photographs are original, previously unpublished prints depicting, among other things, mass burial sites and personal belongings recovered from murdered Polish officers. Sławomir Frątczak, Director of the Katyn Museum, noted that the donated photographs constitute an exceptionally valuable historical record and significantly enrich the Museum’s collection, which has for many years been dedicated to preserving artefacts connected with the Katyn Massacre. He emphasised that exhibits of this kind help to present the tragic events of 1940 more effectively and to pass knowledge of them on to future generations. The collection also includes photographs of personal items belonging to the murdered officers. Some of the materials have been made available to the victims’ families. Of particular importance was a photograph of the Virtuti Militari decoration awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Andrzej Hałaciński, which was recovered during the exhumations at Katyn. For his granddaughter, Kinga Hałacińska, the opportunity to see a clear image of the medal was a deeply moving experience and an important connection to her family history.
The event provided an opportunity to commemorate Prison Service officers murdered in Katyn and to highlight the importance of preserving tangible historical evidence in order to safeguard the memory of the victims of this crime.
