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15.07.2019

Zofia Dublaszewska, an oppositionist from Gdańsk and President of the Polish Association in Melbourne, visited the IPN - 8-10 July 2019

On 8-10 July, the oppositionist from Gdańsk, former political prisoner of the Rakowiecka prison in Warsaw, President of the Polish Association in Melbourne (ZPwM), co-founder of the Polish Political Prisoners Association in Australia (ZWPOSW) and member of the Board of the Pilecki Project Committee in Melbourne (ZKPP), Zofia Dublaszewska visited the IPN. In 2016, she was awarded the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity by the IPN’s President.

 

On 8 July Zofia Dublaszewska met with the Deputy President of the IPN, Jan Baster. The meeting was devoted to co-organization of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Polish Association in Melbourne and the possibilities of conducting joint scientific research by the IPN and the Association.

Zofia Dublaszewska paid a visit to the IPN Archive, where she got acquainted with the structure and mission of the Institute of National Remembrance and the types of documents gathered at the Institute. The Deputy Director of the IPN Archive, Dr Mariusz Żuławnik and the Deputy Director of the Historical Research Office, Dr Rafał Leśkiewicz familiarized the guest with the specificity of the archival work, consisting in collecting, storing, developing, securing and exchanging documents, including those from private collections.

On 10 July,Zofia Dublaszewska, together with the Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance, Prof. Krzysztof Szwagrzyk and the head of the International Division, Agnieszka Jędrzak, visited "Łączka" at the Powązki Military Cemetery - the secret burial place of victims murdered by public security organs in the years 1945-1956. Professor Szwagrzyk talked about the stages and scope of the exploration and exhumation work carried out so far,  the plans for "Łączka" and future projects at home and abroad. He told the story of searching for the remains of the cursed soldiers, and also acquainted the visitor with the broadly understood process of identifying victims of crimes against the Polish Nation.

In connection with her membership in the Board of the Pilecki Project Committee, Zofia Dublaszewska was particularily interested in the fate of Captain Witold Pilecki. Thanks to the cooperation of the Institute with the Australian Pilecki Project Committee, we managed to present the exhibition "Time for Heroes"  in such eminent places as the Parliament of the Australian state Victoria in Melbourne, the Parliament of Western Australia in Perth and in the Jewish cultural cenre "Kadimah" in Melbourne. The exhibition was also shown is such places as the Jewish Holocaust Center in Melbourne, Monash University, Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem, Auschwitz Museum, Polin Museum or "Atrium" Federation Square.

The next point of the visit was the former Mokotow prison at Rakowiecka and currently the Museum of Cursed Soldiers and Political Prisoners of the Polish People's Republic . The Director of the Museum, Jacek Pawłowicz, author of the book "Rotmistrz Witold Pilecki 1901-1948", and Captain Andrzej Rytka guided the guest, presenting the stories of the prisoners and their executioners. The visit had a symbolic character for the guest. In 1986, Zofia Dublaszewska was confined to the Rakowiecka Prison. During the visit she recognized her former cell, she also saw places of execution from the Stalinist period.

 


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