The Warsaw Uprising is not just death. An extraordinary past of the “Zakroczym family”

wprawo.pl 11 months ago

On the first of August, we one more time paid tribute to the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising. Throughout Poland, the patriots stopped at 5:00 p.m. to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers of the AK, the NSZ, the Grey Privates and the surviving combatants. Even though the Uprising took place in Warsaw, in the cities of all Poland there were flares and shouts: Hello and glory to the Heroes! The inhabitants of a tiny Mazovian town 35 kilometres distant from Warsaw - Zakroczym. In 1944 different events straight related to the Uprising took place, but how different from those associated with the heroic fight for independency of Warsaw and Poland. In Zakroczym people did not die in combat, but in helping each another they were forever “the Zakroczym family”.

Pruszków is associated with the export of Polish soldiers and civilians during the Warsaw Uprising. However, there is another, unjustly forgotten place where German torturers imprisoned the population of Warsaw and surrounding towns. An different place, due to the fact that events there were extraordinary – this is Fort I in Zakroczym. It was 1 of the forts of the first interior ringing of the Fortress of Prayer. It was based on a model plan of the Russian fort of 1879. From 1894 to 1900 it was thoroughly upgraded. Further construction work was carried out from 1912 to 14. In September 1939 the facility was not captured by the Germans, soldiers surrendered after information about the surrender of Warsaw and – a day later – Modlin. German invaders, enraged by their not being able to get fortifications, murdered over 500 people, soldiers, and civilians in Zakroczym. The Germans besides decided to usage Fort I in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. In Zakroczym on September 11, the occupiers brought respective 1000 people, hostages of the Warsaw Uprising. The crowded and cold people sat on the bare ground, without shelter and waited for starvation.

As the inhabitants of Zakroczym and surrounding villages mentioned, the groans and cries for aid could be heard even from a fewer kilometers. They decided to do everything they could to aid the prisoners of Fort I, although their village was completely destroyed and they themselves lost their lives. Or is that why? Zakroczym residents sent a young female to talk to the Germans, who spoke German very well. The success was that the occupiers agreed to aid the prisoners, but on 2 conditions. The first was to aid the Germans, who had supply problems, and the second was that the inhabitants of Zakroczym could only aid their friends and household members. However, as it turned out, a way was found for the second condition not to be an obstacle to save all the prisoners. Knowing any of the prisoners, the Zacrochmians called them by name. These, on the another hand, gave data to others. What a surprise the Germans were erstwhile it turned out that each of the 12 1000 prisoners had a household in Zakroczymi. The camp commander did not reverse the decision, although the Germans tried to intimidate the helping and imprisoned, for example by shooting in the legs of prisoners receiving gifts. Thus, a girl was shot, who was paralyzed for the remainder of her days and died shortly after the war. But ultimately, thanks to Zacroczymian’s relentless attitude, more than 12 1000 people were saved to die of starvation by the Germans.

But this extraordinary communicative does not end there. After 1945, freed prisoners of Fort I, who were residents of Warsaw, Rembertov, Okunina, Legionowa, Zielonka and many another Podwarszawski towns, decided to thank the Zakroczym community. At this point, it is worth mentioning Piotr Zapart, 1 of the organizers of the meeting, attended by erstwhile prisoners of the Zakroczym fortress and residents of the town. At this meeting, the “Zakroczymska Family” officially became involved. As a token of gratitude saved, people decided to rebuild the school destroyed in 1939 and later completely stripped. It was a remarkable feat. In a fewer years, the school building was built despite hard postwar times. In the first years after the reconstruction, the school was called “The Monument of Gratitude” and was subsequently changed to the Union of Freedom and Democracy Fighters. Today, in connection with the decommunation bill, the name “The Monument of Gratitude” returns to commemorate these extraordinary deeds, erstwhile during war, panic and death people were able to aid each another and did not forget what humanity is.

Bibliography:

1. Kazimierz Szczerbatko, Zakroczymski Historical Guide, Zakroczym Municipality Office 2009.
2. Kazimierz Szczerbatko, Tempus fugit Zakroczym 1939 – 1945, Zakroczym Municipality Office 2010.

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