More than 81 people from 43 institutions across Poland came to Bolesławiec and Lwówek Śląski for the 5th Gathering of Directors of Schools and Institutions and Presidents of Associations bearing names commemorating those deported to Siberia. Despite its official format and the many distinguished guests from the Marshal’s Office, the Education Authority and the local governments of Bolesławiec and Lwówek Śląski, this was not a formal meeting. Many people who spoke at the ceremony had also come to the gathering for personal and family reasons. Their grandparents, parents and they themselves are, after all, Siberian exiles.
Witnesses to history spoke with emotion about what had happened to their families. There were no dry speeches. There were memories and stories about children left behind by parents deported to Siberia, about inhuman times, human memory and dignity, and survival.
One participant spoke about her mother, whom she always asked how it had been possible to raise a child in Siberia, where there was literally nothing. Stroking her head, her mother would say only: “We made it…”. And this one word contains the entire power of those deported. They managed to survive, preserve their dignity, save their children and return home to tell others about their experiences, so that subsequent generations would remember those who never returned.
The most valuable part of this story about the Siberian exiles is how they managed to survive. Their stories are marked by strength of character, persistence, faith in God, unshakable principles, love of country, adherence to their identity and hope of returning.
Their extraordinary resourcefulness and ingenuity in obtaining food in order to survive were moving, as were the times when children had to grow up early and take the place of imprisoned parents in caring for their brothers and sisters. One story concerned a six-year-old girl who was left alone with her baby brother because her mother was imprisoned for more than 20 days. The little girl took her brother to the Kazakh women and asked nursing mothers to put the baby to their breasts. That was how she survived, saved her brother, and today tells her heroic story, saying that it was just an ordinary thing to do, nothing special.
Official opening of the 5th Gathering
The guests attending the gathering were welcomed on behalf of Piotr Roman, the mayor of Bolesławiec, by his deputy Kornel Filipowicz, who also has deportees in his family. His family was deported from Brest-on-the-Bug to the Altai region (southern Siberia).
“For me, today’s meeting has a personal dimension,” said Kornel Filipowicz. “My identity, my sense of pride and my character have their roots in Siberia. I am also pleased that the 5th Gathering is being organized by Municipal Lower Secondary School No. 2. This school, like few others, deserves the prestigious distinction of organizing such a significant meeting,” added the deputy mayor of Bolesławiec.
Dominik Kłosowski (deputy director for social affairs) expressed thanks on behalf of both Marshals of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, emphasizing the importance of the gathering for the historical education of young people. Janina Jakubowska, deputy director of the Department of Educational Development and representative of the Lower Silesian Education Superintendent, who is also personally connected with the history of the Siberian exiles, thanked the organizers and welcomed the guests on behalf of Beata Pawłowicz, the Lower Silesian Education Superintendent.
“You are the people who cultivate the memory of this difficult time for Poland and Poles,” said Janina Jakubowska. “This is a very patriotic and valuable activity, because it teaches people how to live and work for the region, for their small homeland and for their larger homeland.”
The following people also addressed the audience: Kordian Borejko, secretary general of the Main Board of the Association of Siberian Exiles; Eugeniusz Kuszka, vice-president of the Association of Siberian Exiles; and Agnieszka Kalamarz, chair of the Parents’ Council of the organizer, Municipal Lower Secondary School No. 2 named after Poles deported to Siberia.
Another important item on the program was the presentation of Honorary Badges for special merits to the Association of Siberian Exiles. The Gold Badge was awarded to Zofia Bagińska; Silver Badges went to: Maria Barczyk, Renata Mikołajów, Robert Sobol and Maria Subik.
During the break before the lectures, participants marked on a map the towns from which they had traveled to Bolesławiec. They then listened to lectures, including presentations promoting the publication “Together We Remember More.”
Maria Subik spoke about how the book came to be written. Kazimierz Korczyński, president of the Association of Siberian Exiles in Nowy Sącz and initiator of the gatherings, presented an outline of the association’s activities from 1928 to 2014. Dr. hab. Joanna Nowosielska-Sobel, deputy director of the Historical Institute of the University of Wrocław, delivered a paper entitled “The Memory of Siberian Exiles as an Element of the Identity of Lower Silesia.” Krzysztof Słobodzian presented his book “A City within a City,” about the difficult coexistence of Russians and Poles in Legnica.
The chair of the Bolesławiec branch of the Association of Siberian Exiles, Maria Niemczuk, spoke about the efforts of Bolesławiec’s Siberian exiles to commemorate their fates in the city. Barbara Glinkowska, an employee of the History of the City Department at the Museum of Ceramics, spoke about the importance of historical projects in documenting the history of Bolesławiec’s local community, in connection with the “Save from Oblivion” project carried out jointly with Municipal Lower Secondary School No. 2. Finally, Ewa Ołenicz-Bernacka, a Polish-language teacher at Municipal Lower Secondary School No. 2, discussed the past and present in the school’s mission.
Thanks were also given to the people without whom the publication could not have been produced: Agata Bojanowska and Anna Puk, Krzysztof Rajczakowski and, above all, the director of the Museum of Ceramics, Anna Bober-Tubaj. Each participant received a copy of “Together We Remember More” as a memento of the gathering.
On the following day of the gathering, Friday, June 12, participants laid flowers at the Monument to the Siberian Exiles in the municipal cemetery in Bolesławiec. The head of the Bolesławiec branch of the Association of Siberian Exiles emphasized that the site is always visited and respected, and that the team from the Municipal Communal Services Department takes excellent care of it. The Historical Society of Polish Cavalry Enthusiasts named after the 6th Kaniowsk Lancers Regiment was present during the flower-laying ceremony. In Bolesławiec, it is run with great care and success by Grzegorz Jankowski. In the film, you can see our Bolesławiec lancers: Kacper Jędrzewski, commander; Bartłomiej Jopek, standard-bearer; and Hubert Miżdal, escort.
Siberian Exiles in Lwówek Śląski
That day, the guests visited the second city, Lwówek Śląski, where Mayor Mariola Szczęsna welcomed them in the Townspeople’s Hall of the town hall. The artistic program, prepared to a very high standard by the students and teachers of the Bolesławiec lower secondary school’s partner, the Private Lower Secondary School in Lwówek Śląski named after the Siberian Exiles, also featured a guest performance by the excellent school choir of Primary School No. 2 in Lwówek Śląski. “Welcome to the land of Lwówek,” said Mariola Szczęsna. “We are hosting you in our most prestigious venue, the Townspeople’s Hall, an architectural gem of the city.”
The director of the lower secondary school in Lwówek, Małgorzata Grębowicz, then spoke. She presented her school and its mission and invited everyone to watch a spoken-and-musical performance prepared for the occasion by the students.
The lower secondary school students from Lwówek delighted the guests with a beautifully prepared program about the history and fate of the Siberian exiles. The audience admired the talented young people, who recited and sang wonderfully and were deeply committed to the performance. The children’s choir of Primary School No. 2 was also a great hit, as was a short performance by Aleksander Rafał Hołoga, a teacher and creator of the Llavalon ensemble.
That day, the gathering participants also toured Lwówek Śląski, the private lower secondary school and the Lwówek brewery. They stayed longer in the hospitable town for a barbecue organized for them.