Fragments of History: Drunkards and Womanizers. The Postwar Managerial Staff of the Security Service in Bolesławiec

An official from the headquarters in Wrocław, whose name is unknown today, conducted an inspection of the District Public Security Office in Bolesławiec (PUBP) in January 1946, and his assessment of the unit’s head, Zenon Florek, was—to put it mildly—reserved. He wrote to his superiors: “Comrade Florek is not a bad man, but he lacks a broader perspective; he would like to do everything for the good of the office—but he cannot manage it, narrow-minded, operationally weak.” In addition, Florek’s family was deeply religious, which did not help with promotion in those days. Zenon Florek’s deputy was also assessed negatively. He, in turn, was “politically reliable, but not very bright.”

Florek’s replacement, Karol Banachowicz, also failed to settle in Bolesławiec. He arrived in the city with a reputation as a quarrelsome drunkard, gambler and womanizer. He did not remain as chief for long and was soon sent for training. We do not know exactly what kind of training it was.

An assessment of Kazimierz Maj, who was deputy head of the PUBP in Bolesławiec from 1950 to October 1951, stated that he had become a heavy drinker with the staff, had no authority among them, and that it was difficult to pull him away from those drinking sessions.

Stanisław Grzyb, head of the PUBP from July 1952 to June 1954, also proved disappointing. He liked to drink, sexually harassed women, and was accused of having an affair with a woman of German citizenship whom locals, because of her intimate relationship with the head of the Security Service, called “the Chief’s Lady.” These accusations were presented at a meeting of the executive committee on January 5, 1954. Stanisław Grzyb’s profile stated that, as a result of the chief of the Bolesławiec Security Service’s weakness for women, he compromised himself through immoral conduct and attempts to establish relationships with the wives of Office employees. The matter was serious enough that the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers’ Party District Committee intervened, and Grzyb lost his position.

It was only Stanisław Pasek, who took over as head of the PUBP in Bolesławiec in November 1954, who proved to be a sufficiently capable officer to hold the position until 1964.

The quotations and information in the article come from Robert Klementowski’s book Robert Klementowski “We All Are for Physical Labor… The Public Security Office in Bolesławiec (1945–1956).” Stanisław Grzyb is pictured on the cover.

About the book “We All Are for Physical Labor… The Public Security Office in Bolesławiec (1945–1956)”

The inspiration for the book came from research conducted in 2008 near the former detention center of the Public Security Office (UB) at 5 Grunwaldzka Street. Its aim was to verify information about the burial sites of victims of the torture chamber in the area and to attempt to find and identify the remains.

It was a breakthrough moment that prompted a public discussion about the activities of the UB in Bolesławiec. At the time, however, many questions and doubts concerning the issue also arose. Scientific research conducted in subsequent years by Roberta Klementowskiego made it possible to resolve some of them.

The book “We All Are for Physical Labor…” is praised for its scholarly detachment and objectivity. The author thoroughly analyzed hundreds of files and documents on which the book was based. It is divided into two parts. The first describes the circumstances of its creation, the changing organizational structure and staff, and the working methods of the district UB. The second part is an extensive analysis of various aspects of the officers’ activities.