On behalf of the mayor of Bolesławiec, the Board of the Association of Siberians’ local branch, and the headteacher of Primary School No. 2 named after the White Eagle, we invite everyone to take part in the event commemorating the difficult fate of Polish women and men deported to Siberia.
Programme of the September 17 ceremony:
- 11:20 a.m. – gathering in the Market Square.
- 11:30 a.m. – departure.
- 12:00 p.m. – start of the ceremony.
- Singing of the national anthem.
- Address by ZS president Maria Niemczuk.
- Addresses by invited guests.
- Prayer led by Father Stanisław Kusik.
- Roll call of the fallen.
- Laying of flowers.
- End of the ceremony – singing of the “Siberians’ Anthem”.
The fate of Poles deported to Siberia is one of the most tragic and painful experiences in Poland’s history. Deportations to Siberia began as early as the 18th century, after successive uprisings against the occupying powers, and reached their peak during the partitions and World War II, when the Soviet Union carried out mass deportations.
The first deportations affected participants in unsuccessful uprisings, such as the Bar Confederation (1768–1772), the Kościuszko Uprising (1794), the November Uprising (1830–1831), and the January Uprising (1863–1864). Thousands of Poles, including soldiers, members of the intelligentsia, and peasants, were brutally transported deep into Russia, where they were forced to perform hard labor in difficult, often extreme conditions. Siberia, as a place of exile, became a symbol of suffering and banishment.
The most tragic deportations, however, took place during World War II. After the USSR attacked Poland in September 1939, the Soviet authorities began the systematic deportation of Poles from the Eastern Borderlands. It is estimated that from 1939 to 1941, approximately 1.5 million Poles, including entire families, were transported to Siberia and other remote regions of the Soviet Union, such as Kazakhstan. Transport conditions were extremely harsh: people traveled in overcrowded, unheated wagons, and many deportees died from cold, hunger, and disease.
At their destinations, the exiles had to work in gulags, felling forests, in mines, or building infrastructure. Siberia’s climate, freezing winters, and food shortages meant that life in exile was a true struggle for survival. Many Poles did not live to return to their homeland; they died of exhaustion, disease, or as a result of brutal repression.
Those who managed to survive and return to Poland after the war often had to cope with incomprehension and difficulties readapting. Despite these terrible experiences, the memory of Poles deported to Siberia remains alive, and their history is an important element of national identity and martyrology. The Association of Siberians, which was established in Poland, ensures that the fate of these people is not forgotten, while the annual March of Living Memory of Polish Siberia commemorates their martyrdom and steadfastness.