“The Warsaw Uprising. 100 Untold Stories”

Watches, jewelry, and wedding rings, documents, letters, and photographs – German Nazis took people’s personal belongings away from them in concentration camps. The Arolsen Archives store some 2,000 items belonging to former concentration camp inmates. All of these items are waiting to be returned to the families of their owners. 

The International Center on Nazi Persecution launched the campaign “The Warsaw Uprising. 100 Untold Stories.” to mark the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. The goal of the campaign is to locate the families of 100 victims, return the last mementoes of their loved ones to them, tell 100 unknown stories, and restore the memory of the victims. This will only be possible with the help of volunteers – their contribution is invaluable.

Unknown story of two sisters

One of the people whose personal effects will be returned during the ceremony at the Palace of Culture and Science is Zofia Strusińska (born 13.10.1896). She was arrested during the uprising by Wehrmacht soldiers and deported to the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp on September 4, 1944. According to documents preserved in the Arolsen Archives, she was sent on a transport of 200 female prisoners which left the camp on September 20, 1944, and took her to the Bartensleben sub camp, where she had to perform forced labor. Zofia survived the inhumane conditions in the German concentration camp. She was rescued from the camp by the Swedish Red Cross and later transported to Sweden. Research conducted by a volunteer revealed that Zofia had a sister, Jozefa Skórko. Her personal belongings are also stored at the Arolsen Archives and will be handed over to her family on September 10.

Successful search for victims’ families

The first families found by the Arolsen Archives with the help of volunteers have already received the last mementoes of their loved ones. During touching ceremonies in Naleczow and Warsaw, personal effects belonging to Bronislaw Miłecki, Edmund Kopka, Anna Tomczyk, and Stanislawa Mordes were returned to their relatives. During the ceremony in Warsaw on September 10, the personal effects of Stanisława Wasilewska, Józefa Skórko, Zofia Strusińska, Janina Mróz, Lucjan Chrzanowski, Danuta Szcześniak, Janina Januszewska, Jan Jędrzejczak, Ryszard Gogut, Józef Markiewicz, Rudolf Załucki, and Wanda Ulatowska will be handed over to their families.

The personal items stored in the Arolsen Archives belong to victims from more than 30 countries – the majority were from Poland, Germany, and the former Soviet Union. Thanks to the #StolenMemory campaign launched in 2016, nearly a thousand families have already been found, often with the help of volunteers who conducted research in various countries.

We invite journalists and editorial boards to actively participate in the campaign. Your support in spreading the word about the search for the families of the victims is greatly appreciated. 

Photos of the objects that will be returned during the September 10 ceremony are available in the gallery at the link. We agree to their publication.

Contact details

Dr. Anke Münster (Head of PR)
anke.muenster@arolsen-archives.org
+49 173 9787118

Anna Meier-Osiński (Outreach Managerin)
Anna.meier-osinski@arolsen-archives.org
+49 5691 629-162

Venue: Palace of Culture and Science (Rudniew hall, 15th Floor), entrance from Plac Defilad 1, Warsaw.
When: September 10, 2024, 4 pm

Organizational information

Media time has been scheduled for 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Potential interview partners

1. The families of the victims who will receive their relatives’ belongings
2. Warsaw insurgents
3. Arolsen Archives and volunteers:

• Floriane Azoulay – Director of the Arolsen Archives (French, German, English)
• Anke Münster – Head of the PR department (German, English)
• Anna Meier-Osiński – Head of the Outreach Department, initiator of the campaign “The Warsaw Uprising. 100 Untold Stories” (Polish, German, English)
• Malgorzata Przybyła – Tracing Department (Polish, German)
• Ewelina Karpińska-Morek – Coordinator of the #StolenMemory campaign in Poland (Polish, English)
• Manuela Golc – Volunteer who has already found more than 60 families (Polish, German)

Photos of the ceremony

Photographs will be taken during the ceremony and will be made available to you later for publication. If you are interested in receiving these photos, please sign up on the list that will be available on the press table.

Publications

The success of the family tracing campaign owes much to your interest in this topic. Thank you for all your coverage to date. Please send us links to any materials you create after the return ceremony. We would be delighted to share them on our social media pages.