Commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Upper Silesian Tragedy

Today commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Upper Silesian Tragedy took place in Łambinowice. The ceremonies, held at the parish church, at the Cemetery of the Victims of the Labour Camp in Łambinowice and in the Museum building, were organised by the Marshal's Office of the Opolskie Voivodship and the Union of German Social-Cultural Societies in Poland. Our institution, which was a partner of the event, was represented by its Director, Dr. Violetta Rezler-Wasielewska.

The village of Łambinowice, due to the fact that a repressive labour camp for the German population, or those recognised as such, operated for over a year there after the end of the Second World War, has become one of the most important places associated with the Upper Silesian Tragedy. Every year, in January, the part of our Memorial where the camp was located, this fact is reminded about.

Traditionally, the ceremonies begun with a memorial service at the parish church in Łambinowice. Then the participants of the commemorations went to the Cemetery of the Labour Camp in Łambinowice, where they laid flowers and lit candles, while representatives of the government and local authorities gave their speeches. Those who gathered there were welcomed by the President of the Union of German Social-Cultural Societies in Poland and the Chairman of the Opole Regional Assembly, Rafał Bartek. He was followed by addresses by Opole Voivodeship Marshal Szymon Ogłaza; the German Consul in Opole, Peter Herr; advisor to the Marshal of the Sejm on national and ethnic minorities, Ryszard Galla; plenipotentiary to the Opole Voivode on national and ethnic minorities, Dr. Marek Mazurkiewicz; plenipotentiary to the Silesian Voivode on national and ethnic minorities, Łukasz Jastrzębski. Meanwhile, a prayer for the victims was said by the minister of the Diocese of Opole to national and ethnic minorities, Fr. Prof. Piotr Tarliński.

The ceremonies ended in our Museum with the screening of The Red Plague directed by Aleksandra Fudala-Barańska.

 

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