News

On the eve of the 86th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s aggression on Poland, a ceremonial opening of the exhibition entitled “Testimonies to crime – the documents excavated from the mass graves in Miednoye, Kharkiv and Katyn” took place in the seat of the Museum in Łambinowice.

The opening started with the introductory word delivered by the Deputy Director of the Museum, Dr Renata Kobylarz-Buła, who invited the honorary guest, Maria Matlachowska, to take the floor. The representative of the Association of Families of Katyn in Opole made a very personal address in which she referred to, among others, her visits to the East in the 1990s, where the exhumation works were going on at the places of burial of Polish officers, as well as those she made in the 2000s, when the opening of new cemeteries was duly celebrated.

The presentation of the exhibition was made by Dr Joanna Kurczab of Katyn Museum in Warsaw. In her speech, which was rich in many facts, she explained, among others, the complicacies connected with securing the objects dug out of the graves (in particular documents) and identifying the names of the victims on the basis of them. Still, the climax of the address were the histories of people who, despite the drama of their captivity, did hope to return to their families and to live a life in a free country.

The exhibition, even though dealing with a difficult and greatly emotional theme, attracted genuine attention of teachers and students from the nearby schools. It can be visited until the end of February 2026. We have prepared activities for school groups and kindly invite our visitors to take advantage of the offer. Applications should be submitted at: edukacja@cmjw.pl or on the phone: 77 434 34 75 or 573 785 901.