On September 7, 2024, at the Treblinka Museum, patriotic and religious ceremony was held in honour of the Victims of the Treblinka I Labour Camp and World War II. The event was organized by the Parish of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Anne in Prostyń, together with the Treblinka Museum. The German Nazi Extermination and Labour Camp (1941–1944).
Participants gathered at the Gravel Pit, a site of forced slave labour for prisoners of Treblinka I. From this location, the Stations of the Cross began, led by Józef Poskrobko, the Parish Priest of Prostyń.
At the Execution Site, all attendees were welcomed by Dr. Edward Kopówka, Director of the Treblinka Museum, and the Parish Priest of Prostyń.
Following this, a field Mass was celebrated near the symbolic monuments commemorating the murdered Poles, Jews, Roma, and Sinti in the camp. This year, Senior Bishop Tadeusz Pikus, during his homily, reminded those present:
“We stand today in a place that reminds us of the darkest chapters of human history. Treblinka – this word fills us with sorrowful horror, but also with the obligation of remembrance. Memory cannot be killed. Here, human life was brutally and systematically destroyed. What happened here was contrary to every commandment of God, every principle of love and justice. Treblinka was a place of torment and death for innocent people. People who in no way deserved such a fate. They were torn from their families, their dreams, their lives.”
As in previous years, descendants of former prisoners of the Treblinka Labour Camp and Victims executed at the Execution Site participated in the ceremony.
The event was attended by representatives of local and state authorities, including:
- Minister Lech Parell, Head of the Office for Veterans and Victims of Oppression, represented by Katarzyna Leciejewska;
- Izabela Wrona from the Mazovian Voivodeship Office Delegation in Siedlce;
- Marcin Grochowski, Head of the Voivodeship Office Delegation in Ostrołęka;
- Dariusz Tomczak from the Delegation of the Mazovian Voivodeship Marshal’s Office, representing Marshal Adam Struzik;
- Ewa Olszewska – Member of the Sokołów Podlaski District Council;
- Jan Słomiak – Mayor of the City and Municipality of Kosów Lacki, together with Secretary Daniela Prokopczuk, Chairman of the Council Arkadiusz Mleczko, and Councillor Ewa Arciechowska;
- Dariusz Stanisław Rafalik – Mayor of Małkinia Górna, along with Piotr Krzepicki, Chairman of the Municipal Council, and Ewa Szymanik, Head of the Department of Education;
- Representatives of the Prostyń Village Council, led by Village Head Adam Wujek;
- Members of the Museum Council at the Treblinka Museum, led by Professor Zofia Chyra-Rolicz;
- Stanisław Stankiewicz – President of the Central Council of Roma;
- Zbigniew Siemko – Commander of the Railway Protection Guard in Warsaw;
- Maciej Wójcicki – Deputy Forest District Manager of the Sokołów Forest District.
In addition, representatives of the following organizations were present:
- Joanna Gierczyńska – Director of the Pawiak Prison Museum, a branch of the Museum of Independence;
- Artur Ziontek from the Municipal and Cultural Centre in Kosów Lacki;
- Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński Primary School in Kosów Lacki, with their banner, led by Principal Monika Denisiuk-Świstek and the teaching staff;
- John Paul II Primary School in Prostyń, with their banner, led by Principal Agnieszka Steć;
- Marie Curie-Skłodowska Primary School No. 1 in Małkinia Górna, with their banner;
- Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński Primary School of in Kiełczew, with banners, led by Principal Andrzej Koros;
- Fryderyk Chopin Primary School No. 2 in Małkinia, with banners, including one bestowed by the Home Army “Opocznik” District, led by Principal Marta Jesionek;
- Jan Twardowski Primary School of Father in Glina, with their banner, led by Principal Justyna Brzozowska and chaperones;
- Janusz Korczak Primary School No. 2 in Łochów, with their banner, led by Principal Sylwester Guzek;
- Janusz Korczak Public Primary School in Jasienica, with their banner and delegation;
- Primary School in Orło, led by Principal Małgorzata Dmochowska;
- School Complex in Kosów Lacki, with banners, led by Principal Hanna Przesmycka;
- Salesian School Complex in Sokołów Podlaski, with their banner and chaperone, Father Mariusz Skawiński;
- Stanisław Staszic School Complex in Małkinia Górna, with banners, led by Principal Agnieszka Gaś and Wojciech Hadała;
- Scouts from the ZHP Sokołów Podlaski District of J. Korczak, with their banner, led by Chaplain Father Artur Rogowski;
- Soldiers from the 22nd Military Cartographic Centre in Komorów, led by Colonel Leszek Iwaniec;
- Sadowne Senior Club;
- “Stajnia” Motorcycle Club;
- Representatives of the local press.
Additionally, an award from the Union of Veterans of the Republic of Poland and Former Political Prisoners was given to Iwona Wasilewska, Administrative and Economic Director, and Ilona Flażyńska, Museum Assistant.
During the ceremony, an outdoor exhibition titled Treblinka I – The German Labour Camp, Not Only for Poles was presented in connection with the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liquidation. The exhibition consisted of 10 panels showcasing the biographies of prisoners and accounts of the camp’s liquidation. It also featured photographs of artifacts discovered during archaeological research. The exhibition, as well as exhibition catalogue, was created by the staff of the Treblinka Museum.
Participants also had the opportunity to listen to an arrangement of a camp song. The lyrics were provided to the Treblinka Museum by Krystyna Grabowska, a former prisoner of the Labour Camp. Prisoners were punished with flogging for singing this song. It is one of the songs from the music album of the late Witold Radomski.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, wreaths were laid, and candles were lit at the monument commemorating the Victims of the former Labour Camp. On this significant day, the Treblinka Museum Directorate also paid tribute to the Victims of the former Extermination Camp by laying flowers at the central monument.
The Director of the Museum sincerely thanked all those present, especially Józef Poskrobko, the Sokołów Podlaski County Police Command, the Sokołów Podlaski State Fire Brigade, the Volunteer Fire Brigade from Kosów Lacki, the RM-MEDITRANS Independent Public Health Care Centre from Sokołów Podlaski, soldiers from the 22nd Military Cartographic Centre in Komorów, and scouts from the ZHP Sokołów Podlaski District of Janusz Korczak for providing the honour guard. Thanks were also extended to the staff of the Treblinka Museum for their dedication in ensuring the smooth conduct of this year’s ceremonies.
