The photo report of the event to promote the "Notebooks of the Remembrance of the Warsaw Uprising" issues 3 and 4 in the year 2014.
In the first year after the 1944 Warsaw Uprising Remembrance Association had been established, we came up with an idea to organize the sequence of meetings with the soldiers of the Uprising. The first meeting called "Świadkowie historii" ("The witnesses of the history") took place on December 18, 2004 in the 22 Długa street in Warsaw and was addressed to the members of the Association.
Since January 2007 the meetings with the Insurgents have taken place systematically in the Room named after Jan Nowak-Jeziorański in the Warsaw Uprising Museum in the 79 Grzybowska street. They begin at 11 o'clock on each third Saturday of a month (with the exception of holiday months) and are available for numerous audience. Over 80 meetings have been organized till now.
Simultaneously with the start of the above-mentioned sequence of meetings another idea emerged: we can prepare the text versions of some of these meetings and then place them at the Association's website: www.sppw1944.org. It was possible thanks to the fact that the meetings were being recorded.
The idea turned out to be successful. The recordings from chosen meetings were changed into text files. After consultations with the authors, compilations and adding photographs they were placed at the website and can be found in the section entitled Witnesses' Reports". About 50 reports have appeared so far.
In the year 2008 we decided to publish few reports in a form of a book. Thanks to the funds given by Samorząd Województwa Mazowieckiego (The Mazovian Self-government) the free edition of the "Notebooks of the Remembrance of the Warsaw Uprising" issues 1 and 2 was published. They included six chosen reports as well as three poems by Janina Kowalska de domo Krupa, a.k.a. "Ina": "One of many nights of the Uprising", "The Uprising Zoo" and "The first anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising". It should be noted that these poems have not been published till then.
The copies of the "Notebooks" were sent also to Warsaw and Mazovian schools and libraries.
In the year 2014 the idea connected with the "Notebooks" revived. This time the City of Warsaw helped out financially. Further issues: 3 and 4 were published.
On December 15, 2014 in the Room named after Jan Nowak-Jeziorański in the Warsaw Uprising Museum we witnessed the event of the "Notebooks" being promoted. The authors of the memories, and the representatives of the combatant organisations' authorities, i.e. the Chairman of the Association of the Home Army Soldiers - Prof. Leszek Żukowski a.k.a. "Antek" and Vice-chairman of the Association of the Warsaw Insurgents - Mr. Eugeniusz Tyrajski a.k.a. Sęk" were present at the ceremony.
the second from the right: Mr. Eugeniusz Tyrajski, the third from the right: Prof. Lszek Żukowski
Each participant of the event was given both issues of the "Notebooks".
The scenario of the meeting consisted of three parts. Firstly, the young people, pupils of the Primary School number 118 named after the Friends of Mazovia presented the spectacle entitled "The Fighting Warsaw 1944". It was prepared by the teachers: Mrs. Maria Poprawa, the Polish philologist and historian, the member of our Association's management, and Mrs. Beata Lange, the historian and musician.
The wonderful performance was welcomed with great applause. The combatants could not hide their being touched to tears.
In the second part the Chairman of the Association SPPW 1944 Mr. Maciej Janaszek-Seydlitz presented the authors of the published reports. Four of them were present: Mrs. Barbara Gancarczyk-Piotrowska a.k.a. "Pająk", Mrs. Halina Jędrzejewska-Dudzik a.k.a. "Sławka", Mr. Edmund Baranowski a.k.a. "Jur" and Mr. Janusz Paszyński a.k.a. Machnicki". The fifth author, Mr. Zbigniew Dębski, a.k.a. "Zbych-Prawdzic" unfortunately is not alive; he perished at the Smoleńsk Crash on April 10, 2010.
from the right side: Mrs. Barbara Gancarczyk-Piotrowska, Mr. Edmund Baranowski, Mrs. Halina Jędrzejewska-Dudzik and Mr. Janusz Paszyński
Having presented all the authors, the chairman of the meeting Mr. Maciej Janaszek-Seydlitz described both "Notebooks".
Similarly like in the first two issues, apart from five insurgent reports, also here three poems were publisher. In the "Notebook" issue 3 the poem by Józef Szczepański a.k.a. "Ziutek" - "Czerwona zaraza" and in the issue 4 the poem by Irena Tomalak a.k.a. "Soldau" - "Łączniczka 1" as well as the poem by Mirosław Kruciński a.k.a. "Jadzia" "Marsz kanałem".
Thereafter the reports' authors shortly summarized their memories. The participants of the event could ask them questions concerning the reports. During the discussion the additional ceremony took place. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising the Association of the Warsaw Insurgents issued a beautiful commemorative medal. A dozen or so members of the SPPW 1944 Association were awarded.
Two of the authors of the reports are members of the Warsaw Insurgents' Association management. That is why they were asked to hand the medals over to the SPPW 1944 members.
Next, the questions continued to be asked by the audience.
Other insurgents and civilians who remember those Uprising time eagerly answered the questions.
What was expressed was the importance of the reports placed at the SPPW 1944 website. They help to increase knowledge about the Uprising, both in Poland and abroad.
The organizers thanked the authors by handing them flowers; the audience by great applause.
One of the questions was: what is the phenomenon of the Uprising for you personally? Each of the four authors estimated the Uprising from their point of view. Prof. Leszek Żukowski also took the floor.
When all the questions had been asked and answered, a long queue of people billing to get autographs appeared. The organizers encouraged the participants to help themselves and have some sweet food and drinks.
Both the reports' authors and the meeting's participants appraised the event.
compiled by: Maciej Janaszek-Seydlitz
translation: Monika Ałasa
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