“Stanisław Mierzwa’s letters from prison are, above all, a very moving picture of his father’s concern for his family, who almost overnight found themselves in a very difficult life situation. Suffice it to mention that at the time of his arrest in 1946, he abandoned his pregnant wife and three small children,” Radosław Kurek, employee of the Branch Archives of the Institute of National Remembrance in Krakow, who prepared the submitted materials, explained the correspondence at a press conference. “Even though these letters are very personal, they also have a very universal message, because they perfectly describe the situation of thousands of families who, after World War II, were involved in activities for the independence of the Polish state, for example for which they were later sentenced to long prison sentences.” – he pointed out.

Stanisław Mierzwa’s memorabilia was donated to the National Institute of Remembrance by his son, Dr. Wojciech Mierzwa.

“I think these materials are a contribution to the history of people who lived in difficult, often tragic times, and my parents also lived in such times. To me, these materials are truly gems, treasures. We submit it on behalf of the entire family; especially, collected by the father, so in his name, but also his siblings, his brothers, to serve historians, to serve other people as material evidence about the history of those people,” said Wojciech Mierzwa.

Stanisław Mierzwa (1905-85) was the spiritual leader of the largest opposition group in the people’s movement in the People’s Republic of Poland, developing the Wincenty Witos tradition and gathering former collaborators of Stanisław Mikołajczyk. He was also one of the leaders of the Polish Underground State, which was tried at a trial of sixteen people in Moscow.

“However, this person’s history shines only a little light and it is a shame, because he is a person who could be a role model for many circles. He should be an example for politicians, he can be a role model. for someone who loves his homeland, no matter how big or small.” where he comes from, can be an excellent example of a patron who devoted his talents to helping those who least have access to legal care,” said Dr. Mateusz Szpytma, vice president of the Institute of National Remembrance, at the conference on Tuesday. “We greatly appreciate that the most important politician of the independent people’s movement will find his legacy at the Institute of National Remembrance,” he added.

Radosław Kurek drew attention to the “extraordinary richness of these materials”. “They look not only at the life and activities of Stanisław Mierzwa, but also at the history of the entire popular movement throughout the 20th century. “In addition to documentary sources and a large collection of correspondence, here we will also find more than 100 photographs, many of which are unique,” he emphasized.

He explained that the Institute has been working with the family of Stanisław Mierzwa for 12 years, and during that time, 3.5 linear meters of historical materials from private archives have been registered on the IPN resource. “Therefore, this is one of the largest individual prizes that we managed to obtain,” said Radosław Kurek. He added that all the confiscated material had been processed by Krakow archivists and was available for reading.(PAP)

author: Julia Kalęba

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