The interview was recorded by the PILECKI INSTITUTE as part of the WITNESSES TO THE AGE project.
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Our today's interviewee:
Stefan Szlachtycz (born 1930 in Kraków, Poland), a film, theater and TV director. He recalls life in the German-occupied Kraków and his father's search for a job. His father was eventually hired at a company which provided security for warehouses, and his German boss turned out to be a decent man. Throughout the occupation, Stefan Szlachtycz was dreaming of owning a bike. One day, as they were on their way to a bike rental, Szlachtycz and his friend were on a tram which got stopped by the Germans. The Polish passengers were then forced to watch a public execution during 50 Poles were murdered in retaliation for the assassination of some Germans that had been carried out by the Polish underground resistance soldiers. When the German boss of Stefan's father was leaving Kraków, he gave the keys to his flat to Stefan's dad, along with a bike and eight liters of vodka. The Russians launched the attack on Kraków from the direction of Katowice, taking the Germans by surprise. The Kraków residents hid in the cellars, while Stefan Szlachtycz went to his flat on the second floor and spent two hours watching the Soviet-German battle over the city.
Copyright by Instytut Solidarności i Męstwa im. Witolda Pileckiego.
14 апр 2020
