September 17 – SIBERIAN DAY!

September 17 is a special day in Polish history. Today we mark the 87th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Poland. This invasion was the fulfillment of the provisions contained in the secret protocol to the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. One of the forms of repression used by the Soviet occupiers against the Polish population was forced relocation and deportation deep into the USSR… These events forever altered the fate of hundreds of thousands of Polish families and left an indelible mark on the fabric of the Polish nation.

In 2013, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland designated September 17 as Siberian Deportee Day. Patriotic ceremonies were held today in many cities.

Poland remembers the heroes who fought against the Soviet invader and those who endured the ordeal of Siberia. It was they who were honored today during the Roll Call of Remembrance at the patriotic ceremonies held at Father Adam Studziński Square in Kraków. In addition to the roll call, as part of the ceremonies, representatives of authorities and institutions laid flowers at the Katyn Cross and at the plaques commemorating the Siberian deportees and the victims of the NKVD’s “Polish Operation.” Furthermore, a ceremony was held to drive nails into the staff of a new replica of the banner of the Kraków Branch of the Siberian Deportees’ Association. The commemorations at Father Studziński Square were preceded by a Holy Mass celebrated at the garrison church of St. Agnes. The UKEN Center for the Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions, and Resettlements was represented by its director, Dr. hab. Prof. Hubert Chudzio of UKEN, and Dr. Anna Hejczyk-Gołąb.

The organizers of the events in Kraków were Krzysztof Jan Klęczar, Governor of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship; Filip Musiał, Director of the Kraków Branch of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN); and the Board of the Kraków Branch of the Association of Siberian Deportees.

Meanwhile, during the Siberian Deportee Day celebrations in Katowice, the Center for the Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions, and Resettlements was represented by Natalia Czesak, M.A. The ceremony began in front of the Katowice Regional Court building, near a plaque dedicated to the memory of Dr. Józef Zemła, a Siberian deportee, and then continued at the Evangelical cemetery at the “To the Siberian Deportees” monument. The event was organized by the Katowice Branch of the Association of Siberian Deportees in cooperation with the Katowice Branch of the Institute of National Remembrance, under the patronage of the Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship.
WE REMEMBER THE SIBERIAN DEPORTEES!