WARTIME GUIDES

  The end of January marks a crucial and tragic moment in the history of Stalag XXA in Toruń ( Stalag 20A Toruń) and Stalag XXB Malbork ( Stalag 20B Malbork) . At this time in 1945 , German authorities issued evacuation orders to POW camps and labor detachments across the region. The advancing Soviet army forced the German command to move prisoners westward. The Departure from Stalag XXA Prisoners from Stalag XXA Toruń began their march on January 21st at around 3: 00 AM . This marked the beginning of what later became known as the “ Long March” or “ Death March” — a dramatic and painful episode remembered in the memoirs of Allied prisoners of war held in northern Poland. Thousands of POWs left the camps around Toruń and began marching in freezing winter conditions. Many of them would walk hundreds of kilometers across occupied territory. Parallel Marches: POWs, Forced Laborers, and Concentration Camp Prisoners What is less widely known is that the POW columns from Stalag...

Very little was missing for Toruń to go down in World War II history as the site of one of the most spectacular escape attempts from a German prisoner-of-war camp. The former Toruń airfield, today part of the Pomeranian Aero Club, was not only a Luftwaffe training facility but also a place where the fates of POWs, Polish pilots, and Allied intelligence intersected. During the German occupation, work details from the prisoner-of-war camp Stalag XXA were regularly assigned to physical labor at the Toruń airfield. As recalled by one of the prisoners, their duties included clearing snow from the runway , maintaining infrastructure, and carrying out fieldwork around the airfield used by the Luftwaffe. It was during one of these work assignments that an event occurred which could have ended in a daring escape. Two officers — POWs from Stalag XXA — swapped places with fellow prisoners who were scheduled to go out on a work detail that day. The plan was simple and bold: at the right moment,...

In the first days of November, we especially commemorate those who are no longer with us. I visited the monument of Stalag XXA you all know and, on behalf of our community, took the liberty of lighting a symbolic candle. As you can see, I was not alone, and I am very pleased that residents also remembered this. Please also see the photos of Toruń's cemeteries, which were illuminated by the glow of candles on November 1st.

Even in the face of inevitable terrain changes, the latest technologies are allowing historians and enthusiasts to discover deeply hidden evidence of the past. Around the Toruń fortress, the location known as Stalag XXA , remnants of wartime dramas still lie concealed. Join us on a virtual journey tracing the paths of prisoners of war ( POWs ) and find out what the terrain relief reveals around Fort XI , the main headquarters of the POW camp . Toruń and Stalag XXA: Places That Remember The history of World War II in Toruń is inextricably linked to the POW camp system in Military District XX. A key site was Stalag XXA (also known as Stalag 20A ), which operated within the 19th-century forts. Although the landscape around Fort XI is constantly transforming, modern methods such as laser scanning and aerial photo analysis make it possible to spot what was once blurred by time and nature. The analyzed terrain relief clearly shows the shape of Fort XI . As you know, this fort was the c...

It is rare to meet families with such well-preserved wartime archives, but this story is one of them. The son of a British POW visited Poland to trace his father’s path during World War II. Based on remarkable archival materials and photographs, we now know that his father was held in Prabuty, Bydgoszcz, the forts of Toruń (Stalag XXA / Stalag 20A), Chełmno, and a village near Chełmno . Thanks to precise verification of these records, it was even possible to locate the site where one of the prisoners was buried. With high probability, the same tree still stands there, silently witnessing that event over 80 years later. A truly moving moment came during a special tribute: a bagpipe concert in memory of the father and all those who perished during WWII . This was the first time we experienced something so emotional and powerful in our work to preserve the memory of prisoners of war in Toruń . Stories like this remind us why documenting the history of POWs in Stalag XXA is so import...

During the operation of the German prisoner-of-war camp Stalag XXA in Toruń, there was an official channel of communication between the prisoners and their families. It consisted of letters and postcards sent under the supervision of the German administration. Every message was censored, and its content strictly controlled. Nevertheless, there were cases where prisoners embedded coded information about their own situation or the fate of their fellow soldiers in such correspondence – but that is a story of its own. However, it is hard to imagine that during the occupation, with thousands of prisoners located so close to civilian areas, no unofficial network of communication would have developed – and its organization is remarkably interesting. This communication had a completely different character – it was part of the activities of the Polish resistance and the involvement of Allied soldiers. Thanks to these efforts, intelligence reports were smuggled out of Stalag XXA, while informati...