WARTIME GUIDES

This extraordinary journey allowed relatives of those imprisoned in the German POW camp in Toruń, Stalag XXA, to visit the very places where their loved ones were once held captive. Among them was Evelyn, who sought information about her father, who spent many long years in captivity. The harsh labor and conditions took a toll on his health. According to family stories, he even attempted to escape, for which he was confined in solitary. Thanks to extensive documentation, we were able to locate all the places of his imprisonment, and in most cases, we could even enter them. The uniqueness of this trip was further enhanced by the presence of Evelyn's closest friend and her grandchildren. The participation of the younger generations is particularly significant, as the responsibility of passing on the memory of these events will soon rest on their shoulders. We are grateful to have been able to assist in this meaningful endeavor. 

 James came to Toruń, driven by the history and memories of his grandfather, who spent many years in German captivity as a prisoner in Stalag XXA, enduring long years of suffering and the cruelties of war.  As a young soldier, he was captured near Arras and transported to Toruń. Until now, we didn't have detailed information about the exact locations of the internment, but thanks to the incredible fragments of memories shared by James, we were able to add more details to our understanding of the camp.  Stories about the Germans burning boots, the dramatic events on the frozen Vistula River during the Long March, and the touching story of our guest's mother's name will stay with us forever. We hope that James also found what he was looking for.  We all the best o allow him to touch the history that has left so many traces in our city, even if only for a moment. Thank you for your visit. You can count on us in your further searches...

The journey of two sisters from Scotland to Toruń had an extraordinary goal: to find the places where their father stayed during World War II. They knew only a few details about his auxiliary service in a hospital, but their determination and desire to discover their family history led them through the fascinating corners of the city. Upon arriving in Toruń, we began with conversations and analyzing the scant information they had. They knew their father worked in a hospital, but the exact location remained a mystery. After a lengthy discussion, we managed to determine that he was most likely assigned to the medical facility on Jęczmienna Street. However, this was not the only clue. Family stories indicated that their father used to skate on handmade skates on the moat around one of the forts in winter. This led us to Fort XIV, the only fort in Toruń with a moat, which served as a hospital for Stalag XXA prisoners during World War II. The discovery of these places evoked a wave of

As part of doctoral research dedicated to the phenomenon of military cultural tourism, with a particular focus on prisoner-of-war camps, I would be grateful if you could complete a short survey. Your responses will certainly enrich our understanding of tourists' needs and help improve the tourist offerings and commemoration of POW heritage, not only in Toruń. The survey results will be used for research purposes. The study is anonymous. Thank you very much in advance for your time. Best regards, Paweł Bukowski Ładuję…

 It's amazing, but there's much truth in the saying that "time flies." The preparations for this journey took nearly a year. Visiting the designated points took just a few hours. Paradoxically, the years of captivity in the Stalag XXA prisoner-of-war camp can be summarized in just one day. Thanks to the collected materials, three brothers had the opportunity to explore the city and see the places where their father was held. Not all of them, because the preserved book of memories contains many more villages and towns where their loved one worked. It is also gratifying that the route of the Long March was described very precisely, allowing us once again to enrich ourselves with invaluable sources of knowledge from witnesses to the sad days of captivity in Stalag XXA camp in Toruń and its surroundings.

That were wonderful hours in Torun.  Again old documents helped us to provide retracing warpaths of Arthur form Wiltshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion who was captured and moved to Stalag XXA in Torun. Arthur spent whole war in camp in Torun but in docs were also information about staying in working commando 172. This time the most helpful were medical documentation thanks which we could see all places connected to his story. Unfortunatley this story has not happy end. In 1945 during evacuation of POW from Stalag XXA in Torun, Arthur died after 4 days of marching.  Its hard to write about what was the casue, nevertheless he was buried now in Poznan where his family reach too. We are happy that we could help another Stalag XXA family members which deepen their relative's war story. It is working in both ways because each trip make us enrich and by colleting priceless little pieces of stories we have bigger picture of  reality in POW camp.