WARTIME GUIDES

 The last weekend of October brought us a special visit to Toruń. A family came here to follow the traces of their grandfather and great-grandfather, a man who was held as a prisoner of war at Stalag XXA and in other camps in the surrounding area. We have correspondence that provides valuable clues about his wartime experiences. However, identifying the individual camps in which he was held and reconstructing the precise course of his captivity will take time. Historical research often requires patience, careful comparison of documents and the verification of seemingly small details. Yet, from our perspective, the most important part of this visit was not finding all the answers straight away. It was the fact that his descendants had come to Toruń, determined to learn more about his past and understand the history that had shaped their family. We were particularly pleased to welcome two teenagers who listened to the story with genuine curiosity. Their presence gave the meeting a sp...

From 1944 onwards, the Germans established a V-2 experimental testing range in the Wierzchucin area. The facility was moved here after earlier locations had been bombed. Much suggests that its remote location and favourable terrain were important factors in choosing the area. The forests provided natural cover, while the relatively low population density reduced the risk of the facility being discovered. At the same time, the landscape was suitable for conducting rocket tests away from major urban centres. An interesting figure connected with this history is Dr. Hans Kammler, one of the most important people involved in the German rocket programme. Before the war, Kammler lived in Bydgoszcz, meaning that he knew the city and the surrounding region, including the Tuchola Forests, very well. The Polish underground gathers information Almost simultaneously with the opening of the facility, local partisan units began intelligence activities. They observed the area, collected information an...

He came to Toruń twice – first in 1940 and then again in 1944. Yet he spent most of his captivity in Malbork and the surrounding villages. Years later, his family came to Toruń to walk together through the places that may have been part of his wartime story. He was a soldier who became a prisoner of war after the fighting at Dunkirk. His wartime journey took him through many different places, including Toruń and Stalag XXA, the German prisoner-of-war camp operating here. He appeared in the city twice – in 1940 and again in 1944. However, we still know very little about his time in Toruń. Much more is known about the later stages of his captivity. He spent most of his time in Malbork and the surrounding villages, where he worked as a prisoner of war. This is why the Toruń part of his story remains, in a sense, a mystery. This time, we guided his closest family members along the former camp trail – his son, wife and grandson. Together, we visited places that we could identify with certai...

Wendy  travelled to Toruń to discover the places where her father, an Australian medical orderly from the 2/5 General Hospital, was held during the Second World War. Preserved wartime documentation and a remarkably well-documented history of the unit made it possible to retrace his story and visit the places connected with his captivity. This was an exceptionally personal journey back into history. A daughter of an Australian prisoner of war came to Toruń to discover the places where her father had been held during the war. He had served as a medical orderly with the 2/5 General Hospital , and Wendy's goal was to see the places he had known during his captivity  places she had previously known mainly through family stories and surviving documents. Fortunately, a considerable amount of documentation relating to his story has survived. Combined with the well-documented history of the 2/5 General Hospital and its wartime experiences, it allowed us to reconstruct important stages...

Once again, Toruń became a place where history met a family story that had survived primarily through memories passed down through generations. This time, we welcomed relatives of an Italian prisoner of war who was held in Toruń at Stalag XXA Thorn between 1943 and 1945. The history of the Italian prisoners of war is one of the more difficult chapters in the history of the Toruń camp. Following the Italian armistice in 1943, thousands of Italian soldiers were disarmed by the Germans and deported to prisoner-of-war camps and forced labour sites across occupied Europe. In just two years, more than 15,000 Italian soldiers passed through Toruń and the surrounding camps. Many of them were sent to forced labour, working on farms and in agricultural enterprises, factories, and workplaces in Toruń and nearby towns. The scale and speed with which Italian soldiers were deprived of their freedom after September 1943 and dispersed among camps and labour detachments mean that their individual stori...

 The story of captivity that began in Stalag XXA Thorn in Toruń found its continuation in Stalag XXB Marienburg in Malbork. After a short break, we returned to this important chapter of wartime history together with our Australian guest, following the traces of his relative and discovering another part of the prisoner-of-war story. This journey connected two places that were part of the complex history of German POW camps during World War II. Visiting Stalag XXB Marienburg allowed us to explore locations connected with the functioning of the camp and the everyday experiences of prisoners who lived behind barbed wire. These places help us better understand their difficult reality – the hardships, uncertainty, hopes, and personal stories hidden behind historical records. During our visit, we also paid tribute to those who lost their lives during captivity. Remembering the fallen was an essential part of this journey, reminding us that behind every camp number and archival document th...