Permanent Exhibition - Instytut Pileckiego

The permanent exhibition at the Augustów Roundup Memorial House, entitled “For You, Poland. A Tale from the Heart of the Forest” combines several thematic threads, presenting the stories of the victims of the Augustów Roundup and the tragic events of the summer of 1945 against the backdrop of the history of the Suwałki region.

The narrative begins in the interwar period as seen through the eyes of the victims of the Augustów Roundup. We do not, however, focus on their victimhood, portraying them instead as local residents with their own jobs, families, dreams and accomplishments. Throughout the exhibition, we often refer to them as July Victims, as they were originally called by some of those who survived the roundup. This name for the victims of the Soviet crime is related to the term “July Roundup”, which had long been used by the residents of the Suwałki region with reference to the events of the summer of 1945. The Augustów Roundup, which takes its name from the Augustów Forest, came into use as late as in mid-1990s.

The interwar period

The exhibition presents the interwar period through several thematic areas. The history of the region is explored in detail with regard to the fight for Poland’s independence in the years 1918–1920, the beginnings of tourism, modernity, the functioning of military garrisons in Augustów and Suwałki, economic life, the local residents, the region’s rich culture, as well as the history of the building housing the exhibition. Apart from numerous photographs, the exhibition features portraits of the July Victims – professionally colorized, they stand out among other images. An interactive table in this room showcases all the materials we have gathered about the July Victims. The so-called Archive of the Victims of the Roundup contains photographs, documents and short biographical notes about our heroes. The table was designed in such a way as to allow new elements to be added at any time, thereby expanding the collection.

The Second World War

The next room, referred to in short as “War”, is devoted to the Second World War. The narrative begins with the outbreak of the conflict and the fighting in the Polish territories that took place in September 1939. The exhibition contains information on the military invasion by both Germany and the Soviet Union. Next we can learn about the occupation of the region, which was divided between the two aggressors in the fall of 1939. Almost the entire Augustów county found itself under Soviet administration; the northern part of the region was annexed into East Prussia. Following the outbreak of the Soviet-German war in June 1941, the entire region was occupied by Wehrmacht troops.

The pro-independence underground

The “Prelude” room tells the story of the pro-independence underground in the Augustów Forest region during the Second World War. This issue is of paramount importance, as it contains the genesis of the events of July 1945. The room features among others a multimedia timeline, which uses graphics to present selected events from the history of partisan activity in the region. This part of the exhibition also tells about the second Soviet occupation – the period after 1944 when the new authorities were being installed, mostly with the help of the Red Army and the security apparatus. The narrative concludes with the story of Polish soldiers fighting on the frontlines of the Second World War, among others with Gen. Władysław Anders’ Second Polish Corps, the majority of whom never returned to their family homes following the end of the conflict.

The exhibition’s climax

The next room is devoted to the Augustów Roundup itself. Apart from curatorial texts, visual materials and audio stations, there is also a list of the victims presented as part of a large-format film display, set against contemporary photographs of the Augustów Forest. Soil from the places where the July Victims lived is displayed in the showcases.

The next room devoted to the history of the Augustów Roundup is called “Memory”. It tells the story of the search for the missing persons (initially, they were not referred to as the murdered victims) which dates back to the fall of 1945. Questions about the fate of those detained in the roundup were posed by various institutions, such as the State Forests, communal national councils, and district military recruitment offices. Official queries were also made by the families of the missing. They were addressed to the Polish and Soviet authorities and the Red Cross. The Civic Committee of Inquiry Concerning Residents of the Suwałki Region Who Had Gone Missing in July 1945, which was established in 1987, features prominently in the exhibition. The committee carried out the crucial work of gathering information on the persons who went missing following the Augustów Roundup. The data they had gathered made it possible to prepare the first comprehensive list of people detained in the summer of 1945.

Artifacts

Nearly 900 square meters of exhibition space contain about 300 photographs, documents and other exhibits, including unique and precious memorabilia. Among these are a banner of the Citizens’ Home Army (AKO), the War Order of Virtuti Militari, partisan uniforms, a forester’s cap from the 1930s, an uhlan’s saber from the Polish-Bolshevik War, soldiers’ field equipment from the Second World War, various decorations, identification cards and diplomas. The majority of the exhibits were donated by private persons, including some of the most valuable artifacts – memorabilia related to the victims of the Augustów Roundup. The permanent exhibition features, for example, school certificates of Zyta Kucharzewska, the travelling suitcase of Jan Żyliński, military IDs of Mieczysław Cichor, Mieczysława Cichora, Ludwik Butkiewicz and Władysław Stefanowski, high-school graduation diploma of Mieczysław Huber, the sewing machine and tailor’s shears of Ildefons Waszkiewicz, Horse Breeders Association membership card of Henryk Dyczewski, tablecloth from the house of Aleksander Juszkiewicz, birth certificates of Lucjan Stefanowski and Lucjusz Janik, as well as numerous original photographs.

Former prison

The tour ends in the basements – a place filled with symbolism, which for many years had served as a prison where the local residents were held and tortured. The first cells were prepared by the NKVD at the turn of 1939 and 1940. The worst time, however, came after 1945, when the building housed the Augustów District Office of Public Security. It was then that the basements witnessed the ordeal of great numbers of people, many of whom never regained health after the treatment they had received at the hands of their tormentors. About a dozen people perished in the prison. The human tragedies taking place in the basements are documented in the form of autographs and notes made by the prisoners that have been uncovered during conservation work. More than a hundred inscriptions, drawings and names can be found in these basements.

Cooperation

The permanent exhibition was made possible with the support and commitment of numerous institutions. Among them were: the Augustów branch of the Association of Siberian Exiles; the Cultural and Library Center in Sztabin; the “Penetrator” Society of History Enthusiasts from Suwałki; the Suwałki Regional Museum; the Józef Vaina Ethnographic Museum in Puńsk; the Sejny Society for the Care of Monuments; the Augustów Regional Museum; the KARTA Center Foundation; the Białystok Branch of the Institute of National Remembrance; the Augustów Branch of the Polish Numismatic Society; the Home Army History Club in Augustów; the State Archives in Białystok; the State Archives in Suwałki; the Augustów Forest District; the Parish of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Augustów; the Evangelical-Augsburg Parish in Suwałki; the 1st Krechowce Uhlan Regiment Elementary School No. 3 in Augustów; the Maria Konopnicka Elementary School No. 4 in Augustów; the Home Army Elementary School in Janówka; the Siberian Exiles Elementary School in Netta Druga; the Grzegorz Piramowicz High School No. 1 in Augustów.

Curator: Ewa Mazur