Sławik and Antall Monument Design Contest in Katowice

, 16 November 2016
Katowice authorities have announced a contest to design a monument to honour Henryk Sławik andi Józef Antall Snr., as part of the current “Year of Henryk Sławik”. During World War II, Sławik and Antall, together, saved 5,000 Polish Jews who had found their way to Hungary.

The monument, hnouring Henryk Sławik (1894–1944) and Józef Antall Snr. (1896–1974), will be erected near the International Convention Centre which is currently under construction.

The Śląsk provincial assembly decided that, within their region, 2014 would be “The Year of Henryk Sławik”. In Wednesday’s announcement, the Katowice City Council stressed that he was one of the city’s history’s most respected figures. They also appealed to schools, cultural organisations and educational institutions to work together promote Sławik and his achievements together with Józef Antall.

Sławik and Antall’s achievements will be related during Hungary Day in Katowice on 29th March. Part of that day’s activities will be the Polish-Hungarian Friendship Chess Spectacular featuring around 500 participants from five countries, including about fifty players from Hungary. A “Poles for Hungary” concert will be held in the Academy of Music. An academic conference, ”Poles and Hungarians During World War I”,  will be held a day earlier, at the Śląsk University.

During World War II, Henryk Sławik served as President of the Citizens Welfare Committee for Polish Refugees in Hungary. He also represented the Polish Government-in-Exile. Exploiting his diplomatic status, he issued false documents to Polish Jews in Hungary, thereby saving them from death. In this way, he saved around 5,000 people. He was aided by other Poles and by the Hungarian official, József Antall, who officially stamped those documents.  In co-operation with priests, Sławik also organised an orphanage for Jewish children, well disguised as a Red Cross orphanage for the children of Polish officers. Sławik also helped Polish refugees, organising their passage to the army in the West.

Following German occupation of Hungary in 1944, Sławik was arrested. Despite being tortured, he never betrayed Antall. He perished in the Mauthausen concentration camp.

In 1990, he was posthumously awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations. In2001, a close co-worker of Sławik’s in the Citizens Committee, a Jew named Henryk Zvi Zimmermann, reminded the nation of his achievements. In 2010, President Lech Kaczyński awarded Sławik the highest Polish award – the Order of the White Eagle. At that time, Józef Antall was posthumously honoured with the highest award Poland bestows on foreigners – the Grand Cross of the Order of Polish Revival.

Source: PAP