Exhibition devoted to Henryk Sławik

The exhibition “Henryk Sławik – forgotten hero of three nations” can be visited for a week at the Katowice Musical Academy. This project was prepared by the office of Marek Migalski, Polish representative at the European Parliament, in cooperation with Stowarzyszenie Projekt Śląsk and Stowarzyszenie „Henryk Sławik - Pamięć i Dzieło”. The patio of the Academy presents boards with photos and information both in Polish and English, devoted to the history of the Righteous Among the Nations.

Visitors will get to know the account of Jozsef Antall, friend and collaborator of Henryk Sławik, delegate of the Hungarian government responsible for war refugees, as well as with quotes from accounts of people rescued by Sławik.

The organizers of this event emphasize the fact that despite the heroic conduct of Sławik, this figure is not famous enough in Europe. A year ago Migalski made efforts to create a Sławik and Antall Award of the European Parliament.

“This award would be given to people who sacrificed their lives to save others and to save values that should remain important to all of us. This exhibition is one of the elements of our efforts to create this prize” – explained Migalski.

Henryk Sławik, called “the Polish Wallenberg”, is a hero of the Second World War, a Righteous Among the Nations. It is estimated that he rescued about 5,000 Jews.

In cooperation with József Antall, representative of the Hungarian government, he provided military internees and civilian refugees with false papers that saved their lives in numerous cases.

Together with his collaborator Henryk Zimmermann, Sławik also helped Jews and organized false documents for them, testifying their so-called “Aryan” origin. He was also one of the founders of the orphanage in the town of Vac near Budapest, where Jewish children were hiding during the war.

More about Henryk Sławik: Postcard with Sławik and Antall and Jastrzębie Zdrój commemorates Henryk Sławik.