105-year-old Stanisława Woronis receives the Knight’s Cross for preserving Polish heritage and memory of Koniuchy massacre.
On November 8, Poland’s Consul in Lithuania, Jolanta Wiśnioch, presented Stanisława Woronis with the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, awarded by the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland on October 8 this year.
She received this honor for her remarkable contributions to preserving Polish national traditions and her efforts to commemorate the victims of World War II. The decoration was presented at Stanisława’s family home in the village of Koniuchy, in the Šalčininkai region of Lithuania.
A Legacy of Resistance and Remembrance
During a ceremony at her home, Poland’s consul in Vilnius, Jolanta Wiśnioch, praised Woronis for her vital role in preserving the truth about the tragic events in Koniuchy, where Soviet partisans massacred villagers in 1944. Woronis, who survived the massacre, has been instrumental in maintaining the local cemetery and keeping the memory of those killed alive.
Defending the Memory of Koniuchy
The village of Koniuchy was falsely blamed for the massacre by Soviet authorities, but thanks to Stanisława’s persistence, the true story was eventually uncovered, leading to investigations by Polish and Lithuanian institutions.