“We pay tribute to those murdered, imprisoned, deported to gulags and labour camps, deprived of their homes, robbed and forced into slave labour. We honour the sacrifice, heroism and patriotism of the people of the Polish countryside,” President Andrzej Duda wrote in his message on the occasion of the National Day of the Fight and Martyrology of Polish Villages.
“Today in Poland we are commemorating the tragedy and martyrology of Polish villages. The National Day of the Fight and Martyrology of Polish Villages was established in 2017 in order to commemorate the tragedy of Michniów. On that day in 1943 the Germans murdered 102 people in Michniów,” the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) wrote on Twitter today.
“The massacre was a result of denunciations by German informers regarding the villagers’ ties to guerrilla fighters. On 13 July 1943, Michniów ceased to exist. All houses and utility buildings were burnt down. The survivors found shelter in the surrounding villages,” IPN added.
The massacre was a result of denunciations by German informers regarding the villagers’ ties to guerrilla fighters. On 13 July 1943, Michniów ceased to exist. All houses and utility buildings were burnt down. The survivors found shelter in the surrounding villages. pic.twitter.com/I2WM7OtMDy
— Institute of National Remembrance (@ipngovpl_eng) July 12, 2022
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Michniów and Polish countryside during WWII
A message addressed to the organisers and participants of the National Day of the Fight and Martyrology of Polish Villages celebrations has been published on the website of the Chancellery of the President. In the afternoon, President Duda will take part in a ceremony to mark the occasion in the village of Sochy (Zamojski County, Lubelskie Voivodeship).
“The Polish Republic will always be grateful for their merits in the struggle for freedom and will also always honour the sacrifice they made in those heroic and tragic years. Honour and glory to the heroes,” President Andrzej Duda added.