In Kuźnice, Zakopane, Friday marked the solemn commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the execution of 20 Poles as a Nazi reprisal for the killing of a German officer by Ukrainian SS-Galizien soldiers.
The ceremony, graced by the presence of witnesses like Stefania Hajdukiewicz, saw military honors by the Carpathian Border Guard Representative Company and contingents from various local institutions. Stefania Hajdukiewicz, who witnessed the massacre as a child, recounted the chilling events: German soldiers forced bystanders, including schoolchildren, to watch as they executed the victims.
Reflecting on the significance, Tatra County Prefect Andrzej Skupień emphasized the importance of transmitting this memory to future generations, stressing the relevance of such remembrance in contemporary times.
The tragedy unfolded on May 28, 1944, when a dispute between Ukrainian SS-Galizien soldiers and a German officer led to the latter’s death, prompting the Nazi retaliation. Today, a monument named “Prometheus Shot” stands as a somber reminder of the atrocities.