One of the items on the agenda of the Gliwice City Council session on March 19 this year was the issue of war reparations, raised by a cross-party initiative led by the “Gazeta Polska” club. Civic activists called on city councillors to adopt a resolution concerning compensation for losses suffered during World War II. Signatures were collected among residents who believe that Poland is unquestionably entitled to reparations from Germany. However, the resolution was rejected. Residents present at the session began chanting “reparations” and “Volksdeutsche,” and the meeting was suspended.
Among the losses suffered by areas inhabited by Poles, activists listed the destruction of infrastructure, the plundering of national property, the mass extermination of civilians, and the devastation of the achievements of many generations.
“Despite more than 80 years having passed since the end of World War II, Poland has still not received full and fair compensation, which remains a glaring and unresolved moral, historical, and legal issue,” the proposed appeal stated.
Residents of Gliwice also recalled the tragedy that took place in the city on the eve of World War II. As part of the Gleiwitz provocation on August 31, 1939, Polish Silesian Franciszek Honiok was murdered by the Gestapo. He is regarded by historians as the first civilian victim of the war, which would go on to devastate Poland for five years and spread across Europe and other parts of the world.
The atmosphere surrounding preparations to present the issue at the City Council session was described by “Gazeta Polska Codziennie.”
At the outset, the Gazeta Polska club in Gliwice appealed to councillors to join a nationwide initiative of cities and municipalities expressing support for government efforts to obtain war reparations from Germany.
This is particularly justified in the case of Gliwice, a place of exceptional historical significance, where events preceding the outbreak of World War II became one of the symbolic moments marking the beginning of this tragic conflict. Therefore, it is precisely here—in a city so closely linked to the start of the war—that a clear voice of support should also be heard for efforts aimed at securing fair compensation for its consequences and bringing long-standing efforts to obtain reparations to a conclusion, said Teresa Plewa of the Gliwice Gazeta Polska club while presenting the initiative to councillors.
Councillors were encouraged to adopt the resolution on the grounds that, contrary to common belief, Gliwice was indeed damaged during World War II. “Most residents lost their loved ones as a result of the war. Therefore, reparations should also be considered a local issue,” Plewa emphasized, citing the legitimacy of applying provisions of the Municipal Government Act in this case. “A resolution calling on the government to pursue reparations is a political appeal and does not interfere with the competences of state authorities responsible for foreign policy,” she added during the council session. Similar resolutions have already been adopted by city councils in Lublin, Gdańsk, and Wieluń.
They Presented Strong Arguments
A report on war losses presented to the international community in 2022 by Arkadiusz Mularczyk estimated Poland’s losses at 6 trillion 220 billion 609 million złoty. According to various estimates, damage in Gliwice affected every fifth building—or, according to post-war assessments, even every third building in the city. This included both public facilities and industrial plants. Many factories were dismantled as the Germans fled the city ahead of the advancing Soviet army.
Gliwice is also a city where four subcamps belonging to the Auschwitz concentration camp system operated. Despite the post-war reconstruction of the city, fragments of fencing and a guard tower from one of these camps have survived to this day. Witness accounts indicate that residents of Gliwice were among those forced to work in these camps. After the war, some former prisoners or their descendants remained in the city. “This is therefore very much a Gliwice issue—not only a national one, but also a local one,” the initiators stressed while raising the matter in the local government forum.
In conclusion, councillors were urged to support the civic initiative, presented as an expression of “concern for truth, memory, and justice.” “It is also a clear signal that the local government community we represent stands in solidarity with the state’s efforts to achieve a dignified and fair reckoning with the past,” it was added.
“Today’s decision in the form of a City Council resolution is not solely about material matters. It is above all a symbolic affirmation that the suffering, destruction, and losses endured by our citizens—including the residents of Gliwice—during the war cannot be forgotten or relativized. By demanding due compensation, we stand on the side of fundamental principles of international law and moral responsibility for the consequences of historical events,” the club members emphasized.
In response to these arguments, both residents and councillors also took the floor. However, the resolution did not gain a majority and was rejected by the City Council. Activists from Gazeta Polska clubs gathered at the session began chanting “reparations” and “Volksdeutsche.” After a few minutes, a break was called.
In the Gliwice City Council, out of 25 councillors, 10 represent the Civic Coalition, seven represent Law and Justice, six belong to the Coalition for Gliwice of Zygmunt Frankiewicz, and two represent the New Town Hall grouping. The Mayor of Gliwice is Katarzyna Kuczyńska-Budka, privately the wife of Civic Coalition politician Borys Budka.