E n g l i s h  v e r s i o n

LEAGUE OF DESCENDANTS OF LVOV`S PROFESSORS MURDERED BY GESTAPO IN JULY 1941

55-120 Oborniki Śląskie POLAND - 20^th May 2002

 The President
of Federal Republic of Germany
c/o
H.E. Ambassador of FRG
in Warsaw

Mr President,

It is our tragic duty to remind you, the highest Representative of Federal Republic of Germany and of German nation, of the genocidal murder perpetuated by Germans at the time of the 2^nd World War on our fathers, grandfathers, their wives, sons, a grandson, a catholic priest and their friends.

This crime was arisen from the idea of German suprematism promoting the murder of eminent Polish scientists and academic educators of young Poles, striving to annihilate in this way the intellect of Polish nation.

Here are the circumstances of this crime:

Immediately after Lvov was invaded by German troops – within the night hours on the 3^rd to 4^th July 1941 – a special unit of Gestapo commanded by the SS–Hauptsturmfuehrer Hans Krueger and his deputy the SS–Obersturmfuehrer Walter Kutschmann, assisted by a special unit "Nachtigall" formed of Ukrainians wearing SS-uniforms, brutally arrested a group of professors of Lvov’s University and other academic schools. Simutaneously, they arrested a number of family members and friends found in the professors apartments. In no case a writ of arrest was shown nor the cause and the aim of the detention was revealed.

All arrested persons but one, a professor who declared to be a German nobleman, have been atrociously executed by a firing squad, still in the wee hours of the 4^th July. The execution, performed at the twilight in a dell of the Wulecka Hills was watched by a number of persons from the side of Nabielaka street (i.e. from north-west) as well from the side of Małachowski street (from south). Some of these witnesses identified several victims of this crime known to them personally. The witnesses have been deadly terrified and felt they may also be murdered if they begin to speak about. The wives of the arrested professors, being unware of the fate of their husbands, asked about them at the office of Gestapo in Pełczyńska street where they received a stereotypical answer: „Your husband is in a safe place”.

The crime of 4^th July engulfed a number of family members of the professors in question. Together with them have been arrested and murdered: the wives of two professors of the medical faculty, eight sons, one grandson, one catholic priest and eight friends. It seems probable that the murder of the two wives was stimulated additionally by the greediness of the perpetrators, as it facilitated them to rob the very precious equipement from the apartments of medical professors.

On the 12^th July Gestapo murdered two more professors. On the 26^th July was executed solitary a professor of the Lvov’s Technical University who has been arrested already on the 2^nd July as the first one in this tragical series.

Altogether, in July 1941 Gestapo executed 25 professors. Among them were: 14 ones of Jan Kazimierz University (UJK), 8 professors of the Lvov’s Technical University (PL), 2 ones of the Foreign Trade Academy (AHZ), 1 of the Veterinarian Academy in Lvov (AWL).

Here is the detailed list of the victims of this genocidal crime:

Prof. Dr Antoni Cieszyński, age 59, dir. of the Cl. f. Stomatology UJK

Prof. Dr Władysław Dobrzaniecki, age 44, head of dpt. f. Surgery PSP

Prof. Dr Jan Grek, age 66, prof. at the Cl. f. Internal Diseases UJK

Maria Grekowa, age 57, wife of prof. Grek

Doc. Dr Jerzy Grzędzielski, age 40, dir. of the Cl. f. Ophtalmology UJK

Prof. Dr Edward Hamerski, age 43, dir. of the Cl. f. Internal Diseases AWL

Prof. Dr Henryk Hilarowicz, age 51, prof. at the Cl. f. Surgery UJK

Priest Dr teol. Władysław Komornicki, age 29, relative of Mrs Ostrowska

Eugeniusz Kostecki, age 36, husband of prof. Dobrzaniecki's hausekeeper

Prof. Dr Włodzimierz Krukowski, age 53, dir. of the Chair f. Electrical Measurements PL

Prof. Dr Roman Longchamps de Bérier., age 59, dir. of the Chair f. Civil Law UJK

Bronisław Longchamps de Bérier, age 25, PL-graduate, son of professor

Zygmunt Longchamps de Bérier, age 23, PL-graduate, son of professor

Kazimierz Longchamps de Bérier, age 18, Secondary school-graduate, son of professor

Prof. Dr Antoni Łomnicki, age 60, dir. of the Chair f. Mathematics PL

Adam Mięsowicz, age 19, Secondary school-graduate, grandson of professor Sołowij

Prof. Dr Witołd Nowicki, age 63, dir. of the Chair f. Pathological Anatomy UJK

Dr med. Jerzy Nowicki, age 27 , senior assistant of the Chair Hygiene UJK, son of professor

Prof. Dr Tadeusz Ostrowski, age 60, dir. of the Cl. f. Surgery UJK

Jadwiga Ostrowska, age 59, wife of prof. Ostrowski

Prof. Dr Stanisław Pilat, age 60, dir. of the Chair f. Petrol and Earth-Gases’ Technology PL

Prof. Dr Stanisław Progulski, age 67, professor at Cl. f. Paediatrics UJK

Ing. Andrzej Progulski, age 29, son of professor

Prof. Dr Roman Rencki, age 67, dir. of the Cl. f. Internal Diseases UJK

Dr med. Stanisław Ruff, age 69, head of dpt f. Surgery Jewish Hospital taken from prof. Ostrowski's flat with his family

Anna Ruffowa, age 55, wife of dr Ruff

Ing. Adam Ruff, age 30, son of dr Ruff

Prof. Dr Włodzimierz Sieradzki, age 70, dir. of the Chair f. Forensic Medicine UJK

Prof. Dr Adam Sołowij, age 82, ret. head of dpt f. Obsterics and Gynaecology PSP

Prof. Dr Włodzimierz Stożek, age 57, dir. of the Chair f. Mathematics PL

Ing. Eustachy Stożek, age 29, ass. PL, son of professor

Emanuel Stożek, age 24, PL-graduate, son of professor

Dr iur. Tadeusz Tapkowski, age 44, taken from profesor Dobrzaniecki's flat

Prof. Dr Kazimierz Vetulani, age 52, dir. of the Chair f. Theoretical Mechanics PL

Prof. Dr Kacper Weigel, age 61, dir. of the Chair f. Measurements PL

Mgr iur. Józef Weigel, age 33, son of professor

Prof. Dr Roman Witkiewicz, age 61, dir. of the Chair f. Mechanical Measurements PL

Prof. Dr Tadeusz Żeleński-Boy, age 66, writer, dir. of the Chair f. French Literature at the University, arrested in prof. Grek's flat

 

Katarzyna Demko, age 34, teacher of English, taken from prof. Ostrowski's flat

Doc. Dr Stanisław Mączewski, age 49, head of dpt f. Obsterics and Gynaecology PSP

Maria Reymanowa, age 40, nurse taken from professor Ostrowski's flat

Wolisch, age 40-45, businessman taken from prof. Sieradzki's flat

Prof. Dr Henryk Korowicz, age 53, dir. of the Chair f. Economics AHZ

Prof. Dr Stanisław Ruziewicz, age 53, dir. of the Chair f. Mathematics AHZ

 

Prof. Dr Kazimierz Bartel, age 59, dir of the Chair f. Design Geometry PL, former prime minister of Polish Republic (three times of office)

 

Until now, more than sixty years passed since this monstrous murder of July 1941 has been committed. During this whole period of time no one court of justice has examined the circumstances of this crime. No one has condemned its inspirators and direct authors nor tried to punish its perpetrators. Passivity and unsensibility or a coward attitude towards the possibility to unveil the truth, were the reasons for which neither the Tribunal of Nuremberg nor the court of justice of the Federal Republic of Germany have shown the will to fulfill this fundamental duty.

When in 1960 the widow of professor Włodzimierz Krukowski, doctor Helena Krukowska – despite of considerable difficulties resulting from subjugation of Poland by the Soviet Union in consequence of the Jalta Agreements – put in a demand before the court of justice in Hamburg asking for punishement of the perpetrators, she received, after a delay of five years, the decision of the leading state prosecutor von Below (dossier number: 141 Js 12/65) in which he wrote that he has "put an end to the procedure" "because the German perpetrators responsible for the execution by firing of the Lvov's Professors are not alive what is established with absolute certainty". He reveiled in his answer the deceitful face of this court of justice because in this very period of time the main perpetrator of crime – Hans Krueger – served the life sentence in a Hamburg’s prison for crimes commited on Jews in Stanisławów.

Today, particularly in front of the vision of Poland's accesion to the European Union, the standpoint of the German nation appears to be of fundamental importance.

We consider it to be our duty, Mr President, to direct your attention to the necessity that you declare in the name of the Federal Republic of Germany and that of the German nation, the grief because of the genocide crime committed by Germans on the Lvov's Professors, their families and their friends, and that you condemm its inspiring idea.

Notwithstanding we reserve to us the right to put in a demand before the Highest Court of Justice of the Federal Republic of Germany for idemnification – for the act of genocide crime on our fathers, grandfathers, their wives, sons, a grandson, a catholic priest and their friends as well as – for the long term losses incurred. We intend to use these means for establishing foundations – in honour of the Lvov's Professors – charged with the mission to continue their tragically interrupted rôle.

With respectful regards

The Member of Board The President
prof. Tomasz Cieszyński

Stanisław Grzędzielski
prof. dr hab. prof. dr hab.

The Secretary
mgr inż. Andrzej Chuweń