Loading

A letter from Zofia Młyńczak to her in-laws written from Siberia, where she had been deported in April 1940

1940-12-01

Polish History Museum

Polish History Museum
Warszawa, Poland

On 17 September 1939 the Red Army invades Poland from the East, thus fulfilling Stalin’s obligations towards the Third Reich stipulated in the secret protocol of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. The Soviet Union’s government declared that the 13.5 million Polish citizens who lived on the annexed land were now under Soviet rule. From February 1940 to June 1941 Polish citizens were being deported in large numbers into Soviet interior. Deportations affected the families of officers, bureaucrats, police, lawyers, doctors and other representatives of the Polish intelligentsia.

Show lessRead more
  • Title: A letter from Zofia Młyńczak to her in-laws written from Siberia, where she had been deported in April 1940
  • Date: 1940-12-01
  • Location: Tutuyas, Novosibirsk Oblast
  • Transcript:
    Dear Parents, Sisters and Brothers, I have already sent a few letters but received no response. So I am writing again. I have been deported to Siberia, have no idea where Kazik is, I’m looking to you to save me. If by any chance you receive this letter, please write back as soon as possible, just to enable me to contact someone close to my heart. I’m having a really hard time, please try to arrange a meeting at the Consulate to take me away from here. If only you could take me from here, I would be grateful to you for the rest of my life.
    Hide TranscriptShow Transcript
  • Credit: Polish History Museum
  • Collection: Młyńczak family
Polish History Museum

Additional Items

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Interested in Performance?

Get updates with your personalized Culture Weekly

You are all set!

Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites