Witold Pilecki. In Resistance to Hitler and Stalin

Witold Pilecki, namesake, is the only known person who voluntarily went to Auschwitz. Based on his biography, the new exhibition not only talks about his life, but also takes a new look at the history of the Polish underground state and its numerous efforts to inform the world about crimes committed by Nazi Germany.

Witold Pilecki´s life story reflects several dimensions of the Polish experience of the 20th century: Pilecki was at once a victim of two totalitarian regimes, a resistance fighter against them and an important witness to the 20th century.

Witold Pilecki´s life was dedicated to the struggle for a free Poland and the fight against the two great totalitarianisms of the 20th century. We are pleased to present this unique, gripping life story against the backdrop of the 20th century in the new permanent exhibition.

The invasion of Poland by the Wehrmacht in 1939 changed everything. Witold Pilecki was 38 years old when the Second World War began. Formerly a soldier fighting in the Polish- Bolshevik War, he gave up his orderly life as a husband, father and landowner, and embarked on an extraordinarily daring mission. Like in Hollywood, only real: he got himself arrested and taken to Auschwitz, where he organised a resistance movement and informed the world about Nazi crimes. After successfully escaping, he took part in the Warsaw Uprising against the German Nazi occupation regime. In 1948 he was executed by the communist regime in Poland, his body was never found.

Unlike in Western Europe, the victory over Hitler in Central and Eastern Europe did not lead to democracy, prosperity and security, but paved the way for Soviet-communist dictatorships imposed from outside. Witold Pilecki’s struggle for a free Poland was now directed against a communist regime installed by the Soviet Union. With clear-sightedness, he recognised the criminal character of the National Socialist and Communist ideologies. The courage and determination with which he opposed the two great totalitarianisms of the 20th century still inspire us today and make us think about the value and fragility of freedom.