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Olimp was a Polish anti-Nazi resistance organization active in Breslau (Wrocław) during World War II.


History

Olimp was formed in 1941 by members of the Polish minority in Germany located in Breslau and Poles from
Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...
. It later included Poles from
Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city ...
(''Wielkopolska'') who were present in the city as forced laborers, as well as those who had escaped from nearby German camps. Some of the members had previously taken part in the
September campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
, fighting against the Germans. The organization was established for the purpose of gathering intelligence and information, carrying out sabotage actions and organizing aid for Polish slave workers. It was connected to the
Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popu ...
Inspectorate of the ZWZ (Polish: ''Związek Walki Zbrojnej'', Union of Armed Struggle), a precursor organization to the Polish
Home Army The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) est ...
. In fact in some German sources of the time, Olimp itself is referred to as ZWZ. About twenty members of the organizations were later sent to the
Gross-Rosen concentration camp , known for = , location = , built by = , operated by = , commandant = , original use = , construction = , in operation = Summer of 1940 – 14 February 1945 , gas cham ...
, forty to Auschwitz and ten to Mauthausen. The main meeting place for the conspirators was at an apartment located on Jahnstrasse 19, at the crossing of the present day Zelwerowicz and Sokolnicza streets. Some of the members of the organization included Stanisław Grzesiewski, Rafał Twardzik, Wyderkowscy brothers Jan and Roman, Alojzy Marszałek, Edward Damczyk and Felicyta Podlakówna-Damczyk.Zygmunt Antkowiak
Wrocław od A do Z
(Wrocław from A to Z), Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, 1991
The coming and going of so many people at the apartment was masked by the fact that it was located above a popular restaurant. The name of the organization in fact came from the locale - the apartment was located on the fifth floor of the building, and according to memoirs of Felicyta Damczyk, early on someone had commented that "it's far to this place like to
Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, ...
!". "Olimp" being Polish for Olympus, the name stuck.Website of Karłowice, Wrocław
Ruch Oporu "Olimp" 1941-1942, Wspomnienia Felicyty Damczyk"
(Resistance Organization "Olimp" 1941-1942, Recollections of Felicyta Damczyk), last accessed 7/16/2010
The organization also helped to hide Poles who had escaped from transports to concentration camps, such as Gross Rosen. Ever more repressive measures against Poles by the German authorities led the organization to expand its operations. In addition to helping victims of persecution, Olimp began gathering information on German troop movements, rail and water transports and investigated the placement of German munitions and supply depots. Members also gathered documents on the production factories of
Linke-Hoffmann Alstom Transport Deutschland, formerly Linke-Hofmann-Busch, is a German manufacturing company originally established in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) to produce locomotives and rolling stock. Its origins lay in the wheelwright business of Gottf ...
and Famo-Werke and took photographs of objects of strategic importance.Instytut Śląski w Opolu
Studia śląskie, Volume 29
1976
Much of the information was gathered by slave workers in various German factories, who passed it on to Olimp's activists. The reports were compiled and passed on to the Polish underground in
Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...
and
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
, from where they were sent through
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
to England.Krzysztof Ruchniewicz
Dzieje Śląska w XX w. w świetle badań młodych historyków z Polski, Czech i Niemiec
Instytut Historyczny Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego, 1998
In 1942 the Breslau
Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organis ...
in coordination with the Katowice unit, obtained information about the organization and its operations. A trap was organized and as a result 400 members were arrested. Men were transported to the prison at Łąkowa street, while women were taken to the one on Świebodzka. Both groups were then tortured by the Gestapo - some of the members sufferend mental trauma as a result. After half a year of torture and interrogations, 20 Olimp members were sent to the Gross Rosen camp with death sentences, 40 were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau and 10 to Mauthausen. Even those who did not have an explicit death sentence were selected out for specially severe treatment and almost all died shortly after their arrival in the camps, usually within a month. One Olimpian, Stanisław Ruciński, survived until May 1944 because the Gestapo believed him to be in possession of information about other underground units, and as such he was left alive until the conclusion of the investigation. Out of the whole group only a few survived. Maria Wyderkowska lived through Auschwitz, while her brother in law, Jan, managed to escape and joined the anti-Nazi partisans in the
Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of ...
region. Felicyta Podlak and Edward Damczyk also lived through the war and afterwards married in a Wrocław church. Thanks to the efforts of Felicja, a monument to the group was established in Wrocław honouring the group.''Damczyk_Felicyta''._Brat_Jerzy_ ''Damczyk_Felicyta''._Brat_Jerzy_Gazeta_Wyborcza
">Gazeta_Wyborcza">''Damczyk_Felicyta''._Brat_Jerzy_Gazeta_Wyborcza
2005


_Monument_in_Wroclaw

The_monument_commemorating_the_"Olymp"_organization_was_unveiled_in_1989._It_was_erected_in_the_place_where_before_the_war_the_tenement_house_where_the_members_of_the_organization_gathered_was_located_(then_Jahnstrasse_19)._The_author_of_the_monument_is_Janusz_Kucharski. In_2005,_the_Szczepin_Housing_Estate_Council_placed_the_monument_under_its_care,_commissioning_cleaning_and_conservation_works_to_restore_it_to_its_former_appearance. At_the_monument,_local_patriotic_ceremonies_are_organized_every_year,_commemorating_the_pre-war_German_Polish_community_and_the_forced_workers_deported_to_Germany_during_the_war._It_is_present_in_city_guides_and_is_often_visited_during_patriotic-educational_events.


_Bibliography

*Polska_grupa_konspiracyjna_"Olimp"_w_wojennym_Wrocławiu_(Polish_underground_organization_"Olimp"_in_wartime_Wrocław)._Alfred_Konieczny._Wydawn._Dolnośląskie,_1989 *Niewolnicy_w_Breslau,_wolni_we_Wrocławiu:_wspomnienia_Polaków_wojennego_Wrocławia_(Slaves_in_Breslau,_free_in_Wrocław:_memoirs_of_Poles_in_wartime_Wrocław)._Anna_Kosmulska,_Wratislavia_1995


_References

{{reflist.html" ;"title="Gazeta_Wyborcza
.html" ;"title="Gazeta Wyborcza">''Damczyk Felicyta''. Brat Jerzy Gazeta Wyborcza
">Gazeta Wyborcza">''Damczyk Felicyta''. Brat Jerzy Gazeta Wyborcza
2005


Monument in Wroclaw

The monument commemorating the "Olymp" organization was unveiled in 1989. It was erected in the place where before the war the tenement house where the members of the organization gathered was located (then Jahnstrasse 19). The author of the monument is Janusz Kucharski. In 2005, the Szczepin Housing Estate Council placed the monument under its care, commissioning cleaning and conservation works to restore it to its former appearance. At the monument, local patriotic ceremonies are organized every year, commemorating the pre-war German Polish community and the forced workers deported to Germany during the war. It is present in city guides and is often visited during patriotic-educational events.


Bibliography

*Polska grupa konspiracyjna "Olimp" w wojennym Wrocławiu (Polish underground organization "Olimp" in wartime Wrocław). Alfred Konieczny. Wydawn. Dolnośląskie, 1989 *Niewolnicy w Breslau, wolni we Wrocławiu: wspomnienia Polaków wojennego Wrocławia (Slaves in Breslau, free in Wrocław: memoirs of Poles in wartime Wrocław). Anna Kosmulska, Wratislavia 1995


References

{{reflist">2 Polish underground organisations during World War II World War II resistance movements Organisations based in Wrocław History of Wrocław