Ryszard Gołębiewski (born 1893 in Białystok, died 1968 in Szczecin) was a Polish official and economist,

Home Army The Home Army (, ; 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) established in the ...

officer and underground activist during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Following the German's departure from the city in the summer of 1944, he served as the Mayor of Białystok from August 3rd to 7th, 1944.

Biography

Around 1912, he moved with his family to

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, where he completed his studies in economics at the Kyiv Institute of Commerce. He fought in the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

and the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

, imprisoned several times. From 1920 to 1939, he worked as a department head at the Białystok city hall and ran unsuccessfully for mayor. In 1939, he participated in the

September Campaign The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Sovie ...

, after which he was taken prisoner by the Germans, from which he later escaped. He joined the Białystok District of the

under the pseudonym "Andrzej II" and rose to the rank of captain. At the end of July 1944, he was sent by the

for talks with representatives of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. From August 2/3 to August 7/8, 1944, he served as mayor of Białystok after being appointed in accordance with order issued by Józef Przybyszewski, the

Government Delegation for Poland The Government Delegation for Poland () was an agency of the Polish Government in Exile during World War II. It was the highest authority of the Polish Secret State in occupied Poland and was headed by the Government Delegate for Poland, a ''d ...

-appointed

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

. Shortly after the liberation, he, together with voivode Przybyszewski and representatives of the Home Army revealed themselves to the Soviet occupation authorities in the city. Gołębiewski had already appointed deputies and begun organizing departments within the office. When Gołębiowski tried to discuss city matters with Soviet garrison commandant, Georgy Zakharov, he was replied that he should speak directly to who is "the supreme authority" in the city. On August 8, he was arrested by the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

, after which he was imprisoned in

Kharkov Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

and imprisoned in the camp 170 Dyagilevo next to

Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...

. Being released in 1947, he returned to Białystok, then, fearing the security services, moved to

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

with his mother and worked as a clerk. He was buried in that city. For his underground activities, he was awarded the Bronze and Silver Crosses of Merit with Swords. In 2017, he was commemorated with a commemorative plaque on the building of the Białystok City Hall.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{Authority control Mayors of Białystok 1893 births 1968 deaths Recipients of the Cross of Merit with Swords (Poland) Home Army officers Polish economists World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Polish deportees to Soviet Union Polish September Campaign participants Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War