Władysław Dworaczek (9 September 1912 in Gleiwitz (today

Gliwice Gliwice (; , ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital ...

) (Sośnica) – 22 December 2003 in

Rybnik Rybnik (Polish pronunciation: ; ) is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Katowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 mi) from the Czech Republic, Czech border. It i ...

) was a Polish educator and community organiser, as well as a

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

in the

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...

Biography

Dworaczek graduated from the elementary school in Kończyce, near the city of

Zabrze Zabrze (; German: 1915–1945: , full form: , , ) is an industrial city put under direct government rule in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the western part of the Metropolis GZM, a metropolis with a population of around 2 m ...

, in 1932. He then entered a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

for teachers in

Pszczyna Pszczyna (, ) is a town in Silesia Province in Poland, with a population of 25,823 (2019), and is the seat of a local gmina (commune) and district. It was previously part of Katowice Province from 1975 until 1998 administrative reforms. Etymo ...

in 1938, finishing in 1948. Later he took courses in instruction of Polish language, in

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

, where he subsequently pursued a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

course and graduated in 1951. He later received a master's degree in Polish

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

from the

University of Silesia The University of Silesia in Katowice () is an autonomous state-run university in Katowice, Silesia Province, Poland. The university offers higher education and research facilities. It offers undergraduate, masters, and PhD degree programs, ...

in 1972. Dworaczek began his teaching work on 1 August 1932 in the village of Gaschowitz (then in Germany, today in Poland), working until the start of

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 ...

. During the

Nazi occupation of Poland Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequen ...

he was persecuted. From 1 May 1940 until 20 April 1941 he was a political prisoner in the 3

Dachau Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...

Mauthausen Mauthausen was a German Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with nearly 100 further subcamps located throughout Austria and southern ...

and Gusen. After being discharged and unable to find employment in his field, he became a church organist in Halemba. In March 1945 he returned to Gaszowice, where he became the director of the

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

until his retirement in 1972. He was also a member of the

Polish Scouting and Guiding Association The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (, ZHP) is the coeducational Poland, Polish Scouting organization recognized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It was founded in ...

, with the Scouting Cross No. 11, one of the few that survived the Second World War in

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

Awards

* Order of Polonia Restituta Knight's Cross (Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski) *

Golden Cross of Merit Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

(Złoty Krzyż Zasługi) *

Auschwitz Cross The Auschwitz cross is a cross in front of the Auschwitz concentration camp, in Oświęcim County, Poland, which was erected to commemorate the spot where 151 prisoners (including 80 Poles) were shot by Gerhard Palitzsch on 11 November, 1941. ...

(Krzyż Oświęcimski) * Cross of Merit for the ZHP (Krzyż za Zasługi dla ZHP) * Commission of National Education Medal (Medal Komisji Edukacji Narodowej) *Golden Badge of Merit for the Development of Katowice District (Złota Odznaka Zasłużonego w Rozwoju Województwa Katowickiego) *Silver Badge of Mutual Savings Bank (Srebna Odznaka Banku Spółdzielczego) *Badge of Merit for Rybnik city Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (Odznaka za Zasługi dla Rybnickiego Hufca ZHP) * The Scouting Cross No.11 (Krzyż Harcerski Nr. 11)

External links

History of Elementary School in Gaszowice.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dworaczek, Wladyslaw 1912 births 2003 deaths People from Gliwice People from the Province of Silesia Polish Scouts and Guides Polish schoolteachers Polish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps Dachau concentration camp survivors Mauthausen concentration camp survivors Recipients of the Auschwitz Cross Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland)