Wronki Prison
Encyclopedia
Wronki Prison is the largest prison in Poland
, holding over 1400 prisoners. It was founded in 1889 in the town of Wronki
in Greater Poland
(then part of German Empire
, Prussian partition
of Poland).
n government in Prussian partition
of partitioned Poland
and brought into use in 1894. It was modeled on contemporary American prisons (the Philadelphia System
). Prisoners were employed in production of stockings and in other tasks.
On 30 December 1918 the prison was taken over by Polish insurgents of the Greater Poland Uprising. The prisoners were set free while the prison became a temporary barracks
for the insurgents. The prison resumed operations in late July 1919 as part of the new prison system of the Second Polish Republic
. In interwar Poland the prison was used as a site for political prisoners.
During the invasion of Poland, the prisoners were set free. It was then taken over by Nazi Germany
, first used as a temporary holding place for prisoners of war and incorporated into the Nazi Germany prison system in Reichsgau Wartheland
. Most prisoners at that time were Polish political prisoners; the prison was heavily overpopulated (it was during that time that the highest number of prisoners was reported: 4,358), and prisoners were mistreated. At least 804 people (out of about 20,000 who passed through it at that time) died in the Wronki Prison during German occupation of Poland.
In 1945 when the prison was taken over by the Soviet and Polish forces, it was used briefly to hold German prisoners of war and other German prisoners. After the war, from 1945–1955, the prison was attached to the Ministry of Public Security
and again used for political prisoners. A notable group of prisoners early on was formed from former soldiers of Armia Krajowa
. The prison was still overcrowded, often holding about 3,000 prisoners, and prisoners were again mistreated. About 250 prisoners died during that period, out of over 15,000 imprisoned.
In 1958 a metalwork business was added to the prison.
Currently, the prison employs 400 personnel. Its official capacity is 1474 inmates; overcrowding (in late June 2009 it held 1658; in 2004 it had 1783) is causing concern.
Currently the prison is designed to hold male prisoners serving repeated terms from 3 months to 25 years.
Prisoners are employed by the prison, attached metalwork business and other workplaces, as well as for the town and gmina Wronki
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, holding over 1400 prisoners. It was founded in 1889 in the town of Wronki
Wronki
Wronki is a town in the Szamotuły County, western-central Poland, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship , previously in Piła Voivodeship . It is located close to the Warta River to the northwest of Poznań, and has a population of approximately 11,000...
in Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
(then part of German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, Prussian partition
Prussian partition
The Prussian partition refers to the former territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth acquired during the partitions of Poland in the late 18th century by the Kingdom of Prussia.-History:...
of Poland).
History
Wronki Prison, three four-story buildings in a cross formation, was designed to accommodate 750-800 prisoners, accompanied by buildings housing the guards and other auxiliary personnel, was built in 1889 by the PrussiaPrussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n government in Prussian partition
Prussian partition
The Prussian partition refers to the former territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth acquired during the partitions of Poland in the late 18th century by the Kingdom of Prussia.-History:...
of partitioned Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
and brought into use in 1894. It was modeled on contemporary American prisons (the Philadelphia System
Philadelphia System
The Philadelphia System was a penal system that put solitary prisoners into cells to contemplate their misdeeds and to plot a new life. The results of such solitary confinement included few reformations and numerous attempts at suicide. Pennsylvania built prisons at Pittsburgh and Philadelphia...
). Prisoners were employed in production of stockings and in other tasks.
On 30 December 1918 the prison was taken over by Polish insurgents of the Greater Poland Uprising. The prisoners were set free while the prison became a temporary barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
for the insurgents. The prison resumed operations in late July 1919 as part of the new prison system of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. In interwar Poland the prison was used as a site for political prisoners.
During the invasion of Poland, the prisoners were set free. It was then taken over by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, first used as a temporary holding place for prisoners of war and incorporated into the Nazi Germany prison system in Reichsgau Wartheland
Reichsgau Wartheland
Reichsgau Wartheland was a Nazi German Reichsgau formed from Polish territory annexed in 1939. It comprised the Greater Poland and adjacent areas, and only in part matched the area of the similarly named pre-Versailles Prussian province of Posen...
. Most prisoners at that time were Polish political prisoners; the prison was heavily overpopulated (it was during that time that the highest number of prisoners was reported: 4,358), and prisoners were mistreated. At least 804 people (out of about 20,000 who passed through it at that time) died in the Wronki Prison during German occupation of Poland.
In 1945 when the prison was taken over by the Soviet and Polish forces, it was used briefly to hold German prisoners of war and other German prisoners. After the war, from 1945–1955, the prison was attached to the Ministry of Public Security
Ministry of Public Security of Poland
The Ministry of Public Security of Poland was a Polish communist secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage service operating from 1945 to 1954 under Jakub Berman of the Politburo...
and again used for political prisoners. A notable group of prisoners early on was formed from former soldiers of Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
. The prison was still overcrowded, often holding about 3,000 prisoners, and prisoners were again mistreated. About 250 prisoners died during that period, out of over 15,000 imprisoned.
In 1958 a metalwork business was added to the prison.
Currently, the prison employs 400 personnel. Its official capacity is 1474 inmates; overcrowding (in late June 2009 it held 1658; in 2004 it had 1783) is causing concern.
Structure and organization
The prison has an infirmary, a section for mentally ill patients, a chapel, library, sports center and secondary level educational institution (capacity of 90 prisoners).Currently the prison is designed to hold male prisoners serving repeated terms from 3 months to 25 years.
Prisoners are employed by the prison, attached metalwork business and other workplaces, as well as for the town and gmina Wronki
Gmina Wronki
Gmina Wronki is an urban-rural gmina in Szamotuły County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. Its seat is the town of Wronki, which lies approximately north-west of Szamotuły and north-west of the regional capital Poznań.The gmina covers an area of , and as of 2006 its total...
.
Notable prisoners
- Irena BobowskaIrena BobowskaIrena Bobowska was a Polish poet and member of the Polish resistance. Her callsign was "Otter". Though paralyzed from the waist down by childhood illness she participated in the resistance to the German occupation of Poland, before capture and execution at the age of 28.-Early life:Bobowska was...
- Stepan BanderaStepan BanderaStepan Andriyovych Bandera was a Ukrainian politician and one of the leaders of Ukrainian national movement in Western Ukraine , who headed the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists...
- Wiesław Chrzanowski
- Stanisław Karolkiewicz
- Jacek KurońJacek KuronJacek Jan Kuroń was one of the democratic leaders of opposition in the People's Republic of Poland. Kuroń was a prominent Polish social and political figure; educator and historian; an activist of the Polish Scouting Association; co-founder of the Workers' Defence Committee; twice a Minister of...
- Rosa LuxemburgRosa LuxemburgRosa Luxemburg was a Marxist theorist, philosopher, economist and activist of Polish Jewish descent who became a naturalized German citizen...
- Stefan MossorStefan MossorStefan Mossor was a Polish general. Member of the Polish Legions. In the Second Polish Republic he reached the rank of the colonel. Taken prisoner by the Germans during the invasion of Poland. Joined the Ludowe Wojsko Polskie after the war; was involved in the Operation Vistula...
- Stanisław Skalski
- Carl Maria SplettCarl Maria SplettCarl Maria Splett was a German Roman Catholic priest and Bishop of Danzig, after World War II he was imprisoned in Poland and exiled in West Germany.-Early life:...
- Stanisław Tatar
External links
A Polish prisoner from the time of Nazi German occupation of Poland recalls his experiences in Wronki Prison X sędzią w stanie spoczynku Wojciechem Cyruliczkiem rozmawia Krzysztof Bachorzewski, Gazeta Sądowa, PAŹDZIERNIK 2007 (interview with a former judge and director of Wronki prison)
Further reading
- Excerpt of memoirs from a prisoner of Wronki Prison shortly before 1950: Stéphane Courtois, Mark Kramer, The black book of communism: crimes, terror, repression, Harvard University Press, 1999, ISBn 0674076087, Google Print, p.383
- J. Stępień, Wspomnienia z wiezienia w Wronkach (Memoirs of an ex-prisoner from the Wronki Prison), Rocznik Nadnotecki 21, 1990, p. 63-80
- Zygmunt Pociecha, System Wronki (dot. Centralnego Wiezienia Karnego w latach 50-tych) (System Wronki, concerning the Central Prison in Wronki during the 50s), in ZH (Zeszyty Historyczne) 98/1991, p. 107-137
- Eligiusz Grupiński, Ofiary zakladu karnego we Wronkach w latach 1946—1956 pochowane na cmentarzu parafialnym we Wronkach (The victims of the prison in Wronki in the years 1946—1956 buried on the cementary in Wronki), , Rocznik Nadnotecki 21, 1990, p. 89-102
- Władysław Minkiewicz, Mokotów--Wronki--Rawicz: wspomnienia 1939-1954 (Mokotów - Wronki - Rawicz: memoirs 1939-1954), Niezależna Oficyna Wydawnicza & Oficyna Wydawnicza "Pokolenie,", 1988, Google Print entry
- Tadeusz Wolsza, W cieniu Wronek, Jaworzyna i Piechcina--1945-1956: życie codzienne w polskich więzieniach, obozach i ośrodkach pracy więźniów (In the shadow of Wronki, Jaworzyn and Piechcin - 1945-1956: everyday life in Polish prisons camps and labor centers for prisoners), Instytut Historii PAN, 2003, ISBN 8388909061
- Anna Walendowska-Garczarczyk, Eksterminacja Polaków w zakładach karnych Rawicza i Wronek w okresie okupacji hitlerowskiej 1939-1945 (Extermination of Poles in Rawicz and Wronki prisons during Nazi occupation 1939-1945), Issue 91 of Seria Historia Volume 91, Wydawn. Nauk. Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, 1981