The commemoration includes speeches, prayers, and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Pawiak Tree Monument, with an honor guard from the military.
The anniversary events will conclude with a concert titled "Pawiak '44," featuring poetry by one of Poland’s foremost poets, Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński.
Former Pawiak prisoner Stanisław Zalewski recalled the psychological and physical torture inflicted by the Germans on the inmates.
"Leave, don't take anything. After a while, the rattle of machine guns told us what happened. Then, a pause, and again just as we managed to fall asleep again. Farewells could only be with the eyes, no gestures were allowed. This repeated every few hours," he said.
The liquidation of the prison began in July 1944 as the eastern front approached. The Germans sought to erase evidence of their crimes. On July 30, 1944, the last transport of prisoners from Pawiak was sent to German Nazi concentration camps, with about 1,400 men sent to KL Gross-Rosen and 400 women to KL Ravensbrück.
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Source: IAR, Radio Maryja
