Memory of Władysław żukowski: 80 years after the cold -blooded murder!

Memory of Władysław żukowski: 80 years after the cold -blooded murder!

On March 29, 2025, the murder of Władysław żukowski, a 43-year-old concentration camp from Warsaw, marks the 80th time. The historical incident took place on the roadside near Fulda-Dietershan when żukowski was killed by a shot in the back of the head. This cruel crime is in the context of the National Socialist "evacuation march", which took place in the last days of the war. Historian Dr. Götz Hartmann, employee of the Volksbund Deutsche Wargräberfürsorge in Hesse, will give a lecture that illuminates the dark chapters of this mass murder and conveys details about the death march, which included around 360 men, prisoners of the “Katzbach” concentration camp in the eagle works.

The lecture takes place in the former Heubacher synagogue in Friedensstraße 9 and is part of a memorial week that is reminiscent of the events of 1945. In the march, which began on the evening of March 24, 1945, the emaciated and exhausted prisoners suffered from cold and hunger. Armed SS guards accompanied the march on the way to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Returning or exciting prisoners were shot without hesitation, which illustrates the brutality of this last phase of National Socialist rule. The lecture takes place at 6:30 p.m. and admission is free.

memory and processing

Władysław żukowski was originally buried as a "unknown" at the municipal cemetery of Dietershan. It was not until 1960 that the Ludwigstein war grave stall near Witzenhausen was converted. Thanks to a research project by the Volksbund, his fate was finally clarified in 2021 and his grave was given his name, which is an important step in the processing of these crimes.

The memorial week is organized in cooperation with the city of Fulda, the Heubach Landsynagogue Förderverein and the Hesse State Association in the Volksbund Deutsche Wargräberfürsorge. She traces the route of the death march and recognizes the approximately 70 prisoners who were murdered within five days. A central aspect of the lecture will also include the work of the Volksbund, which actively contributes to memory of the action and gives the victims a voice.

The death marches that took place in the context of the last years of the war are a depressing memory of the crimes of the National Socialist regime. On the marches, countless prisoners were forced to escape into the last storage rooms, often under inhumane conditions. Many survivors of the one -day and multi -day marches found little accommodation or help during their escape. The local population was often not only spectators, but also accomplices or supported the perpetrators.

Together with the memorial week, this lecture will be an important contribution to the information about the events 80 years ago and is intended to address a general public and sensitize the atrocities that took place in secret. Parking is located near the community center on Theodor-Heuss-Straße so that interested parties can take part in this important event.