This August, the Polish Consulate in Ostrava solemnly commemorated the victims of the Żywocice tragedy, a wartime atrocity that took place on August 6, 1944. In a statement at the microphone, Barbara Tuge-Erecińska, chargé d’affaires (photo, right) of Poland in the Czech Republic, affirmed, “Their death was not in vain.”
The tragedy, carried out by German forces in retaliation for the assassination of two Gestapo officers, involved the execution of 36 villagers from Životice and its surroundings—primarily Polish and Czech civilians who had resisted signing the German nationality list, or “volksliste.” This remembrance underscores the enduring respect and solidarity with those who suffered during this dark chapter of history.
