Centrum Dokumentacji Deportacji Górnoślązaków w Radzionkowie

About the museum

The deportations of several tens of thousands of inhabitants of Upper Silesia to forced labour in the Soviet Union in 1945 are among the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century in this region. Internees were held in transit camps, including in Bytom, Knurów and Łabędy; after the tracks had been adapted to the Russian gauge, transports set off eastward, often in tragic conditions. Most of the deportees ended up in labour battalions; the first returned as early as mid-1945, mainly older people and those unable to work, and the last in the early 1950s.

For decades the subject did not exist in the media or in scholarship, and memory was kept by the families of those taken away. Only the changes after 1989 made it possible to conduct research and speak publicly about these events. The centre in Radzionków, run by the Centrum Kultury “Karolinka” (Karolinka Cultural Centre), collects documents, memories, diaries, letters, photographs and everyday objects connected with the deportations, and makes them available for educational and scientific purposes.

In the building at ul. św. Wojciecha there is a multimedia permanent exhibition, which is visited in groups of up to 30 people by prior reservation. The centre also organises temporary exhibitions, classes for pupils in grades 5–6 of primary schools and for secondary school students, meetings in the series of oral history, and the social campaign #TragediaGórnośląska (#UpperSilesianTragedy). On selected weekends the centre is also open to visitors outside the usual days of the week.

Key themes

• Multimedia permanent exhibition on the deportations of Upper Silesians to the USSR
• Collection of documents, letters, diaries and photographs of the deportees
• Oral history archive – accounts of witnesses and their families
• Educational classes for schools and meetings with young people
• Social campaign #TragediaGórnośląska (#UpperSilesianTragedy)

Permanent exhibition

• Wystawa stała o deportacjach Górnoślązaków do ZSRR w 1945 roku – The multimedia exhibition explains the history of the deportations of 1945 and shows that the end of the war was, for many Silesian families, the beginning of mass deportations and forced labour.

Founded

2015

Operated by

Centrum Kultury „Karolinka” w Radzionkowie

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: not available
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

One main entrance at the front, with a ramp for wheelchair users and pushchairs; the corridors are wide. The ground floor, where the ticket office, an accessible toilet, the multimedia exhibition and a conference room are located, is accessible. The building has no induction loop or tactile maps, and no parking spaces for people with disabilities are marked outside. Assistance dogs may enter.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

The subject of the exhibition is difficult; children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. The educational sessions are intended for pupils in grades 5–6 of primary schools, for secondary school students and for adults.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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