Tales from Poland's Dark Past

Piotr Olecki

Polish WWII uniforms

Piotr points out some original photos

The Collection of artefacts include these neatly folded pyjamas worn

by an English prisoner-of-war

Artefacts taken from Toruń's prisoner-of-war camps

Meet Piotr Olecki a German language teacher and the passionate founder of Toruń's Historical War Museum. Locked away and virtually hidden in a small basement in a local high school, one can find the musuem - only a very small percentage of what Piotr owns. As part of his hobby, Piotr has unearthed a fascinating collection of historical war items - many taken from the nearby WWII stalags (prisoner of war camps) that once circled Toruń.

Most Polish people understandably what to forget about the dark past that was WWII. However, there is still immense educational value to be learnt and what Piotr has achieved in his unique collection is invaluable. Often he ropes in help from his students to help maintain the museum...and as a result, they too become interested in history.

We toured the cabinets together and Piotr gave me a personalised account of each exhibit. There were winter snow boots, barbed wire fences, a home-made chess board created by a prisoner and even old cans of Brylcreem used by the English prisoners-of-war. The most shocking item was an old helmet covered in bullet holes. Holding it in his hands, Piotr explained to me that this was worn by a French partisan when he was shot by the Nazis. He pointed to the numerous bullet holes and then to a large gaping hole to the side of the helmet. That was where the Nazis plunged an axe into the skull. You could still make out the partisan's matted hair inside the helmet. A brutal and shocking reminder of the dark past.

The museum is open every day (by appointment only) and is well-worth a visit by anyone interested in Toruń during the Second World War. You can visit their website at: www.museumhw.pl .