Polish Prisoners in KL Lublin: The Story of Jadwiga Ankiewicz

Free Event as Part of the National Day of Remembrance

The cover of a book featuring a portrait of a young girl and the title “Majdanek. 15 January – 17 May 43. Diary”. Next to it are handwritten notebook pages from the diary.
As part of the observance of the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camps, we invite you to a free event on 14 June dedicated to the story of Jadwiga Ankiewicz—a teenage prisoner of Majdanek and the author of an extraordinary diary, which she secretly kept during her imprisonment in the camp.

Important information

EducationTour
  • Event date:14.06.2026 12:00
  • Place:State Museum at Majdanek
The event is intended for participants aged 14 and over. Advance registration is required.

 

On 17 January 1943, Jadwiga Ankiewicz was deported to KL Lublin. The 16-year-old girl from Warsaw had been arrested two days earlier during a street roundup and imprisoned in the Gestapo prison at Pawiak. From there, together with other detainees, she was sent to the German camp in Lublin. In a notebook that she managed to smuggle into the camp, she recorded information about living conditions, forced labour, and the extermination of the Jewish population.

The event will provide an opportunity to learn about the story of a young girl whose preserved diary remains one of the most important firsthand accounts of camp life, offering a unique insight into the reality of imprisonment from the perspective of a teenage inmate.

Event Programme

  • 12:00 p.m. – Presentation on Jadwiga Ankiewicz and her diary (Auditorium Room, Visitor Service Centre, State Museum at Majdanek);
  • 1:00 p.m. – Joint flower-laying ceremony at the Gate–Monument;
  • 1:05 p.m. – Thematic guided tour of the former camp grounds based on excerpts from Jadwiga Ankiewicz’s diary. Participants will have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the young prisoner, visiting locations that are normally inaccessible to the public, including the area between Camp Fields I and II and Camp Field V.

The event is scheduled to conclude at 3:45 p.m..

 
Black-and-white photograph of a young girl wearing glasses, with her hair tucked behind her ears and dressed in a blouse with an ornate collar.

The number of places is limited and participation will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. The first five participants who register for the event and attend it will receive commemorative souvenirs related to the story of Jadwiga Ankiewicz.

Registration:

“Diary” Available in the Museum Bookstore

 

The book is available in Polish, English, and German editions.

Bookstore
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