During World War II, Henryk Sławik coordinated the rescue of approximately 30,000 Polish refugees in Budapest, Hungary. By leveraging his position as a delegate of the Polish Government in Exile, he issued falsified documents to protect vulnerable individuals, including 5,000 Polish Jews, from persecution until his arrest by the Germans in 1944.
Early Life and Political Career
Born in 1894 in Timmendorf, currently known as Szeroka, Sławik emerged from an impoverished Silesian family. After serving in the army during World War I, he joined the Polish Socialist Party. His professional path included working as an editor-in-chief for Gazeta Robotnicza and serving as a city councillor in Katowice. By 1934, he was an established figure within the General Council of the Polish Socialist Party and the Polish Journalist Association of Silesia and Zagłębie.
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Following the 1939 German invasion of Poland, Sławik served in a police battalion before crossing into Hungary. Interned as a prisoner of war, his aptitude for the German language brought him to the attention of József Antall, a Hungarian official. With Antall, he established the Citizen's Committee for Help for Polish Refugees. This body provided essential resources to displaced persons and facilitated the transit of Polish soldiers to join allied forces abroad.
Clandestine Resistance and Death
Sławik collaborated with Zvi Henryk Zimmerman to provide false identities and documents confirming Roman Catholic faith to Polish Jews. These efforts included the creation of an orphanage in Vác, which operated under the facade of a school for children of Polish officers. Following the German occupation of Hungary in March 1944, he organized the evacuation of those under his care. Captured and subjected to torture, Sławik refused to expose his associates before his execution at the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in August 1944.
Fast facts
- Born: 1894, Szeroka
- Died: 1944, Mauthausen concentration camp
- Nationality: Polish
- Key Roles: Diplomat, journalist, politician
- Righteous Among the Nations: Awarded 1977
- Order of the White Eagle: Awarded 2010
Questions readers ask
How many people did Henryk Sławik help save?
It is estimated that he assisted approximately 30,000 Polish refugees, including 5,000 Polish Jews.
What was the significance of the Vác orphanage?
It served as a front to protect Jewish children, disguised as a school for the children of Polish officers and monitored by Catholic Church authorities.
Achievements
- Order of the White Eagle — 2010
- Commander with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta — 2004
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1977
- Worked as diplomat, journalist and social worker
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