The first president of the Polonia Warsaw football club, Tadeusz Gebethner, played 137 official matches for the team between 1915 and 1925 before transitioning to his family's publishing business. His life spanned military service, a career as a Warsaw bookseller, and clandestine actions against the Nazi occupation that eventually led to his posthumous recognition as Righteous Among the Nations.
Sports Career and Early Life
Born in Warsaw in 1897 to Jan Robert Gebethner and Maria Gebethner, he attended the school of Emilian Konopczyński and later studied at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. A founding member of Polonia Warsaw, he served as club captain and led the side to become vice-champion of Poland in the 1921 Polish Football Championship. He briefly held an honorary chairman role at Polonia Bytom following the 1921 Upper Silesia plebiscite.
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Upon retiring from professional football at age 28, Gebethner focused on the family enterprise, Gebethner i Wolff. His expertise in the book trade earned him a position on the Main Board of the Polish Booksellers' Association, where he served from 1928 to 1934. During this period, he maintained deep connections within Varsovian cultural circles, counting figures such as Zofia Nałkowska and Władysław Reymont among his associates.
Military Service and Resistance
Mobilised as a lieutenant in 1939, he fought in the Battle of Grodno before being interned in Rokiškis. After escaping to Wilno, he joined the Union of Armed Struggle and later the Home Army in 1941. During the German occupation of Warsaw, he provided shelter, false documentation, and medical support to the Abrahamer family, successfully orchestrating their eventual evacuation to Hungary.
Warsaw Uprising and Death
During the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, he fought with the 3rd Armored Battalion, known as the Golski Battalion. He sustained critical injuries, including the loss of an arm and a leg, during the combat. Following the capitulation, he was taken prisoner to Stalag XI-A, where he died from his wounds on 14 October 1944. He held the military rank of cavalry master (rotmistrz) at the time of his death.
Fast facts
- Born: 1897, Warsaw
- Died: 14 October 1944, Stalag XI-A
- Education: SGH Warsaw School of Economics
- Football Club: Polonia Warsaw
- Military Rank: Cavalry master
- Award: Righteous Among the Nations (1981)
Questions readers ask
What was Tadeusz Gebethner's role in the Holocaust?
He sheltered the Jewish Abrahamer family in his home, provided them with forged Kennkarte documents, and bribed officials to facilitate their escape to Hungary.
How did his football career end?
He retired from active play at age 28 in 1925 to commit his full time to the management of his family's publishing house, Gebethner i Wolff.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1981
- Worked as association football player, bookseller and publisher
- Educated at SGH Warsaw School of Economics
