Mayor honors KZ-surviving Zalewski: a life for memory

Mayor honors KZ-surviving Zalewski: a life for memory

Wien, Österreich - On April 8, 2025, Mayor Michael Ludwig honored the Golden Rathausmann in the Vienna City Hall Stanisl̸aw Zalewski. This award recognizes the concentration camp survivor on the occasion of his upcoming 100th birthday on October 1, 2025. The solemn framework took place in the Red Salon, a historical place where the provisional state government met under Karl Renner in 1945 and signed Austria's declaration of independence.

Zalewski, born on October 1, 1925 in Poland, survived 600 days in three concentration camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau and Mauthausen. As early as the 14-year-old, he was involved in resistance to the National Socialists and was arrested by the Gestapo at the age of 18. After the liberation of the Gusen camp on May 5, 1945, he returned to Warsaw on July 23, 1945.

use for human action

Mayor Ludwig emphasized the need to act against fascist efforts and to work for a democratic Europe. Zalewski himself expressed the desire to create a bridge between Poland and Austria and emphasized the importance of human action. He has been committed to sharing his experiences with younger generations for about 30 years and took part in the demonstration of the documentary "Ambassador of the Remember" during his visit to Vienna. This will be shown in Austrian cinemas in 2024 and used in school lessons.

by high -ranking personalities, including the Kraków city president Aleksander Miszalski and representatives of the Polish embassy in Austria. Zalewski is also chairman of the "Polish association of the former prisoners of the political prisons and concentration camp in Hitler". His stories are a valuable source of knowledge about what has been experienced and are in line with the legacy of the survivors, which is supposed to keep the memory of the millions of victims of the concentration camps.

passing on the memory

According to a document signed on January 25, 2009, memory of the persecution and murder must still be carried out intensively for various reasons - racial, political, religious and social -. The survivors admonish not to forget the story and remind you that the world has learned too little from the crimes of the past. Her demand for a fair, peaceful and tolerant world applies in particular to the young generation, which is called to continue the fight against Nazi ideology.

The commitment of people such as Stanisl̸aw Zalewski and other survivors testifies to the indispensability of the memory. Her stories are stone witnesses of the past and serve as tasks for citizens and states to sensitize future generations and to promote the ideals of democracy and human rights. The long -term preservation of the former camps as a souvenir is essential to counteract any denial and trivialization.

summarized the honor of Zalewski not only shows the recognition of a single life's work, but also symbolically stands for the ongoing obligation to pass on the teachings of history to future generations and to promote a world of peace and freedom.