“The Black Suitcase. About What Survived from 8–12 Głęboka Street in Oświęcim” is the latest publication of the Remembrance Museum of the Land of Oświęcim Residents. On Thursday, a meeting with the author, Piotr Dylik, was held in the museum’s conference hall. All participants received a copy of the book as a gift.
Author meeting at the Museum
The conversation with the guest of the afternoon was moderated by Piotr Hertig from the historical department of the Museum. Using selected photographs in the presentation, he encouraged Piotr Dylik to share short stories about particular people described in The Black Suitcase.
Among the topics discussed were the town’s kayak landing and the kayaks that in the 1930s were considered a symbol of prestige in Oświęcim; scouting as an organization that strongly united young people; underground resistance activity within ZWZ/AK during the German occupation; and the sources of inspiration for writing the book.
Inspiration for writing the book
“There was simply too much material, too many documents, to just leave them lying around. Among the family albums—which usually contain such representative photos—I found in one of them, between blank pages, a photograph that caught my attention, although not immediately. It was in the format 12 by 18 centimeters, smaller than a postcard. It haunted me, I kept coming back to it. While still working at the newspaper, I scanned it and set it as my computer wallpaper. For several weeks, every day when I turned on my computer, that photo greeted me at work. What caught my attention? Suddenly I realized that in this photo, apart from the Bronowicz and Dylik families, there was Aunt Pola, née Pomietlarz, and Mrs. Janina Kajtoch. The fate of these people, who had already passed away by 2011, intrigued me more and more. That was the turning point,” said Piotr Dylik about how the idea for writing the book was born.
A story about a family and a town
“For its owner, the Black Suitcase is a wealth of intangible values, but also a fascinating family saga whose history begins in 1869 with the wedding of the great-grandparents, then spans World War I, the difficult years of the German occupation during World War II, the period of the People’s Republic of Poland, to present day,” wrote Museum Director Dorota Mleczko in the introduction.
A wealth of materials and photographs
The book has nearly 400 pages and hardcover. In addition to valuable family stories, one of its greatest assets is the collection of over 400 photographs, postcards, letters, and various documents. The oldest published photograph dates back to 1869 and was taken in the Kraków studio of Awit Szubert, a photographer born in Oświęcim. It features Piotr Dylik’s great-grandparents, Anastazja Neuser and Feliks Pomietlarz.
All participants of the meeting received a copy of the book as a gift—more precious by the author’s personal dedication.
“The Black Suitcase. About What Survived from 8–12 Głęboka Street in Oświęcim” is now available for purchase in the museum shop. It costs 95 PLN.
