In Oswiecim

An impressionistic description of the camp experience of Xawery Dunikowski (1875-1964), sculptor, painter and educator, prisoner of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp (1940-45). Sculptures full of noble harmony were shattered by the brutality of war. Dunikowski wanted to save his sculptures, so he ran the risk of being transported to the camp. He was sent there in one of the first transports, this is the reason why he was given a low number – 774. A register with his name and surname has been preserved. In the camp, he worked in the kitchen peeling potatoes and in the carpentry shop carving clogs. He spent 40 days in the death bunker supporting other awaiting prisoners. His memories were illustrated not only with works of art but also with camp archives - photos and films showing the liberation, contemporary documentation. He immortalized the faces of his fellow prisoners in drawings.