GHL: I heard from one of the tenants
who had been evicted still would lock the
he could read German as well as
that guns were kept on the window
doors upon leaving. All the carpentry was
Polish due to the fact he graduated
sills of the utility rooms and you're
bent and warped and things kept falling
from secondary school in the Austrian
saying that they were also kept on the
off. There have been no conservation
annexed territory. When they came
balconies?
works for the last 50 years. There has
here, it turned out that people who
TK: We've heard stories about the
been no culture of doing these jobs
had been exiled by the Germans in
balconies. As we were told, after the
professionally. Wood conservation done
1945 had lived in their flat. There is so
war there were trenches and anti-
incorrectly may do more harm than good.
much discussion regarding the exiles
aircraft shelter tunnels laid out in a
The windows were shelled, the building
nowadays and how they were kicked
zigzag shape in front of the house.
was riddled with bullet holes.
out by their fellow countrymen. They
Since this building has no basement, it
left the flat furnished; even leaving their
has no shelter. On the first floor, above
GHL: Someone said there's only one...
personal belongings.
ground level are those utility rooms. The
TK: (laughter) No, there was one bullet
MK: Our parents told us things like
building is situated in a hollow and in
hole here (pointing at it), one or two:
suitcases and bags would be left standing
such a way that the first floor balconies
and they went all the way through. There
in hallways.
are level with the top of the Odra
were smashed cupboard doors, holes in
TK: Pictures on the walls, bits and pieces
embankment. People were mindful that
the walls and one broken window. For
everywhere...
the Odra might overflow, so the building
many, many years these holes weren’t
was also designed to prevent people’s
repaired.
GHL: ...and books.
property from being flooded. The street
MK: When they finally decided to deal
TK: Yes, there were many books in this
level is a bit higher and father on, the
with these holes, it was the nesting
flat. They still exist today: often lent to
ground descends towards the park.
season and residents were also protesting
people. My brothers collected some
In old German pictures it is clearly
because they would have filled up the
of them: me too. They're written in
visible that in this area there used to be
holes with the sparrows still inside.
Blackletter script. Our grandfather would
many ponds which were subsequently
read them and sometimes translate
buried. In our time open drainage
GHL: At the beginning, after the war,
them for the children. Everything that
ditches existed with water gates running
were there many people coming and
was German was considered Nazi, so
towards Szczytnicki Park. Later on they
going?
for example, we would eat the stamps.
were also buried and now the water
TK: Up until 1955 there was a lot of
In revenge. If there was a swastika on a
flows through pipes.
migration.
stamp, we would bite it off and spit it out.
When our grandparents were moving in
MK: We know that from stories we’ve
MK: Or tear them up, one way or another.
they saw the windows, the carpentry and
heard.
I don't know who had lived in our flat, but
all the doors were broken because people
TK: Our grandfather was well-educated:
we found some water colours which I still
WuWA 1929 2014 31