Type of place

Information about the crime

In 2025, we received a report of an unmarked Jewish grave in the village of Bolęcin, in przysuski district. In February 1943, a German manhunt was carried out against Jews sheltered at the farm of Walenty N. They were most likely escapees from the ghetto in Przysucha or Uniejów: six men and three women, all of young age.

In the summer of 2025, we met with the grandson of Walenty N. and his mother, Walenty’s daughter-in-law, who had been shot during the 1943 manhunt. In addition to the nine Jews, Walenty’s thirteen-year-old granddaughter, Marta, was killed that day. She was the first to notice the approaching Germans and tried to warn her family of the danger. After her warning, Marta’s grandfather and the Jews ran out of the house. Panic broke out, people sought cover. “The Germans started shooting, killing the Jews. Walenty survived because he fled in the opposite direction. Marta ran with her grandfather toward the forest; a German spotted her and fired a burst from his rifle.” She was severely wounded in the legs. Then, a German finished her off. The Germans ordered the residents of Bolęcin to bury the murdered Jews nearby, in a pasture belonging to the village of Wymysłów, where they remain to this day.” (26 February 2024)

The bodies of the victims were buried by local residents in an area that is now forested covered with trenches known as “biedaszyby”, making precise identification of the burial site difficult.

The tragic death of thirteen-year-old Marta inspired the local poet Danuta Ewa Skalska, who passed away in 2025, to write a poem “The Run.” Below is an excerpt:

Auntie, uncle, grandpa

The Germans have sniffed out the Jews.

Run, they’re killing, save yourselves!!

But the machine guns

are already barking like rabid dogs.

Jews, like phantoms, crawl out

of the abandoned old hut.

The village runs into nowhere

in a numbing dance of death.

IDENTIFICATION OF THE GRAVE BASED ON NON INVASIVE RESEARCH

On 23 June 2025, a visual inspection was carried out in the area identified as the burial place of 12 victims. A total of three locations situated in close proximity to one another were visited (GPS: 1. N 51°18.753’ E 020°37.531’, 2. N 51°18.772’ E 020°37.479’, 3. N 51°18.762’ E 020°37.550’).

These locations are densely overgrown, making access difficult. In addition, there are soil disturbances in the form of deep pits (see photos of locations 1-3). Conducting non-invasive surveys to precisely determine the burial site is not possible.

The aerial photography query for this area wasn’t ordered.

Contact and cooperation

We are still looking for information on the identity of the victims and the location of Jewish graves in Bolęcin. If you know something more, write to us at the following address: kontakt@zapomniane.org.

Bibliography

Account of Zofia N., born in 1935, collected by the “Pamięć, która trwa” Foundation on 26 February 2024.

The materials published on this website were developed, digitized, and made available thanks to funding from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage through the Culture Promotion Fund, as well as support from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Warsaw, which also enabled the creation of the English-language version of the website.