Massacre of Ostrówki
Encyclopedia
Massacre of Ostrówki was a mass murder of Polish inhabitants of a Volhynia
n village of Ostrówki, located in the interbellum in the gmina
of Huszcza, Luboml
county, Volhynian Voivodeship
of the Second Polish Republic
, now known as Ostrowky, located in the Manevychi Raion
of the Volyn oblast
, Ukraine
.
On August 30, 1943, armed members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA) murdered 438 Poles. Among the victims there were 246 children under 14 years of age. On the same day, the insurgents murdered 529 Poles in the neighboring village of Wola Ostrowiecka (see Massacre of Wola Ostrowiecka
). After the massacre, Ostrówki was burnt to the ground, and all goods were looted by local peasants. In September 1943, commandant of the local UIA
unit Lysiy reported to the UIA's headquarters: "I have carried out the operation in the villages of Wola Ostrowiecka and Ostrovky. I have liquidated all Poles, from the youngest to the oldest ones. I burnt all buildings, and appropriated all goods".
The massacre followed a scheme similar to other such events. The village was surrounded by Ukrainians armed with firearms, knives, axes and pitchforks. All Poles were ordered to assemble at a local school, to discuss ways of fighting the Germans. Males were then murdered, followed by women, girls, and then small children. All bodies were then thrown into a pit. Those Poles who remained, were locked in the school, where they either burned alive, or died from grenades. Some time during the massacre, which began at 10 a.m., German soldiers came to investigate the village. Their arrival spurred the murderers to hurry, and a number of women and children were killed in the nearby field. After the Germans had left, the Ukrainians began calling in Polish that the area was clear. Those survivors who responded, were killed.
Polish survivors of the massacre and their families organized the first trip to Ostrovky in 1990. They met with inhabitants of the neighboring Ukrainian village of Sokil, but none of the Ukrainians wanted to talk about it. Tomasz Trisiuk, a Polish survivor of the massacre who was 13, remembers that most victims died due to the use of hammers and axes. Another survivor, Helena Popek, who was then 20, stated that the UIA oppressors at first pretended to be friendly, giving out candy to children and telling the Poles to calm down.
On August 17, 1992, an exhumation took place in what once was the village of Ostrovky. Altogether, Polish scientists of the Medical Academy from Lublin
found 330 bodies, which were reburied on August 30, 1992, on the 49th anniversary of the massacre. All were buried on a local cemetery, and in 2003, a metal cross with a small chapel dedicated to Virgin Mary were erected here.
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
n village of Ostrówki, located in the interbellum in the gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
of Huszcza, Luboml
Luboml
Luboml may refer to:* Liuboml, a city in Ukraine* Luboml: My Heart Remembers, a documentary...
county, Volhynian Voivodeship
Volhynian Voivodeship
Volhynian Voivodeship or Wołyń Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1566 till 1569 and in the Kingdom of Poland since 1569 till the partitions of Poland in 1795...
of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, now known as Ostrowky, located in the Manevychi Raion
Manevychi Raion
Manevychi Raion is a raion in Volyn Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Manevychi. It has a population of 57 411.-External links:*...
of the Volyn oblast
Volyn Oblast
Volyn Oblast is an oblast in north-western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Lutsk. Kovel is the westernmost town and the last station in Ukraine of the rail line running from Kiev to Warsaw.-History:...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
On August 30, 1943, armed members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA) murdered 438 Poles. Among the victims there were 246 children under 14 years of age. On the same day, the insurgents murdered 529 Poles in the neighboring village of Wola Ostrowiecka (see Massacre of Wola Ostrowiecka
Massacre of Wola Ostrowiecka
Massacre of Wola Ostrowiecka was a mass murder of Polish inhabitants of a Volhynian village of Wola Ostrowiecka, located in the prewar gmina Huszcza, Luboml county, in the Volhynian Voivodeship of the Second Polish Republic....
). After the massacre, Ostrówki was burnt to the ground, and all goods were looted by local peasants. In September 1943, commandant of the local UIA
UIA
UIA can refer to:* Inter-American University * Ukrainian Insurgent Army* Ukraine International Airlines* Universiti Islam Antarabangsa* Union of International Associations...
unit Lysiy reported to the UIA's headquarters: "I have carried out the operation in the villages of Wola Ostrowiecka and Ostrovky. I have liquidated all Poles, from the youngest to the oldest ones. I burnt all buildings, and appropriated all goods".
The massacre followed a scheme similar to other such events. The village was surrounded by Ukrainians armed with firearms, knives, axes and pitchforks. All Poles were ordered to assemble at a local school, to discuss ways of fighting the Germans. Males were then murdered, followed by women, girls, and then small children. All bodies were then thrown into a pit. Those Poles who remained, were locked in the school, where they either burned alive, or died from grenades. Some time during the massacre, which began at 10 a.m., German soldiers came to investigate the village. Their arrival spurred the murderers to hurry, and a number of women and children were killed in the nearby field. After the Germans had left, the Ukrainians began calling in Polish that the area was clear. Those survivors who responded, were killed.
Polish survivors of the massacre and their families organized the first trip to Ostrovky in 1990. They met with inhabitants of the neighboring Ukrainian village of Sokil, but none of the Ukrainians wanted to talk about it. Tomasz Trisiuk, a Polish survivor of the massacre who was 13, remembers that most victims died due to the use of hammers and axes. Another survivor, Helena Popek, who was then 20, stated that the UIA oppressors at first pretended to be friendly, giving out candy to children and telling the Poles to calm down.
On August 17, 1992, an exhumation took place in what once was the village of Ostrovky. Altogether, Polish scientists of the Medical Academy from Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
found 330 bodies, which were reburied on August 30, 1992, on the 49th anniversary of the massacre. All were buried on a local cemetery, and in 2003, a metal cross with a small chapel dedicated to Virgin Mary were erected here.
See also
- Historiography of the Massacre of Poles in VolhyniaHistoriography of the Massacre of Poles in VolhyniaThis article presents the historiography of the Volyn tragedy as presented by historians in Poland in Ukraine after World War II. The Massacres of Poles in Volhynia were part of the ethnic cleansing operation in the Polish province of Eastern Galicia and Volhynia that took place beginning in March...
- Massacres of Poles in VolhyniaMassacres of Poles in VolhyniaThe Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia were part of an ethnic cleansing operation carried out by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army West in the Nazi occupied regions of the Eastern Galicia , and UPA North in Volhynia , beginning in March 1943 and lasting until the end of...