A film record of the memories of Krakow citizens
about the experiences of 1939-1956
Józef Fiszer
The "Save the Memory" project is a series of video interviews with witnesses of history from 1939-
1956. It was created to preserve the memories and experiences of the heroes and heroines from this
period.
At the beginning of the film. the logos of the Polish History Museum are illustrated, featuring a
yellow crown, gray wings, and the letter "P" in red with the Polish flag in the center. Also detailed is
the phrase ”Patriotism of Tomorrow” with the letter "P" in black. Underneath these icons, there is a
white inscription "Project co-financed by the Museum of Polish History in Warsaw as part of the
Patriotism of Tomorrow program."
The main character of this film is Józef Fiszer. He was born in 1925 and died in 2015. He was a scout of the Grey Ranks, a soldier of the Krakow Grom AK Kedyw, and from 1944 was in the Independent Partisan Battalion Skała AK. An 88-year-old man with short, gray hair and a serene expression, framed to his shoulders. He is dressed in a green polo shirt with short sleeves. He is sitting on a chair in the room. Next to him, on a desk, lies a stack of books, with bright curtains in the background, through which daylight seeps.
During the video, he shows materials from his private archive such as school ID cards, photos of his
family and fellow underground members.
At the end of the film appears a blackboard with the blue logo of the Historical Museum of the City of
Krakow and the white logo of Oskar Schindler's Emalia Factory Lipowa 4. At the bottom is the website address www.ocalicpamiec.mhk.pl and the year of production - 2013.
Józef Fiszer
1925 – 2015
Black and white portrait photo of Józef Fiszer from the 1950s. A middle-aged man, he has gentle facial features, thick, dark eyebrows, and narrow lips. He smiles slightly and looks away from the camera. Only Józef's face is visible in the photo.
Józef Fiszer (born November 24, 1925, in Kraków, died 26 April 2015 in Krakow), son of Franciszka (family name Skwarczyńska) and Jan. Scout of Szare Szeregi, soldier of Krakowski Kedyw Grom. Pseudonym Myśliński. From 1944 a soldier of Partisan Batalion Skała (AK) After WWII he became a higher education lecturer and sewage system planner for Kraków, Poznań and Rzeszów.
In 1939 Józef Fiszer was a student at Nowodworski gymnasium and liceum in Kraków. During the occupation, he continued his education at a construction school.
On the outbreak of war in 1939, his three brothers Stanisław, Bogusław, and Jan fought against the invading Nazis, later joining the underground resistance. Stanisław (1913-1943) was murdered by the Gestapo after escaping from POW camp Dössel near Warburg. Bogusław (1920–1971) was a soldier of the Home Army (AK). Jan (1921 – 1944) joined the Skała Battalion and was killed in battle at Złoty Potok near Częstochowa.
When the war broke out Józef Fiszer’s father decided to stay in Kraków rather than evacuate. He agreed however to send his youngest son to the east of Poland. 14-year-old Józef Fiszer, together with Adam Bielański’s family, left Kraków on a motorboat going down the Vistula River to Józefów and then to Kraśnik.
Years later, Józef Fiszer recollected: I left Kraków at night on 5 September as a young trusting boy and came back three weeks later as a grown-up.
In April 1942 Józef Fiszer joined Szare Szeregi (Bartek group) in Kraków. In 1943 he took explosives training and completed his education at the underground Cadet School with the rank of corporal. He started by taking part in small sabotage actions, which included putting cement into the locks of German-only shops. On 4 June 1943, he was in charge of distributing the underground newspaper, false Goniec Krakowski in the streets of Długa, Krzywa, St. Filip, and Kleparski Square. The paper printed the names of collaborators and Gestapo officers and in 20 minutes, Józef Fisher distributed around 80 copies on Długa Street alone.
In 1944, following the arrest of Szare Szeregi members, he was transferred to the partisan squad Grom, where his brothers had already seen action. Not long after Józef Fiszer found himself fighting in the battle at Sielec. In August 1944 when Grom was incorporated into the Skała Battalion, he took part in all its military actions at Zaryszyn, Moczydło, Krzeszówka, Sadki, and Złoty Potok. That time was a great lesson in my life. Being in the squad I learned to attach proper value to friendship, admire sacrifice, and loyalty to a cause. I learned how to cope with discomfort and difficulties in life. Some days were full of joy following our success and victories but there were also days of sorrow when we buried our friends killed in battle and when we worried about the fate of those who were left on battlegrounds controlled by the Germans. My breakdown came after the battle at Złoty Potok when my brother, pseudonym Łęczyc, and 12 other partisans did not come back. They were killed covering our Battalion allowing us [around 300 partisans – BŁ] to escape a siege. Józef Fiszer served in the partisan battalion until 15 January 1945.
After the war, he studied land and water engineering at AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. He completed his studies in 4 years. He was a lecturer at AGH (1947–1951) and Kraków University of Technology (1963-1992) where he was the head of the Water Management Institute. Between 1950 and 1959 he worked for Biuro Projektów Budownictwa Komunalnego in Kraków and was a director at Wydział Gospodarki Wodnej i Ochrony Powietrza in Prezydium Woj. Rady Narodowej in Kraków. In 1963 he got a PhD from The University of Agriculture in Wrocław.
He was awarded numerous orders of merit: Brązowy Krzyż Zasługi z Mieczami, Krzyż Armii Krajowej, Krzyż Partyzancki, Złoty Krzyż Zasługi, Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski, Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej (2001). Army rank: Second lieutenant.
He was awarded numerous orders of merit: Brązowy Krzyż Zasługi z Mieczami, Krzyż Armii Krajowej, Krzyż Partyzancki, Złoty Krzyż Zasługi, Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski, Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej (2001). Army rank: Second lieutenant.
He was married to Wanda (family name Jaźwiedzka) and had 3 sons and 8 grandchildren.
Buried in Rakowicki cemetery.
Gallery
Józef’s parents - Franciszka and Jan Fiszer. 1946.
Czarno-białe zdjęcie pary w średnim wieku – rodziców Józefa Fiszera. Siedząca na krześle kobieta ujęta do ramion ma krótkie włosy zaczesanych do tyłu, uśmiecha się łagodnie w stronę obiektywu. Za nią, ujęty od pasa w górę, mężczyzna oparty o krzesło. Ubrany w ciemny garnitur, białą koszulę z muszką. W tle stolik nakryty jasnym obrusem z jasnymi kwiatami w niskim wazonie.
Józef Fiszer’s father, head of the Kraków sewage plant. 1946.
A black and white photo of Józef's father Jan Fiszer. The man is middle-aged with a mustache, dark eyebrows with a crew cut. He is dressed in a suit jacket, white shirt and tie, with pince-nez eyeglasses on his nose. He writes with a pen on a piece of paper while sitting crouched over the table.
Józef Fiszer’s mother with her sons in Józefów. 1929.
Black and white photo of Józef with his mother Franciszka and two older brothers on a walk in the park. The boys are dressed in school uniforms. The mother is about 30 years old in this photo and is dressed in a long, simple smock and a black coat. In the background are trees and a random man walking.
Józef Fiszer with his brother Bogusław. Salwator, 1932.
Zdjęcie czterech małych chłopców w odcieniu sepii. Wszyscy krótko przystrzyżeni, ubrani w mundurki szkolne. Józef klęczy, ubrany jest ciemny płaszcz. On i brat mają na głowie berety.
Józef Fiszer’s primary school ID. 1939.
Orange student ID card from the 1939/1940 school year, issued by the Kraków Municipal Electric Railway S.A., signed by Józef Fiszer.
Józef Fiszer. 1940.
Black and white photo from Józef's school ID card. A teenage boy, framed to his shoulders with dark, slicked back hair wearing a dark jacket, white shirt and a tie.
Partisan group Grom, AK. Józef Fiszer’s brother Jan first on the left. 1944.
Black and white photo of five, about twenty years old partisans of the grom AK division. On the far left stands Jozef's brother Jan. The men are dressed in military attire with three holding weapons at their sides. One of them is wearing a cap. They are posing against a background of thickets and forest.
Partisans of Grom and Błyskawica. 28 May 1944.
Black and white photo of a large group of Thunder and Lightning partisans. The men are dressed in military attire and smiling at the camera. Some of them are standing and some are sitting on the grass against the background of a small hill.
Józef Fiszer. 1944.
An out-of-focus, black-and-white photograph of nineteen-year-old Józef Fiszer in a park. The man is standing sideways to the camera, wearing a beret and a military kangaroo-type sweatshirt. To his left on the ground sits three people talking to each other.
Partisans of the Skała Battalion heading for Warsaw. September 1944.
Black and white photo of a group of partisans of the Independent Rock Battalion taken during a march on Warsaw. The group is dressed in uniforms, some are holding rifles in their hands. Some of the men are lying on the ground, between the trees.
Józef Fiszer in the 1950s.
Black and white portrait photo of Józef Fiszer from the 1950s. A middle-aged man, he has gentle facial features, thick, dark eyebrows, and narrow lips. He smiles slightly and looks away from the camera. Only Józef's face is visible in the photo.
Jan Fiszer. C. 1939.
Black and white photo of young Jan Fiszer - brother of Józef. This head shot shows the man has pronounced eyebrows, a strong gaze, drooping eyelids, and narrow lips. He is looking straight into the lens.
Józef Fiszer with his students in the 1970s.
Black and white photo of Józef Fiszer and his four students against the backdrop of the building. The man is about 50 years old, standing in the center, wearing a long black trenchcoat, laughing at the camera. A crooked beret completely covers the top of his head. The group of students consists of three men and one woman. They are dressed in autumn jackets, laughing and talking.
Józef Fiszer in the 1970s.
The photo shows the left profile of the elderly Józef Fiszer. The man is about 60 years old looking away from the camera. He has dark bushy eyebrows, drooping eyelids, and visible wrinkles.