A film record of the memories of Krakow citizens
about the experiences of 1939-1956
Teresa Siedlar-Kołyszko née Macak
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 the film is Teresa Siedlar. Born in 1929. She died in 2022. She was a Girl Scout
in the Grey Ranks - the youngest age group of Zawisza, nicknamed "Skierka" and "Bystra." After
During World War II, she was a radio journalist. The photo covers her from the chest up. She sits close to the
lens, behind her on the table lies a stack of books and a tall brass candlestick stand. The woman is
85 years old with short curly blond hair and a serene expression. She is dressed in a pink and purple
plaid shirt unbuttoned at the neck.
Throughout the film, she shows footage from her private archive, family photos, and with her scout
troop. 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.
Teresa Siedlar-Kołyszko née Macak
1929 – 2022
Black and white portrait photograph of fourteen-year-old Teresa Macak, later Siedlar-Kołyszko. The frame includes a bust of a woman. The girl has dark, thick eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and full lips. Her light-colored hair is pinned back. She is dressed in a black shirt with small white dots and a transparent ball necklace.
Teresa Siedlar-Kołyszko, family name Macak (born 5 May 1929 in Kraków, died 17 March 2022 in Kraków), daughter of Anna (family name Palczewska) and Władysław. Scout in Zawisza, the youngest section of Szare Szeregi. Pseudonyms: Skierka and Bystra. After WWII a radio journalist.
Teresa Macak started her education in Warsaw. She attended primary school on 98 Szucha Avenue. After moving to Kraków she continued her education at Adam Mickiewicz Primary School (no 13). She attended legal courses run by Ursuline nuns and secret underground courses at Rodakowski’s flat on Piłsudski Street.
In September 1943 she joined Szare Szeregi and was given the pseudonyms Skierka and Bystra. Her group was called Leśne Duchy (forest ghosts), and their leader was Aniela Kinowska, pseudonym Nel.
Teresa Macak was trained in nursing, communication, intelligence, and weapons. She was a liaison and guide for two partisans, Miś and Łobodziński, during their trip from Kraków to a contact point in Siepraw. Her tasks included decorating the Unknown Soldier and January insurgents monuments with wreaths made up of red and white ribbons.
In 1952 she graduated from the Jagiellonian University with an MA degree in Polish. She worked at the Youth Cultural Center on Krowoderska Street in Kraków, where she started a tourism section.
In 1956 she began her career as a journalist at Polish Radio in Kraków, where she worked for 39 years. In the 1980s she visited former parts of Poland in the east to interview Poles who had stayed there after borders were moved at the end of the war.
Teresa Siedlar-Kołyszko is an author of many books and reports about Poland’s former territories (Od Kircholmu po Jałtę, Byli, są czy będą, Przecież tu Polska kiedyś była).
In 1975 she was awarded a Golden Microphone, the highest radio award in Poland.
She was married twice and had two sons and three grandchildren.
Buried on Rakowicki cemetary.
Gallery
Teresa with her father Władysław Macak and brother Leszkek, Warszawa 1935, private property
Black and white photo of six-year-old Teresa with her father, Władysław Macak, and younger brother, Leszek, on a walk. In the background is a busy street with several black vehicles on the street. Next to the street are white tenement buildings in front of which stand tall Polish flags. By the sidewalk small trees and a lamp post. A middle-aged man leads his son by the hand. He is wearing a shirt and tie a long buttoned-up coat and a suitcase in his other hand. He has a pair of glasses on his face a hat on his head and a cigarette in his mouth. The boy next to him is wearing a short coat and beret, holding the hand of his sister, Teresa. The girl is dressed in a light coat and a white beret on her head, smiling.
Terasa’s mother Anna Macak. Kraków 1923.
Black and white portrait photograph of young Anna Macak - Teresa's mother. The frame includes her bust against a dark background. The woman has dark, tied-back hair, narrow lips and soft facial features. She is dressed in a black dress with a square neckline, finished with buttons on the shoulders.
Teresa (third from the right) with scouts of Zawisza. Kraków 1943.
A black and white photo of Teresa with the scouts and Girl Scouts of the Zawisza Troop. They are standing in a meadow against a background of trees. There are 4 teenagers in one group and 3 teenagers in another group in the photograph. They are dressed in shorts and skirts, some have scout uniform tops and others have sweaters.
Teresa (third from the left) with scouts of Zawisza. Kraków 1943.
A black and white photo of Teresa with the scouts and Girl Scouts of the Zawisza Troop. They are in a meadow with trees are visible behind them. In the photograph are 4 teenage girls and 3 teenage boys. There are boys in the foreground and girls in the background. The scouts are posing for the photo, lying and sitting on the tall field grass.
Teresa (in the middle) at her home. Her mother, Anna, and Lucjan Leśniak (pseudonym Zwinny) playing the violin. Kraków 1944.
Black and white photo of a concert at a family house. The photograph was taken in a room, where a white decorative curtain hangs behind a group of musicians. Eight young, elegantly dressed men and women. Playing the violin is Druzhdan Lucjan Pleśniak and Teresa's mother, Anna, standing opposite a man.
Teresa Macak (today Siedlar-Kołyszko). Kraków 1943.
Black and white portrait photograph of fourteen-year-old Teresa Macak, later Siedlar-Kołyszko. The frame includes a bust of a woman. The girl has dark, thick eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and full lips. Her light-colored hair is pinned back. She is dressed in a black shirt with small white dots and a transparent ball necklace.