Hauls

A precious source of food were also supplies from the factories and companies abandoned by the occupiers. Usually you could find there certain products in bulk. Hauls including butter, cheese, marmalade or lard could be exchanged for other products as part of unofficial trade. What is more, a recurrent theme in post-war memories is a story about German soldiers distributing meat in a slaughterhouse in Garbary in exchange for watches.

Up till then my family’s existence relied on a quickly-disappearing barrel of butter which had been found in a building belonging to the Nazi police. It was melting away quickly because […] I used butter to pay for everything.

Glapa, Adam. 1970, in: Tadeusz Świtała (ed.) The hardship of the first days. Poznań 1945. Poznań: 72.

After removing a substantial amount of bricks and debris [from the old warehouse] we stumbled upon four buckets (…) three of them contained marmalade and one… marzipan. We had a sweet dinner that day: potatoes with marmalade and a serving of marzipan. (…) At the time you could only dream about a slice of bread, let alone meat! Romała, Marian. 1970, in: Tadeusz Świtała (ed.) The hardship of the first days. Poznań 1945. Poznań: 281.

We went to the Soldier’s House. We knew that there used to be a kitchen located on the side of the building facing the yard. Now, however, the whole building lay in ruins. (…) Bread was lying on kitchen racks mixed with debris. We found an empty ammunition box and put eight loaves of bread inside. At home we brushed them so as not to eat sand and plaster. Despite that, however, the sand still scrunched between our teeth. What were we supposed to do? We were hungry…

Gramza, Władysław. 1972, in: Mieczysław Skąpski (ed.) The inhabitants of the Wielkopolska Region talking about 1945. Poznań: 174-175.

Someone said that after the Russians took the slaughterhouse in Garbary you could buy half a pig for a watch. My father immediately went there, taking with him some old watch belonging to my grandpa […] When he was on his way, someone told him that there were Russians near the slaughterhouse, round the corner, who confiscated pigs bought for watches. However, dad did bring half a pig to Niegolewskich [Street] because he knew a shortcut through the yards.

Trojanowicz, Roman. 2015. The chronicle of the City of Poznań 1: 92.

„Głos Wielkopolski” 1945, number 94, from the collection of PAN Kórnicka Library

Danger

The initial enthusiastic welcome of the Red Army entering Poland soon gave way to anxiety. In 1945 the country was hit by a wave of mass acts of violence committed by the Soviet soldiers, in particular sexual assaults on women. The fear of being raped, attacked and robbed is present in many biographical accounts from the post-war period.

Then, when Germans were fleeing, Russians came… Then again Russians threw us out… And we went somewhere in Sołacz. There were abandoned villas there so we went inside. We took something to eat because when Germans were running away, they took only the things they needed most. Some villas were so well-stocked, the pantries, there was everything, all kinds of jars. So we went inside and took it so that we had something to eat […] And then Russians came… Terrible, terrible things… We ran away because they only raped, they raped and we were four sister, all young.

Excerpt from Janina Rozmiarek’s account recorded in 2006-2009. The account comes from the collection of the Poznań Oral History Archive

Hunger

In January and February 1945, during the fighting for Poznań, finding food was extremely dangerous. Most food stores were seized by the Soviet army. Some people used the supplies stored in basements. Others tried to reach the farms in the vicinity of Poznań. However, many rural estates had also been destroyed, whereas the food stored in them was commandeered by soldiers.

Ironically, the city which has a surplus of food supplies is actually suffering from hunger. Stryjkowski, Krzysztof. 2013. Poznań ’45 The last year of the war and the first year of reconstruction. Poznań: 318.

After the fighting in Poznań, severe poverty struck the city. Only from time to time you would go to the farmers in Plewiska and buy milk or eggs. For the rest of the time there was nothing.

Nowak, Mieczysława. 2015, in: Adam Czabański Memories of the inhabitants of Junikowo from the events of January and February 1945. Poznań: 119.

You couldn’t buy butter or bread in Poznań in free trade.

Kraszewski, Tadeusz. 1970, in: Tadeusz Świtała (ed.) The hardship of the first days. Poznań 1945. Poznań: 143.

The food situation in the city was very hard. We would eat groats for the whole day. Bread was served for dessert – February 1945.

Hetmańska, Wiktoria. 1970, in: Tadeusz Świtała (ed.) The hardship of the first days. Poznań 1945. Poznań: 85.

„Głos Wielkopolski” 1945, number 94, from the collection of PAN Kórnicka Library

Clothes

The clothes of some of the inhabitants burnt down along with their possessions. The wardrobe of many people could fit into one suitcase or a bundle. Getting hold of new clothes was not only a matter of money but also skills, creativity and a network of social connections. The first weeks, or even months, after the war were the time when the city inhabitants wore any kind of clothes they managed to find, including parts of military uniforms. Besides, women wore turbans which protected their hair from the omnipresent dust.

You can feel the lack of clothes and shoes more and more acutely. Many people wear their very last items of clothing. If they wish to have them repaired, they are forced to stay at home.

Stryjkowski, Krzysztof. 2013. Poznań ’45 The last year of the war and the first year of reconstruction. Poznań: 339.

I wore fustian pyjama bottoms from the German air force lazaret, some poorish jumper and my husband’s jacket made from a blanket. On my feet I wore male derby shoes and on my head a rabbit fur hat.

Hetmańska, Wiktoria. 1970, in: Tadeusz Świtała (ed.) The hardship of the first days. Poznań 1945. Poznań: 79.

I found my brother and his whole family in good health. He faced the same problem as everyone else: finding food. I borrowed his razer to shave for the first time in days. He also gave me two pairs of used socks. On my way home I was passing by some derelict building [and saw] (…) colourful drapes which miraculously had not burnt down. (…) They were later used to make a colourful dress for my sister! It actually wasn’t bad. Romała, Marian. 1970, in: Tadeusz Świtała (ed.) The hardship of the first days. Poznań 1945. Poznań: 80.

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