Śmierć Antoniego Chmielewskiego. Opowieści o rozbrajaniu Niemców w Chróścinie w 1918 roku
The Death of Antoni Chmielewski Stories on Disarming Germans in Chróścin in 1918

Summary/Abstract: According to the official story, Antoni Chmielewski was shot during the action of disarming Germans troops by Polish Military Organisation in Chróścin near Bolesławiec in 1918. In this paper I examine some alternative stories on his death circulated in oral transmission among his relatives and neighbors. According to the first one, Antoni was merely wounded by Germans, and died due to the lack of professional medical help, resulting from chaos during PMO’s action in Chróścin. According to the second story, he was shot accidentally instead of his brother Józefat, the mayor of Bolesławiec. The chief of German soldiers was supposed to be conflicted with Józefat. Finally, local Jews seen Antoni’s death as a divine punishment for his long lasting quarrel with rabbi. The discussion of these different stories on Chmielewski’s death provides a rich historical picture of Bolesławiec in 1918 and illustrates the fascinating mechanisms of social remembering.

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