Burzliwe posiedzenie sądu pokoju w Sztabinie na tle okupacji Suwalszczyzny przez Niemców w latach 1915–1919
The hardships during peace negotiations at the background of the Suwałki Region occupied by Germans in 1915-1919

Summary/Abstract: The occupation of the Suwałki Region by the Germans in years 1915-1919 is an often forgotten period in the history of this region. It is all the more amazing that the activities of the occupation forces were aimed at plunder and repression of the local population. In those years, the Polish-Lithuanian conflict also intensified, which resulted in the outbreak of the Sejny Uprising, which was victorious for Poles. When Warsaw, Kraków, or Poznań exulted with regaining their independence - terror was still going on in the Suwałki region. That is why I wrote this article, to revive the memory of those events. The impulse to write the text was that I became acquainted with the minutes of the session of the Peace Court in Sztabin, which was held on 11th June 1919. On that day, German soldiers entered the building where the court was sitting. They started beating the people who were there and they almost took Judge Leopold Zatryb's life. The angry soldiers first wanted to stab him with a bayonet and then smash the judge's head with a metal crucifix. Only the reaction of the German officer prevented more bloodshed. The mentioned minutes is the most important source that I have used. It is in the collection of the State Archives in Suwałki, along with the rest of the documents relating to the activities of German soldiers. Moreover, the memories of Jakób Rółkowski - the parish priest in Sztabin, who was persecuted by the Occupant, were also very helpful. I also used the works of, among others, G. Ryżewski and S. Buchowski.

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