Property Damages in the Archdiocese of Poznań in the years 1939-1956

Abstract

Initially, property damages in the Archdiocese of Poznan were difficult to determine. It happened because the things were inventoried carelessly, the parish archives were destroyed and scattered because of hostilities and finally, the painful decisions of communist regime in the People’s Republic of Poland.

In the years 1939-1956 in the Archdiocese of Poznan the temples, chapels and church buildings were destroyed. The interior of the churches were designedly devastated i.e. pews, confessionals, ambos, floors, organs and liturgical things. Polish literary work was underestimated because of racism so most of the parish libraries were devastated. Works of art were destroyed or stolen and then exported. Only a few dozen out of the hundreds of pre-war churches and chapels could have fulfilled the sacred functions. The other buildings needed at least to be cleaned and more often to be rebuild or a thorough renovated. However, many monuments, church things, works of art, books and magazines were saved. People kept and hid these things in their houses even with putting their life at risk.

It should be noted that the scale of destruction and property damages at that time is not everything what happened. Much more important were losses of life in the Archdiocese of Poznan. Almost one-third of the clergy did not survive the war.