The bloodless saviour of Krakow – Antoni Stawarz ‘I was happy, very happy, probably for once in my life!’ – this is how Antoni Stawarz recalled the memorable day when Krakow was liberated from the Austrians.

Who was Antoni Stawarz?

Antoni Józef Stawarz, son of Tadeusz and Genowefa, was born on 4 January 1889 in Tuchów near Tarnów. Already as a pupil of the gymnasium in Nowy Sącz, he became interested in underground activity for independence. After the outbreak of the First World War, he was forcibly conscripted into the Austrian 57th Infantry Regiment and, fighting on the Serbian and Italian fronts, attained the rank of lieutenant in 1917.

In August 1918, he received orders to move to Kraków to the barracks at Kalwaryjska Street, where he began to gather those willing to fight for independence. In total, he had a few officers at his disposal (Ignacy Śnigowski, Jan Banach, Franciszek Pustelnik, Adam Zapart, Józef Badzioch), as well as around 12,000 soldiers. He also made contact with Colonel Bolesław Roja, who also had an underground group.

Beginning of the fight for free Krakow

The liberation of Krakow began on 30 October 1918 at the train station in Plaszow, where Stawarz informed the Polish soldiers stationed there that a revolution had broken out in Krakow and the Polish Government was taking over. The soldiers pinned on white and red bows, replacing the Austrian bunting. Local railwaymen joined the action and sent out a telegram informing them of the revolution.

The next day, early in the morning, Stawarz sounded the alarm for the unarmed battalion, where Austrian soldiers, upon appearing at the barracks, were surrounded by armed Poles and arrested. At the same time, Second Lieutenant Pustelnik’s troops, with the help of Lieutenant Hustak and Lieutenant Iwaszko, were heading from Wielicka Street towards the Podgórski Market Square.

Antoni Stawarz and his plan…

After marching to Podgórski Square, Stawarz gave a speech and organised a march to liberate Krakow. He then returned to the barracks to form new troops and supply them with weapons. The army was led across the Old Bridge (now Podgórski Bridge) and the Krakus Bridge (now Powstańców Śląskich Bridge) towards the Market Square, disarming Austrian troops along the way and gathering more and more civilians who were rejoicing at the thought of a free Poland.

Closing a chapter of history

The troops reached the headquarters of the Military Headquarters (Militärkommando) in Stradom, where General Siegmund von Benigni, after an unsuccessful attempt to contact Vienna, had to sign the act of surrender, and the Polish Liquidation Commission headed by Colonel Roja took over the city. The liberation of Krakow ended with the changing of the guard at the Odwach on the Main Square. Everything took place without any casualties.

Further fate of the hero

A day later, on 1 November, he was appointed to the rank of captain. On 15 September 1937, he was awarded the Cross of Merit. His merits did not end there. He later took part in the Ukrainian campaign, fighting for Lviv and in the Polish-Soviet War. In 1929, he was discharged from the army. He moved to Prokocim and later to Kraków, where he worked as a clerk in the magistrate’s office. During the Second World War, he was active in the underground distributing underground press. After the end of the war, he took on various jobs, such as in a warehouse and an insurance company. He died on 19th October 1955 and is buried in Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków.

Sources:

https://stawarz.podgorze.pl/stawarz.html

https://krakow.ipn.gov.pl/pl4/aktualnosci/58936,Malopolscy-Bohaterowie-Niepodleglosci-Antoni-Stawarz-1889-1955-organizator-oswob.html

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Stawarz