- The Silesian House or in Polish, Dom Slaski was build in 1936, just shortly before the war broke out in 1939. The Silesian House as the name might imply, was meant as a place of integration for the Silesian population in Poland. The building kept inside for example rooms for travelers from Silesia and accomodation for students. Also celebration hall and a conference hall were build along with auditorium.

- However everything changed 6th of September 1939 for the people living in Krakow and for the building. That day the German troops arrived to Krakow and shortly behind the armed forces, came Gestapo.

- The Gestapo transformed the storage cellars in the building, into a prison cells. Also the Gestapo offices were located in the upper floors of the building and for the duration of the war, the building came a symbol of suffering for the Polish and for many other nationalities. Interrogations and executions were held in the cells for thousands of people, with or without any reason, it didn't matter. The bullet holes are still visible in one of the cells...

- Today the building is called either by it's original name Silesian House or by the official name: Museum of the Struggle and Martyrdom of the Polish nation. The cells have been preserved as they were and the upper floors contain an exhibition covering the years of Nazi terror from 1939 to 1945. Recently, the museum has also extended it's exhibition to cover the years 1945 to 1956, which mean the period of Stalinist terror. 

- The former prison cells contain still authentic writings and drawings, made by the people who were spending their last few minutes or perhaps the last few days here.

- The story of this place after the war, was quite interesting and I was able to listen it very carefully, as we were the only people here at that time. It seems that not many people visit the place, or then again, it might be that we were so early in the morning here.

- So the story...The building wasn't turned into a museum immediately after the war and actually there has been some kind of warehouse here after the war. However, when the building was turned into a museum in 1981, the drawings and writings on the walls made by former prisoners, were still mostly intact and in good condition. Now those have been preserved and while we were in the cells, there was constantly a person with us, to see that we do not damage the memories from the past. I would wish that they would take a similar care of the Auschwitz writings and drawings...

- I didn't take a single picture from the drawings, as I think that those are something that everyone should see with their own eyes...

...the crying woman in the corridor...

- Another "interesting" detail in one of the writings was the date. The date was from March 1945...

- Remember, the Germans had already left the city in January and the Russians had "liberated" the area, which most likely means, if the date is correct, that when Gestapo left, NKVD came after that and took the premises again in use.