Who was Czesława Kwoka?
Czesława Kwoka was a Polish Catholic girl born in Wólka Złojecka on the 15th of August 1928. She was murdered at Auschwitz on the 12th of March 1943, at the age of 14.
Questions about Czesława Kwoka
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How did Czesława Kwoka end up at Auschwitz?
Czesława Kwoka and her mother, Katarzyna, were deported from their village during Operation Zamość and transported through a resettlement camp at Zamość in the General Government. They arrived at Auschwitz on the 13th of December 1942, where Kwoka was assigned prisoner number 26947.
Who photographed Czesława Kwoka at Auschwitz?
Wilhelm Brasse, a Polish inmate and trained portrait photographer known as prisoner number 3444, photographed Czesława Kwoka for the camp's identity records. He and other assigned prisoners were ordered to capture each inmate in three poses under threat from their captors.
What happened to Czesława Kwoka's mother?
Czesława Kwoka's mother, Katarzyna, died at Auschwitz on the 18th of February 1943, less than a month before her daughter's death.
What was the real cause of Czesława Kwoka's death?
Czesława Kwoka's official death certificate, issued on the 23rd of March, falsely listed cachexia from intestinal catarrh as the cause. Reports indicate the real cause was a phenol injection to the heart.
Where can Czesława Kwoka's photograph be seen today?
Czesława Kwoka's identity photograph is displayed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, as part of the permanent exhibit Block no. 6: Exhibition: The Life of the Prisoners, first mounted in 1955. Her likeness also appears in the documentary The Portraitist and in artistic works including Painting Czesława Kwoka and a colorized version by Marina Amaral.