DANUTA WOIŃSKA

Warsaw, 19 January 1946. Investigating Judge Alicja Germasz heard the person named below as a witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations, the witness testified as follows:

Danuta Woińska, 26 years old, born in Warsaw, daughter of Maria and Józef, residing in Warsaw, ks. Skorupki Street 7, Roman Catholic, clerk with the Polish Red Cross, no criminal record.

In April (23–24) 1945 I was present as a Polish Red Cross reporter at an exhumation carried out by the Department of Health of the Municipal Board on the premises of the second Hala Mirowska [market hall hall] (the one situated closer to Chłodna Street). In approximately the middle of the building, there was a pit with a diameter of about 5 meters. A large number of human bones were recovered from that pit. They were lying in disarray, some bore marks of burning and were partially charred, and on some there were charred remnants of flesh. These remains were recovered partially from the above-mentioned pit and partially from the basements situated next to it. A few intact bodies were also recovered from the basements. The total number of remains was estimated at 185 people.

An elderly lady who was present at the exhumation by chance (I don’t know her surname) told me the following: During the UprisingUprising in Warsaw she was taken by “Ukrainians” from a house in Przechodnia Street, together with other residents. They were ordered to go to Mirowski Square. This elderly lady and another young woman were taken to the building of the hall situated on the side of Chłodna Street. A large fire was burning in the middle of the building. A “Ukrainian” shot this young woman and threw her into the fire. He ordered the old lady to go out.

The witness made the following site plan of the Hala Mirowska [drawing].

I would like to add that I heard from chance witnesses of the exhumation that there are also a large number of corpses to be found in the basements of the above-mentioned hall from the side of the entrance from the courtyard between the two buildings of the halls.

I would like to add that no doctor was present during the exhumation.

The report was read out.