1.5 -- The Pawiak

Nos.24/26, Dzielna St. is the location of the former criminal and political prison known as the "Pawiak". It was named after our street because the buildings connect Pawiak and Dzielna streets. It is divided off by a wall several stories high, topped with broken glass and barbed wire entanglements. 

The windows are heavily barred and there is a steel mesh on the inside. There are watch towers on the four corners, manned in shifts throughout the 24 hours by guards armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. Triple bars take the place of an entrance gate to the yard and buildings.

 Now, in addition, the German authorities have installed several kennels for specially trained wolf-hounds.

The prison was built in 1829-35 during the Russian occupation and served

the same purpose between the wars. But now it is the sole

investigative prison of the German security police in the General

Gubernatorium territory.  By a quirk of fate, the prison has survived

the battles for Warsaw. Only the walls bore marks of missiles, bullets

and shrapnel, but it was not destroyed by enemy bombs. Were its walls

so resistant? The women's section of the prison was known as "Serbia".

The Germans began to clear the prison right away and yesterday, for

instance, I myself saw prisoners being removed in trucks covered with

tarpaulins. There were no heads or faces to be seen at the windows. I

was glad, thinking that perhaps they were liquidating the prison.

Although we live on the same street as the prison, it is some distance

away.

Nevertheless, the Church of St. Augustyn stands in the vicinity of

Nowolipki St. and such proximity to the prison is not pleasant for

people.

One day Freda burst into the house in great terror announcing that

during the night many arrests had been carried out. Those arrested were

transported in "budas" (the colloquial Warsaw word for those

tarpaulin-covered trucks) and, according to Freda, were taken to this

prison.

I wonder why? Perhaps because Hitler himself is to visit Warsaw? A

difficult question to answer. This painful and sad news strikes great

fear into the hearts of all Poles.