“Pilecki” | multimedia report - Instytut Pileckiego

A soldier who volunteered to be imprisoned in KL Auschwitz, the author of reports on the Holocaust. Today we celebrate the 120th anniversary of the birth of Witold Pilecki. We invite you to see the report prepared by journalists of the Onet.pl website.

The multimedia project, made in cooperation with the Pilecki Institute and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, can be found here: pilecki.onet.pl

Captain Witold Pilecki defied both the Nazi and the Soviet totalitarianisms. He is a symbol of patriotism, courage, love of freedom and solidarity with the persecuted – universal values shared by all people and fundamental to Western tradition. “Pilecki is a modern hero. Even though he is a historical figure, his choices are a testimony to future generations. His courage, valor, faith in his ideals, love for freedom, solidarity with the persecuted and fight for the greater good represent a challenge for our bearing in today's society,” said the director of the Pilecki Institute Dr Wojciech Kozłowski.

The report, entitled “Pilecki”, fuses elements of animation, TV and printed journalism, and a radio broadcast. This modern and immersive visual form is the result of the joint efforts of historians, cinematographers, editors, graphic designers and Onet journalists Mateusz Baczyński, Katarzyna Barczyk-Sikora, Przemysław Mosur-Darowski, Daniel Olczykowski, Szymon Piegza, Janusz Schwertner, Kamil Turecki and Marcin Wyrwał. The report is also available in both English- and German-language versions.

The director of the Pilecki Institute, Dr Wojciech Kozłowski, stresses that the “Pilecki” report  is yet another of the Institute’s efforts to popularize one of the greatest heroes of the Second World War: “we strive to tell his story in a modern way, using every possible means to reach the audience. Examples of this include international publications, including Jack Fairweather's book, of which we are the co-publisher, and exhibitions such as "The Volunteer. Witold Pilecki and his Mission in Auschwitz" at our branch in Berlin. The time has now come for another incredible project: a multimedia report that tells the captain's tale in a way that is accessible for the younger generation and presents his story as something universal. We hope that, by cooperating with Onet.pl, Witold Pilecki's story will become a lesson and an inspiration for future generations.”