Antoni Dobrowolski | |
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Birth: | 8 October 1904 Wolborz, Lodz Voivodeship, Russian Empire (now Poland) |
Death: | 21 October 2012 Czarnowo, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland |
Age: | 108 years, 13 days |
Country: | ![]() |
Centenarian |
Antoni Dobrowolski (8 October 1904 – 21 October 2012) was a Polish educator, teacher, Holocaust survivor and centenarian. At the time of his death in 2012, Dobrowolski was the oldest known survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. He was also the oldest living man in Poland, though not the oldest living one born there, as Doctor Alexander Imich and Israel Kristal were both older.
Biography[]
Antoni Dobrowolski was born in Wolborz [Polish: Wolbórz], present-day Lodz Voivodeship, Poland on 8 October 1904. The Nazi German authorities limited the education of ethnic Polish children to only four years during the occupation of Poland in order to undermine Polish culture. Despite the ban, Dobrowolski joined the Secret Teaching Organization to provide underground education in occupied Poland, according to Auschwitz historian Adam Cyra. Dobrowolski was discovered and arrested in June 1942 by the Gestapo. He was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he was assigned the prisoner number 38081. Dobrowolski later recalled that "Auschwitz was worse than Dante's hell." He was transferred to the Gross-Rosen concentration camp and Sachsenhausen concentration camp, remaining a prisoner until his release in 1945.
He moved to Debno [Pol. Dębno], Poland, following the end of World War II following his liberation. He worked as an elementary school teacher, before becoming the director of a high school.
He was also the oldest living man in Poland since the death of 108-year old Stefan Modrzejewski on 27 July 2012.
Dobrowolski died in Debno, West Pomerania Voivodeship, Poland on 21 October 2012 at the age of 108 years, 13 days. He was believed to have been the oldest survivor of Auschwitz at the time, though Israel Kristal was later discovered to be older.
Gallery[]
References[]
- Oldest Auschwitz survivor dies in Poland UPI.com, 22 October 2012
Poland's Oldest Living Man Titleholders (V • E) |
Walenty Cabon • Jan Michalski • Frument Jaroszynski • Walenty Tasiemski • Jan Szarpala • Antoni Drewniak • Ferdynand Pacak • Kazimierz Anuszkiewicz • Boleslaw Butrym • Boleslaw Kliszewski • Jozef Jankiewicz • Feliks Kowalkowski • Franciszek Karwowski • Pawel Parniak • Jozef Kos • Boleslaw Adamek • Konstanty Jung • Jozef Szyszko • Stefan Modrzejewski • Antoni Dobrowolski • Roman Krus • Antoni Wojciechowski • Stanislaw Swidzinski • Jozef Plawski • Jozef Zurek • Stanislaw Kowalski • Kazimierz Klimczak • Stanislaw Pelka • Wladyslaw Fidos • Tadeusz Lutak |