Artur Rychlicki
Born in Kraków in 1971, he spends most of his time in Katowice. Or perhaps the other way around. He studied philosophy, trained at music schools, dabbled in acting (briefly and badly), worked at heights (briefly), climbs (for a long time and badly) and skis (for a long time and very badly). From the fact that he is a member of the Association of Polish Art Photographers (ZPAF), one can infer that he also takes photographs.For around twenty years, Artur Rychlicki has been running his own workshops in Katowice, which take up some of his time during the week. He is also the editor-in-chief (a title he finds amusing) of the entirely print-based gazeta-fotograficzna.org.Generally speaking, Artur Rychlicki dislikes stupid questions, because when he tries to answer them, he often ends up looking like an idiot himself. By conviction, he is a left-wing conservative.
NOT NOTICING – The Asian Section.
After 17 September 1939, the eastern territories of Poland were occupied by the Soviet Union. Between 1940 and 1941, the Soviet authorities carried out four major waves of deportations deep into the country, to Siberia, Kazakhstan, the Urals and Central Asia. Those deported included settlers, civil servants, military families and a large number of Polish Jews.
The Sikorski–Mayski Agreement granted Polish citizens in the Soviet Union an “amnesty” and the right to leave their places of exile. The Polish Army began to form under the command of General Anders, with assembly points established in Uzbek cities: Tashkent, Kermine, Guzar, Jalal-Abad and Samarkand.
The evacuations to Iran in March and August 1942 involved more than 115,000 people.
This was only a fraction of those deported to the Soviet Union after 1939. Those who survived and left went on to other destinations. Those who remained were laid to rest in Uzbekistan.
The graves are scattered and mostly unmarked. Several Polish war cemeteries have been identified in Uzbekistan, the largest in Guzar. In Samarkand itself, traces of the Polish exiles are reportedly more limited. Some burial sites have been lost forever with the passage of time and the absence of documentation.
