Halina Krahelska (12 June 1892,

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

– 1945, Ravensbrück) was a Polish activist, publicist and writer.

Biography

Halina Krahelska, a member of the

Polish Socialist Party The Polish Socialist Party ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) is a socialist political party in Poland. It was one of the most important parties in Poland from its inception in 1892 until its merger with the communist Polish Workers' ...

, was arrested by the Russian authorities and deported to Russia, where she joined the

Trudoviks The Trudoviks (russian: Трудова́я гру́ппа, translit=Trudovaya gruppa, lit=Labour Group) were a social-democratic political party of Russia in early 20th century. History The Trudoviks were a breakaway of the Socialist Revolut ...

and took part in the

Russian Revolution of 1917 The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

. Afterwards, she returned to independent Poland, where she became a socialist activist, particularly interested in the issues of social welfare (such as

maternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, Paternity (law), paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" an ...

), and an activist of the

Democratic Party (Poland) The Alliance of Democrats ( pl, Stronnictwo Demokratyczne, SD) is a Polish centrist party. Initially formed in 1937, the party underwent a revival in 2009, when it was joined by liberal politician Paweł Piskorski, formerly a member of Civic ...

(SD). She also wrote novels. During World War II, she joined the Polish resistance (

Armia Krajowa The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) e ...

). Arrested by the Germans, she was sent to the

Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a German concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure ...

, where she wrote several works, some related to her experiences in the camp, others continuing her work as a socialist activist.

Legacy

Krahelska died at the concentration camp, 1945. After the war, Polish Inspection of Labor created an award named after her.

Personal life

Coming from a long family line of women patriots, Krahelska was a sister of

Krystyna Krahelska Krystyna Krahelska "Danuta" (24 March 1914 – 2 August 1944) was a Polish poet, ethnographer, member of the Home Army, and a participant in the Warsaw Uprising. Life She was born in a family estate in Mazurki near Baranovichi in the Russian ...

, poet and resistance member who died in the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...

in 1944.Krystyna Krahelska, "Hej, chłopcy, bagnet na broń!"
She was also a cousin of

Wanda Krahelska-Filipowicz Wanda Krahelska-Filipowicz (15 December 1886–1968), code name “Alinka”” or “Alicja”, was a leading figure in Warsaw’s underground resistance movement throughout the years of German occupation during World War II in Poland, co-fou ...

, a leading figure in the Warsaw's underground resistance movement who was a wife of a former ambassador to Washington and who — at the age of twenty — took part in an assassination attempt on the Russian governor-general of Warsaw.Krahelska-Filipowicz at the Internet portal of the Warsaw Uprising 1944
/ref> She was a daughter of Jan Śleszyński.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krahelska, Halina 1892 births 1945 deaths Writers from Odesa People from Odessky Uyezd Polish women writers 20th-century Polish women writers 20th-century Polish writers Polish activists Home Army members Female resistance members of World War II Polish female soldiers People who died in Ravensbrück concentration camp Resistance members who died in Nazi concentration camps