Kazimierz Turczyński Memorial Oak

The Kazimierz Turczyński Memorial Oak, along with a commemorative plaque, honours State Police aspirant Kazimierz Turczyński, a victim of the Katyń crime, and stands in Plac Wolności in Konstantynów Łódzki. The tree is part of the nationwide programme Katyń... Rescue from Oblivion.

Who was Kazimierz Turczyński

Kazimierz Turczyński was born in 1915 in Dziurów. He joined the State Police at the age of 22, and from 1 June 1938 served at the police post in Konstantynów Łódzki. On 10 April 1940 he was murdered by the NKVD in Kalinin, now Tver, at the age of 25. His body lay in mass graves in Mednoe.

The oak and plaque

The oak was planted on 11 April 2010, on the 70th anniversary of the Katyń crime. It was one of three Memorial Oaks planted that day in Konstantynów Łódzki. The commemorative plaque at the tree was unveiled later, on 17 September 2018.

The Katyń... Rescue from Oblivion programme

The oak is part of a nationwide programme commemorating victims of the Katyń crime, run since 2010. Within it, trees dedicated to people murdered on Stalin's orders in Katyń, Mednoe, Tver and Kharkiv are planted in many towns and villages across Poland.

Practical information

• Address: Plac Wolności, Konstantynów Łódzki
• Getting there: city centre, near Plac Kościuszki
• What to expect: tree with commemorative plaque, a quiet and symbolic place, with no designated viewing route