Overview
- Description
- The Bronisław Zbigniew Bulkowski papers consist of biographical material, correspondence, a diary, photographs, and documents relating to the experiences of Bronisław Bulkowski, a Roman Catholic man, as a forced laborer for the German National Railway Authorities (Deutsche Reichsbahn) in Altena, Germany between 1942 and 1945. The collection also includes documents and photographs relating to his post-war experiences as a displaced person working for the United States Army in the Kassel and Grohn DP camps in Germany.
Biographical material includes an original and a copy of Bronisław’s report card from 1938, his school ID,
a certificate to certify that Bronisław attended a class in Americanization, and a certificate of literacy
from the University of the State of New York.
Correspondence includes letters from Helena through the Red Cross regarding the health of their family,
post-war letters written to Bronisław and Bruce from family members, and letters written to Wanda
Bulkowski after her husband’s death.
The diary was kept by Bronisław from January 31, 1942 to May 11, 1946. In the diary Bronisław writes
about other forced laborers and the abuse they endured, provides descriptions of digging a tunnel,
working all night, the lack of food, and overpriced bread, and describes accidents that injured and killed
other laborers.
Displaced persons camps material includes identification cards, discharge paperwork, certificates of
screening, and certificates of good conduct relating to Bronisław’s work as a displaced person for the
United States Army at the Kassel DP camp and well as a copy of Bronisław’s identification card and
certificates of work from the International Refugee Organization. The collection also contains a wartime
log which includes a forced labor patch, sketches and drawings, photographs, and entries, dated 1948. - Date
-
inclusive:
circa 1929-2005
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Bulkowski family
- Collection Creator
- Bronisław Z. Bulkowski
- Biography
-
Bronisław Zbigniew Bulkowski (later Bruce, 1920-1996) was born in Ostrowiec, Poland to Wladyslaw Bulkowski and Zofia Noach and was raised Roman Catholic. Bronisław had seven siblings; Zdzisław (Wies d. 1997), Adam, Janek (d. 1999), Helena, Jadwiza, Antonia, and Irena. Bronisław was conscripted as a forced laborer to the German National Railway Authorities (Deutsche Reichsbahn) in Altena, Germany between 1942 and 1945. After the war, he worked as a displaced person in the Kassel and Grohn DP camps in Germany for the United States Army. Bronisław married Wanda and had four sons; David (b. 1954), Richard (b. 1955), Thomas (b. 1957), and James.
Physical Details
- Genre/Form
- Diaries. Correspondence. Photographs.
- Extent
-
6 folders
1 oversize box
- System of Arrangement
- The Bronisław Zbigniew Bulkowski papers are arranged as a single series.
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- There are no known restrictions on access to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- Material(s) in this collection may be protected by copyright and/or related rights. You do not require further permission from the Museum to use this material. The user is solely responsible for making a determination as to if and how the material may be used.
Keywords & Subjects
- Personal Name
- Bulkowski, Bronisław Zbigniew, 1920-1996.
- Corporate Name
- International Refugee Organization Kassel (Concentration camp)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The Bronisław Zbigniew Bulkowski papers were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by the Bulkowski family.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-25 09:52:45
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn565715
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-
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Also in Bronislaw Zbigniew Bulkowski collection
Collection and memoirs illustrating the experiences of Bronislaw Bulkowski, born Roman Catholic on July 11, 1920 in Ostrowiec, Poland, surrounding the Holocaust. Bronislaw was a forced laborer for the Nazi occupying authorities and was conscripted to the German Rail Authorities in Altena, Germany. Between 1942 and 1945, he slave labored alongside other forced laborers. Included is a diary ("Wartime Log") he kept in which he references other slave laborers as well as abuse they, endured, the group digging a tunnel, working all night, lack of food, overpriced bread and accidents that hurt and kill the laborers. In addition, there are documents that illustrate his postwar experiences in Germany as a displaced person working for the American Army. Memoir is of Wies Bulkowski (Bronislaw's brother). The collection also includes a watercolor portrait, a Nazi armband or similar, and a leather wallet.
Leather wallet
Object
Textile with swastika
Object
Nazi-era textile with swastika. Made of ribbon; labeled on back, "Germany 1945."
