Stefan Okrzeja

Stefan Aleksander Okrzeja (born April 3, 1886 in Dębe Wielkie , Mińsk district , † July 21, 1905 in Warsaw ) was a Polish worker, socialist and champion for Poland's independence.

Stefan Okrzeja

Early years and activity

Stefan Okrzeja was the son of a railway line inspector. He worked as a painter, then as an ironworker in several factories in Warsaw. He joined the illegal Polish Socialist Party (PPS) in 1904 and soon became a member of its Warsaw Committee. He took part in many anti-Tsarist demonstrations. During the famous demonstration in Grzybowski Square on November 13, 1904, he was one of those who carried the red banner. He became a key figure in his party's fighting organization. The Warsaw Combat Unit was responsible for protecting workers' meetings and demonstrations and organized attacks on Russian police officers or senior officers. Okrzeja excelled in many combat actions as the leader of a group of ten fighters.

Last action, sentencing and execution

On March 26, 1905, Okrzeja attempted to murder a police officer. He threw a grenade into the police station on Wileńska Street in the Praga district of Warsaw. The explosion destroyed the guard, but Okrzeja was within range. Seriously injured and unable to escape, he was arrested and locked in the infamous Xth Pavilion of the Warsaw Citadel . According to the facts, he had been caught red-handed. The trial in a district court was very brief, despite Stanisław Patek's passionate defense . Okrzeja was sentenced to death and executed soon after on July 21, 1905.

legacy

Through his actions and sacrifice, Stefan Okrzeja became a hero of the Polish Socialist Party and a prominent figure in the struggle for an independent Poland and for workers' rights. The writer Gustaw Daniłowski wrote a short story about his life, first published underground by the PPS printing house. When Poland regained its independence in 1918, Okrzeja was accepted into a pantheon of national heroes. The 28th Infantry Division of the Polish Army and a street in Praga, not far from the site of his last combat action, were named after him.

reception

In the period from 1951 to 1967 the shipping company Polish Ocean Lines put the combined cargo and passenger motor ship MS “Stefan Okrzeja”, home port Gdynia , into service.

Web links

Commons : Stefan Okrzeja  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

• Jan Tomicki: Polska Partia Socjalistyczna. Książka i Wiedza, Warsaw 1983