Date of birth:

January 17th, 1925 (Belsk Duzy, Poland)

Date of death:

March 16th, 2005 (Warsaw, Poland)

Nationality:

Polish

Waclaw Kolacz was born January 17, 1925 in the town called Belsk Duży about 50 km away from Warsaw. Member of "Armia Krajowa" (Partizan Army) Grójec Circuit 1940 - 1945. Among other things he was creating sabotage and diversion against the Nazi occupant of Poland, the disarmament of German soldiers and smuggling of weapons for the Polish resistance. Waclaw Kolacz's artistic skills were used to forge documents such as Ausweis and Kennkarte for Polish Jews and other citizens of Poland seeking refuge from Nazi's persecution. He was also making anti-Nazi posters and was involved in colportage of underground newspapers as well as conveying encrypted messages between underground commandos of Grójec Circuit.
After the War in January 1945 Waclaw Kolacz went to completely destroyed Warsaw to help rebuilding the martyr capitol of Poland. He lived and slept in ruins of Warsaw working for few pieces of bread and the bowl of soup a day. He helped rebuilding School of Decorative Art, which at the same time he became a student. Then he attended State Lyceum of Art (1946-48) and finally Warsaw Fine Art Academy where he obtained a Master Degree in Fine Art (1955). After his school years he worked as an art teacher in various schools, he reconstructed mural paintings in Lubomirski's Palace of Mala Wieś, he also worked in the commerce and industrial advertisement sector as well as was an author of book jackets, graphics for newspapers, and numerous oil paintings, and more. He participated in collective and individual art exhibitions and received few awards for his artistic creativity. He married Elzbieta Lutomirski in 1962. He had one daughter Maria born in 1963 and one son Alexander born in 1966. Waclaw Kolacz died on March 16, 2005 in Warsaw suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

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• Photo: Alexander L. Kolacz
• - Alexander L. Kolacz
  - Department of Veteran's Affairs And Persecuted Persons