Swedish Mountains. Memorising the execution of 6 January 1940.
date:January 04, 2025 Editor: Anna
The alleged Swedish Mountains were located on the border between present-day Bielan and Bemowa. These were semi-circular, sandy dune hills that disappeared from the city's scenery after planet War II – they were planted under the construction of the Warsaw-Babyce military airport. They were the place of independency fights from the times of the Kosciuszko Insurrection and the November Uprising. In the 19th century, in the vicinity of the Swedish Mountains, as part of the Warsaw Fortress, the Russians built a squad of forts. After Poland regained independence, the area was taken over by the Polish Army. It continued to be a training ground, while a modern Transatlantic Broadcasting Radio station stood nearby.
During the occupation, Swedish Mountains and close areas were utilized by German troops. This period besides involves a peculiarly dramatic past – the execution of nearly a 100 people by the Germans during the first months of the occupation.
More than 4 years later, there was a massacre in the fields close Boernerov in the area of the Swedish Mountains, of parts of the “Food” Group withdrawing from Żoliborz to Kampinos. 73 insurgents died at the time. This event commemorates the stone-memory under the figure of Our woman with the kid at the confluence of Westerplatte and Grotowska Street.
On Saturday, January 6, 1940, on the feast of the 3 Kings in the alleged Swedish Mountains, Germany committed mass execution on Polish citizens. Shot people were previously arrested and imprisoned in Warsaw prisons, where they were brought to the place of execution.
In 1947, the exhumation work was carried out on behalf of the military in the Swedish Mountains. The remains of 96 people (including 1 woman) were extracted from the bottom of the natural depth of the area. Victims had gunshot wounds to the chest. Most of them besides had their heads shattered. Before they died, they were wearing bright blindfolds. The bodies were covered with a thin layer of earth. Based on the papers found on the body, only 3 people were identified.
The execution in the Swedish Mountains was the second mass execution in Warsaw after the Wawerian crime, but in contrast to the erstwhile it was practically forgotten. The alleged Swedish Mountains as specified no longer exist. After the war, the area was removed, completely changing its character. It is now the northern border of Bemowa, the area of the airport and game gardens. The execution site was most likely located on the area of today's runway. In 2021, a memorial commemorating those murdered during this execution was unveiled. It is located on the side of Bemowo, at the intersection of the streets of the Silesian Insurgents and Gen. Maczka.
While the relics of both Russian 19th-century forts and Transatlantic Broadcasting Radio station survived in the area of Bemov, the Swedish Mountains disappeared from the scenery of the district. It is worth recalling the rich history, in the tragic part of this place, about which memory practically does not be in the consciousness of the Warsawians.
