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- The Girls of Handlówka in Cieszyn: A 1936 Memorial
- List of Signatures in the Album
- List of Signatures in the album (transcript)
- Farewell poem for my mother in the album written by the girls of Class III.B
- Polish transcription from the scan for accessibility
- English translation
- Local Cieszyn Dialect in the Farewell Poem
- Local landmarks of Cieszyn mentioned in the Farewell Poem
- Student nicknames mentioned in the Farewell Poem
- Teacher's Nicknames in the Farewell Poem
- Identifying the Teachers From Their Nicknames
- Possible Jewish Female Students of Class III.B (1936)
- Photo Gallery of Identified Students – Handlówka in Cieszyn Class III.B of 1936
- The Lesson Plan (Plan nauki) at the Handlówka in Cieszyn
- The Lesson Plan (only for Class III.B) at the Handlówka in Cieszyn (for accessibility)
- The Final Graduation Exams at the Handlówka in Cieszyn
- Graduation list at the Handlówka in Cieszyn
- List of Graduating female Students
- List of Male Graduates from Class III
- The Remaining Students from the Handlówka in Cieszyn
- Photo Gallery of Unidentified or Partially Identified Students
- History of The Handlówka in Cieszyn
- The Vanished World of Cieszyn’s Jewish Students
This post has a companion piece: Salomea Berlińska | From a Cieszyn Schoolroom to the Kraków Ghetto?
The Girls of Handlówka in Cieszyn: A 1936 Memorial
Dziewczęta z „Handlówki”: Memoriał Rocznika 1936
The Right to be Remembered
Introduction in English
This project focuses on a pre-war photo album that belonged to my mother, Aniela Szkawran (1919-2014), who studied at the Państwowa Szkoła Handlowa (State School of Commerce), commonly known as the Handlówka in Cieszyn, Poland. The first page of the album has a handwritten dedication from 1936 (shown above), signed by seventeen of her female classmates.
All her life, my mother looked at these photographs with a quiet sadness. She often said that many girls in her class were Jewish, and she believed most of those girls in the photos were murdered during the Nazi occupation of Cieszyn Silesia.
For decades, these faces remained anonymous, hidden in a private family archive. However, my recent research has revealed that many of the girls wrote their names on the backs of their portraits. I am currently working to carefully document this information and match the names to the individual photographs.
The purpose of this post is to share these names and faces beyond a private album. By publishing this list, I hope a descendant, somewhere in the world, will find the only surviving photo of an ancestor they never met.
This project is still ongoing. If you recognise a family name from the list below or have any information about the 1936 Handlówka class III.B, please get in touch with me.
Wprowadzenie w języku polskim
Projekt ten opiera się na przedwojennym albumie fotograficznym mojej matki (Aniela Szkawran 1919-2014), która była uczennicą Państwowej Szkoły Handlowej w Cieszynie, znanej powszechnie jako „Handlówka”. Na pierwszej stronie albumu znajduje się odręczna dedykacja z 1936 r. (widoczna powyżej), podpisana przez siedemnaście koleżanek z jej klasy.
Moja matka przez całe życie patrzyła na te zdjęcia z cichym smutkiem. Często powtarzała, że wiele dziewcząt w jej klasie było Żydówkami i uważała, że większość z nich została zamordowana podczas nazistowskiej okupacji Śląska Cieszyńskiego.
Przez dziesięciolecia twarze te pozostawały anonimowe, ukryte w prywatnym rodzinnym archiwum. Moje ostatnie badania pozwoliły jednak odkryć, że wiele dziewcząt zapisało swoje nazwiska na odwrocie portretów. Obecnie pracuję nad starannym udokumentowaniem tych danych i dopasowaniem nazwisk do poszczególnych fotografii.
Cel projektu. Moim celem jest przywrócenie tych nazwisk i twarzy do przestrzeni publicznej. Mam nadzieję, że dzięki publikacji tej listy, potomkowie w innej części świata – odnajdą jedyny ocalały wizerunek krewnej, której nigdy nie dane im było poznać.
Projekt ten jest w toku. Jeśli rozpoznają Państwo nazwisko rodowe z poniższej listy lub posiadają jakiekolwiek informacje dotyczące rocznika 1936 III.B z cieszyńskiej „Handlówki”, proszę o kontakt.
My contact link is at the bottom of this post, should you wish to contact me privately. You can write to me in English or Polish, and my name is Andrzej.
Comments are welcome. I would love to hear from you in the comments section below.
List of Signatures in the Album
The list below is a transcript of the signatures on the dedication to The Girls of Handlówka Class III.B, exactly as shown in the scan above. The names after the slash are in the order first name, then last name.
List of Signatures in the album (transcript)
- Adamkówna Merry [Mery Adamko]
- Berlińska Sala / Sala Berlińska
- Onderkówna Henryka / Henryka Onderko
- Heblówna Emilja / Emilia Hebel
- Głuszkówna Janina / Janina Głuszko
- Kasparkówna Ernestyna / Ernestyna Kaspar
- Kudłacikówna Hilda / Hilda Kudłacik
- Kożdoniówna Elza / Elza Kożdoń
- Kudrzykówna Truda / Truda Kudrzyk
- Kunzówna Marja / Marja Kunz
- Pilarówna Jana / Janina Pilar
- Raszkówna Helena / Helena Raszka
- Rauziánka Emilja / Emilia Rauzińska
- Sitkówna Krystyna / Krystyna Sitek
- Siotrzonkówna Zofja / Zofia Siostrzonek
- Schohauptówna Hilda / Hilda Schohaupt
- Wankówna Ela / Ela Wanka
Farewell poem for my mother in the album written by the girls of Class III.B
The farewell poem shown above is a classic example of pre-war student humour, filled with school slang, nicknames for teachers, and local Cieszyn dialect.
Polish transcription from the scan for accessibility
KLASA III.B – Dla NELCI!
Trzy razy roczek odmienił się złoty, Jak tu w tej handlówce złożyłaś swe loty, Prócz Ciebie było nas dwadzieścia cztery: Trzy Janki, dwie Ele i Salcze i Mery.
Dawniej, co rano chodziłyśmy razem za miasto pod cmentarz, na wzgórek, A tam po dzwonku / Maczugi rozkazem / Słuchałyśmy twierdzeń fizycznych jak “Turek”, Pan profesor “Matyk” miał wica za uchem, Wprawdzie mały ciałem, zato wielki duchem.
Zaś bryle na nosie, z oczu iskry ciskał z kołnierza krawatka wystawa, To zdenerwowany pan “Stenografista”
Niczem chodząca powaga.
Tam to cudownym Młodości rozkazem Chodziłyśmy szwęcnąć se pod “Trzecim Jazem”, Albong angielskiem skiem, gdy zadanie szkolne, Robiłyśmy sobie nielegalne wolne.
Pomnij! Tyle pięknych chwil dała nam buda, A teraz czyż wszystko ma to być ułuda? Mundurek, numerek, na berecie znaczek, Niechaj te symbole morowych trzeciaczek Przypomną Ci radosne i beztroskie chwile,
Podczas których dwói zbeirałyśmy tyle, A gdy codzień będziesz musiała pracować, Pomnij, że nie będziesz już mogła szwencować, I że nie wyśpisz już nigdy swobodnie, Jak to u nas było na fizyce modne.
Zatem, kiedy już tak musimy się rozstać, Wiedz, że w naszych duszach będzie Twoja postać
Wyryta na zawsze złotemi litery.-
I pamiętaj o nas! We love you much very! A więc na początku Twojej nowej ery Życzymy Ci szczęścia ………..no i – Karjery!
English translation
Class III.B – For Nelcia!
Three times the golden year has turned, Since you took flight here in this Handlówka. Besides you, there were twenty-four of us: Three Janas, two Elas, and Salcia, and Mery.
Before, every morning we walked together Outside the town, past the cemetery, up the hill, And there, after the bell rang / by Maczuga’s command / We listened to physics theorems like “The Turk.”
Professor “Matyk” ready with a joke behind his ear, Small in body, but great in spirit, With spectacles on his nose, sparks flying from his eyes, And a tie sticking out from his collar.
Then there was the nervous Mr “Stenographer,” The very definition of walking gravity. There, by the wonderful command of Youth, We went to loiter by the “Third Weir” , Or during English class, when there was schoolwork to do, We took ourselves an illegal holiday.
Remember! This school gave us so many beautiful moments, And now, is it all to be just an illusion? The uniform, the ID number, the badge on the beret – Let these symbols of us cool third-graders remind you of joyful and carefree times, During which we collected so many failing grades.
And when you have to work every single day, Remember that you won’t be able to loiter any more, and that you’ll never sleep as freely again, As was the fashion for us during Physics class.
And so, since we must part this way, Know that your image will remain in our souls, Engraved forever in letters of gold. And remember us! We love you much very! And so, at the start of your new era, We wish you happiness – and – a career!
“We love you much very!”: This is charming. Since the poem mentions skipping English class to take an “illegal holiday,” this broken English line was likely an inside joke among the girls about their language lessons.
Local Cieszyn Dialect in the Farewell Poem
- Wic. A joke.
- Bryle. Spectacles.
- Morowych: to be cool.
- Szwęcnąć. To loiter, wander aimlessly, or “hang out.”
- Trzeci Jaz. The “Third Weir”.
Local landmarks of Cieszyn mentioned in the Farewell Poem
- Trzeci Jaz. The “Third Weir”. This is a specific and significant landmark on the River Olza of the pre-war social and cultural landscape of Cieszyn.
- The cemetery. This may refer to the old and new Jewish Cemeteries on Hażlaska Street. Today, they are around a 20-minute walk from the school. These cemeteries contain many historic matzevot (tombstones) that survived the war, providing a direct link to the community’s pre-war history. The cemeteries are characterised by their old trees and a quiet, contemplative atmosphere.
Student nicknames mentioned in the Farewell Poem
“Salcia and Mery”: This confirms that Sala Berlińska and Merry Adamko were close enough to the core group to be mentioned by their nicknames in the poem. Note: Mery’s signature shown in the first scan above reads Merry. This is most likely a westernised form of Mery.
Teacher’s Nicknames in the Farewell Poem
“Maczuga” (The Club/Mace), “Matyk,” and “Mr Stenografista” are almost certainly nicknames for their actual teachers.
Identifying the Teachers From Their Nicknames
I believe it is likely that Franciszek Kotas was the teacher given the nickname Pan “Stenografista” by the students of class III.B. I have identified Kotas as a stenography teacher at the State School of Commerce in Cieszyn. He was already teaching in the school by 1927. Source: Sprawozdanie Dyrekcji Państwowej Szkoły Handlowej w Cieszynie za rok szkolny 1927/28. P. 23. In Polish. Kotas was still teaching at the school when the school report for 1937-1938 was written. In that report, he is listed as having been awarded the bronze medal for his long-term service to the school. Source:Sprawozdanie Dyrekcji Państwowego Koedukacyjnego Gimnazjum Kupieckiego oraz Państw. 1937/1938. P. 55. In Polish.
Kotas is also named as a teacher of stenography and typewriting at the Handlówka in Cieszyn in 1939. He also taught at the successor school of the Handlówka (the ZSEG) until 1961. Source: Beskidzka Library online. In Polish. This link contains a complete biography of Franciszek Kotas.
I am currently working on identifying the remaining teachers mentioned by nicknames in the poem. Please check back at a later date to see if I have an update on this.
Possible Jewish Female Students of Class III.B (1936)
Możliwe żydowskie uczennice klasy III.B (1936)
Naming these young women is not just a genealogical exercise; it is an act of restoration. In 1936, they were teenagers with bright futures in commerce; by 1939, their world was systematically dismantled.
- Salomea (Sala) Berlińska: Listed in the newspaper (see below) as a graduate from Cieszyn. Her last name and first name were strongly associated with the Jewish community in the Silesian region. In the graduating list later in this post for the Handlówka in Cieszyn, she is listed as Salomea Berlińska. Salomea is also listed as a student of Class IV in the school years 1936/1937 at the Hebrew School named after “Talmud Torah” in Cieszyn. Source: Broszura pamiątkowa z okazji 60cio lecia istnienia Szkoły Hebrajskiej, im. “Talmud Tora” w Cieszynie : (1876-1936). Written by Rabbi Dr A. Eisenstein. Published in 1936. P.15 in the PDF navigation.
- Ernestyna Kasper (Kasperkówna): A confirmed graduate. “Ernestyna” was a popular name among Jewish families in Cieszyn and Bielsko during this era.
- Merry Adamko (Adamkówna): Though she graduated as “Adamkówna Marja,” her friends knew her as “Merry”, a distinctive, modern name probably chosen by Marja herself, perhaps looking toward international or cosmopolitan futures. The more traditional Jewish first name would likely have been Mery.
- Hilda Schohaupt (Schohauptówna): While she signed the school album on March 28, she does not appear on the final June graduation list. Like my mother, she was part of the fabric of Class III.B, regardless of the final exam result.
Notes 1) I can confirm that the place of birth and birth date of Salomea Berlińska were Pabianice, Poland, 8 August 1919. I can also confirm that Salomea continued her studies for a further year and passed her Class IV exam in 1937. Source: Report of the Management of the State Coeducational Merchant High School in Cieszyn for 1936/1937 (Sprawozdanie Dyrekcji Państwowej Koedukacyjnej Gimnazjum Kupieckieckiego w Cieszynie za rok szkolny 1936/1937.) P.99 in the PDF navigation.
Note 2) Soon after 1936, the Państwowa Szkoła Handlowa in Cieszyn changed its name to the State Coeducational Merchant High School in Cieszyn. This information is confirmed in the publication link in the above paragraph. The school continued to be referred to by students as the Handlówka in Cieszyn.
I have written about the graduating students later in this post.
Polska wersja językowa: Powyższa lista przedstawia uczennice, które najprawdopodobniej były pochodzenia żydowskiego. W 1936 roku te młode kobiety stały u progu dorosłości, nieświadome tragedii, która miała nadejść zaledwie trzy lata później. Przywrócenie ich nazwisk do publicznej pamięci jest kluczowym elementem tego projektu historycznego.
Photo Gallery of Identified Students – Handlówka in Cieszyn Class III.B of 1936
Disclaimer: I have done my best to identify each student in the gallery below. This has not been easy, as the handwriting from the 1930s, especially Polish cursive, can be quite stylised, often using flourishes or letter forms that look very different from modern script. Additionally, some of the girls signed themselves using only their first names.
You can tap any photograph to see a full-sized image and to cycle through the gallery.
Note: There are two photographs of Mery Adamko in the photo album.
The Lesson Plan (Plan nauki) at the Handlówka in Cieszyn
The girls of Class III.B were in their final year of a rigorous three-year program. They studied subjects ranging from advanced bookkeeping to stenography, preparing them for careers in the town’s thriving commerce.
The associated table shows the school’s Lesson Plan for Class III.B (other classes are also shown). This table is from the Report of the Management of the State School of Commerce in Cieszyn for the school year 1927/1928. This is the closest report year available for 1936 in the Polish online archives. It is reasonable to assume that lesson plans would have remained largely unchanged in the years preceding and following the girls’ enrolment in their three-year programme.
The curriculum for the school was designed to be rigorous and practical, preparing students like the girls featured, for the professional world of banking, trade, and administration. In interwar Poland, these schools followed strict statutes approved by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Enlightenment.
Source: Sprawozdanie Dyrekcji Państwowej Szkoły Handlowej w Cieszynie za rok szkolny 1927/28. P. 25 in the document navigation. In Polish. At the Silesian Digital Library.
The Lesson Plan (only for Class III.B) at the Handlówka in Cieszyn (for accessibility)
As noted above, this lesson plan is for the years 1927/1928. We know from the Farewell poem shown above that these girls also attended English language classes. It may be assumed that this was a subject added to the class of 1936.
| Subjects | Total Hours Per Week |
| Religion (Catholic & Lutheran) | 6 in Catholic. 6 in Lutheran. |
| Polish Language | 4 |
| German Language & Correspondence | 3 |
| History | 3 |
| Physical Education | 2 |
| Commercial Arithmetic | 3 |
| Practice in a simulated business environment | 4 |
| Polish Stenography | 1 |
| Economic Geography | 3 |
| Merchandise Knowledge | 3 |
| Typewriting | 2 |
| French Language | Voluntary |
| German Stenography | Voluntary |
| Singing | Voluntary |
The photograph of my mother at the top of this post shows her while working at the German Post Office (Deutsche Reichspost) in Kraków. It is evident from the Handlówka Lesson Plan (shown above) that the subjects my mother studied would have prepared her perfectly for clerical work, where both German and Polish would have been prerequisites for employment.
The Final Graduation Exams at the Handlówka in Cieszyn
Graduation list at the Handlówka in Cieszyn
This section has taken quite some detective work. However, I have found the list of girls who took the final Class III graduation exam and passed it. Students shown in bold and italic appear on the album dedication list.
List of Graduating female Students
- Marja Adamko from Cieszyn.
- Salomea Berlińska from Cieszyn. Likely Sala Berlińska and likely Jewish
- Janina Cieślar from Cieszyn
- Wanda Gabzdyl from Cieszyn
- Janina Głuszko from Cieszyn
- Ernestyna Kaspar from Cieszyn
- Elza Kożdoń from Cieszyn
- Hilda Kudłacik from Cieszyn
- Marja Kunz from Cieszyn
- Zofja Siostrzonek from Mistřovice, Czechoslovakia
- Henryka Onderka from Karvina, Czechoslovakia.
- Emilja Rańdzianka from Cieszyn
- Helena Raszka from Cieszyn
- Krystyna Sitek from Cieszyn
- Emilja Stebel from Cieszyn
- Elżbieta Waszko from Cieszyn
- Elfryda Werlik from Cieszyn
Tap the list below to see the complete image.
Source: The following students took the final exam and passed it. Gwiazdka Cieszyńska. 3 July 1936. Page 5 in the PDF navigation.
Notes: The male students are listed first, followed by the female students.
Not all the girls listed in the “List of signatures album” are listed as graduates.
List of Male Graduates from Class III
The transcipt of the list of male graduates is a work in progress. Please check back later to see if I have completed the list.
The Handlówka in Cieszyn was a coeducational school, and the full list of male and female graduates from Class III of 1936 is shown in the press cutting above. I feel it is important to show the male graduates, as they, too, form a vital part of the history of Class III and Cieszyn.
Handlówka in Cieszyn – The Male Graduates (part)
- Edward Böhnisch from Ustroń
- Ludwik Borowski from Český Těšín, Czechoslovakia
- Jan Bubik from Cieszyn
- Karol Chlebik from Cieszyn
- Edward Cięgiel from Cieszyn
- Władysław Fukała from Dolní Bludovice, Czechoslovakia
- Paweł Gogółka from Ustroń
- Stanisław Gomola from Ciesyn
- Rudolf Guziur from Karvina, Czechoslovakia
- Karol Herman from Kozakowice Górne
- Franciszek Iskrzycki from Krasna
- Gustaw Janik from Cieszyn
- Aloyzy Janota from Sibice, Czechoslovakia
- Stefan Jelinek from Ustroń
- Pawl Josiek from Sibice, Czechoslovakia
- Józef Klimek from Skoczów
- Jan Konieczny from Orlová, Czechoslovakia
- Ludwik Korzec from Cieszyn
- Franciszek Kret from Krasna
- Gustaw Kubik from Leszna Górna
- Emeryk Kwapulinski from Cieszyn
- Rudolf Ostachowicz from Cieszyn
- Franciszek Pawlor from Cieszyn
- Karol Podżorski from Wisła
- Ernest Staniek from Cieszyn
- Rudolf Szeliga from Goleszow
- Paweł Szymeczek from Nýdek, Czechoslovakia
- Karol Targosz from Wisła
- Jan Twardzik from Międzyrzecze Dolne
- Izydor Wałoszek from Sucha Górna
- Karol Wolak from Cieszyn
- Rudolf Rucki from Ligotka Kameralna
The Remaining Students from the Handlówka in Cieszyn
This is a work in progress. These are girls who do not appear in the signatures list but are in the photo album. Some of the photographs are stuck to the album pages with glue. I have taken professional advice as to the best method of freeing the photos without damaging them. This process may take a while, so please come back to see if there has been an update to this post. As of 12 February 2025, four photographs have been uploaded.
Photo Gallery of Unidentified or Partially Identified Students
Dedications (in Polish) written on the reverse of the photos. Stanisława: To dearest Nela as proof of my great friendship. Stasia. Hanna: To dearest Nela for remembrance from Hanka. Ema: For remembrance to dearest Nela, Ema. Unidentified student 1. The photo is still stuck in the album.
Note: In Poland, Aniela is oftened shortened to Nela.
History of The Handlówka in Cieszyn
Historia Handlówki w Cieszynie
The School of Commerce in Cieszyn was founded in 1918 by the Polish educational society for Cieszyn Silesia (Macierz Szkolna Księstwa Cieszyńskiego). In 1920, the school was taken over by the Polish state and renamed the State Commercial School in Cieszyn (Państwowa Szkoła Handlowa w Cieszynie), commonly known as the Handlówka in Cieszyn. Source: Cieszyn Silesia in the years 1918–1945. P. 228 in the PDF navigation. In Polish.
The associated image (from 1939) is archived at the Polona Digital Library. The General Address Book and Guide to the City of Cieszyn from 1931 lists the school at 34 Stalmacha Street. Source: Ogólna księga adresowa i przewodnik miasta Cieszyna. P. 151 in the PDF navigation.
Location of the Handlówka before WWII
After WWII, the school was absorbed by the Complex of Economic and Gastronomic Schools (Zespół Szkół Ekonomiczno-Gastronomicznych), known as the ZSEG. That school, which still exists today, is the direct successor of the State Commercial School in Cieszyn. Source: ZSEG. In Polish.
Note: On the other side of the Olza River, in the town of Těšín in the Czech Republic there is also a school of commerce called the Handlówka.
That institution, separate from the ZSEG in Poland, provides education primarily in Polish, for the Polish minority living in Těšín.
The Vanished World of Cieszyn’s Jewish Students
In 1936, when these girls were exchanging signatures “as proof of great friendship,” Cieszyn was a thriving, multicultural border town.
The students identified in Class III.B represent a generation that stood on the precipice of total upheaval:
- A Diverse Cohort: The school was a state-run (Państwowa) coeducational institution, meaning these girls and men, regardless of their background, were being trained to be the professional elite of the Polish Republic.
- The 1939 Breaking Point: Just three years after Salomea Berlińska and Mery Adamkówna celebrated their graduation or completion of studies, the German invasion in September 1939 effectively ended Jewish life in Cieszyn.
- The Holocaust in Silesia: Most Jewish residents of Cieszyn were initially forced into the General Government or deported to the nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. For some of the names found in this 1936 album, these records may be among the last surviving evidence of their lives in their hometowns.
Disclaimer: When considering possible Jewish identities based on names in historical records from the 1930s in Cieszyn, I am aware that these identifications are not certain without genealogical evidence. Some names in this post may fit Jewish naming traditions from that time, but they could also belong to non-Jewish families. What I can tell you, as previously stated, is that my mother specifically mentioned that some of the girls listed in the photo album were Jewish.
Researcher’s Note: By documenting names that appear in the personal album and the final newspaper graduation list, we ensure that their presence in the community is acknowledged beyond official state records.
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