Kilińskiego 1–3: the wounded between fire and violence

Carrying people out of the cellars

Barbara Gancarczyk-Piotrowska, nurse ‘Pająk’ of the ‘Wigry’ battalion, described joint action with Janina Gruszczyńska. At Kilińskiego 3 she found wounded people immobilised by extensive injuries. Amid smoke and darkness, they carried them out on stretchers and then moved them towards the gateway at Kilińskiego 1. Her account includes both German violence and assistance from a particular non-commissioned officer with a torch. [1]

Rescue did not mean safety

Patients lying on rubble tried to move away from the heat by their own efforts. The witness describes soldiers who mocked the wounded and threatened them with weapons. The rescuers intended to move those saved to the building at Długa 7, but that was precisely where the killing of patients began. The fates of these places are thus linked by the movement of people, not only their proximity on a map. [1]

Two ways of documenting

In Barbara Piotrowska's biographical entry, the Warsaw Rising Museum confirms her voluntary stay in the Old Town and her rescue of people from burning houses at Kilińskiego 1–3 and Długa 7. This is an institutional account of her fate. A fuller picture of the rescue action is provided by the memoir published by the Warsaw Rising Remembrance Association. [2] [1]

Caution with numbers

We do not give a total number of victims of the whole hospital based on a single plaque, nor do we equate the number of wounded people left behind with the number killed at a specific house number. Reconstruction of the transports and identification of patients are needed first. Such caution is intended to prevent counting the same people repeatedly in articles on Kilińskiego, Długa and Podwale Streets. [1] [2]

Limits of the findings

There is no complete toll and no independently established identity for every subunit. We do not present the fire as proof of the death of every patient left behind. An account of individual soldiers does not describe every participant in the action. [1] [2]

Sources and notes

Footnote markers identify the basis for specific findings. Bibliographic records remain in their original language; the notes indicate how each source is used.

The bibliographic record and source-use note are retained in Polish to preserve the original scholarly citation.

1. Barbara Gancarczyk-Piotrowska „Pająk”. Po upadku Starówki. Wspomnienia sanitariuszki harcerskiego batalionu AK „Wigry”. Stowarzyszenie Pamięci Powstania Warszawskiego 1944.

   wspomnienie świadka · Część „2–3 IX”, opis Kilińskiego 3 i bramy Kilińskiego 1 · Dostęp: 2026-09-05.

   Use of this source: Akcja ratunkowa, groźby, szyderstwa i przemieszczanie rannych; wspomnienie, nie protokół przesłuchania.

2. redakcja MPW. Barbara Piotrowska — Powstańcze Biogramy. Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego.

   opracowanie instytucjonalne · Szlak bojowy · Dostęp: 2026-09-05.

   Use of this source: Ratowanie rannych z płonących domów.