CZESŁAW LENCZOWSKI

Prisoner photo from Auschwitz, Courtesy Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim

Born March 13, 1905 at Swiatniki Gorné, Poland; died March 27, 1984 in Stary Sącz, Poland

Background
Lenczowski studied at the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts 1936-39.

Arrest and Deportation
March 4, 1942, he was arrested in Stary Sącz, then imprisoned in Nowy Sącz and Tarnów.  April 13, 1942, deported to Auschwitz, receiving prisoner number 29553.

Work Assignments at Auschwitz
Lenczowski worked in the Schlosserei (locksmith's workshop) and the Bauleitung (construction office).

Art Produced at Auschwitz
1943 he worked in the camp museum, painting landscapes and still lifes for the SS and clandestine portraits of his fellow prisoners.

Transfer to Ravensbrück Subcamp
September 8, 1944, Lenczowski was transferred to Neu Rohlau, a subcamp of Ravensbrück, where he was assigned to paint porcelain at the SS Bohemia china factory.

Liberation and After
He was evacuated from Neu Rohlau on April 23, 1945 and liberated at Plauen.  Shortly thereafter, Lenczowski returned to Kraków to complete his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, receiving his degree in 1946.  After 1947, he taught art, continued his career as a painter, and saw his work featured in numerous exhibitions.

Bibliography:
Archives at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim.