Mieczysław Kościelniak
Mieczysław Kościelniak (mjɛˈt͡ʂɨswaf kɔˈɕt͡ɕɛlɲak; 29 January 1912 in Kalisz – 5 March 1993 in Słupsk) was a Polish painter, graphic designer, and draftsman, brother of Władysław and Tadeusz Kościelniak. Already a prominent artist, he was arrested in 1941 and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. His camp number was 15261.
Also recorded as Mieczyslaw Koscielniak
Mieczysław Kościelniak
Aleksander Durkiewicz · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Mieczysław Kościelniak
- Born
- 29 January 1912
- Birthplace
- Kalisz, Kalisz Governorate, Congress Poland
- Died
- 5 March 1993
- Place of death
- Słupsk, Słupsk Voivodeship, Poland
- Education
- Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts
- Awards
- Cross of Merit
- Nationality
- Poland.
- Occupation
- painter, graphic artist, illustrator, caricaturist, writer, poet and draftsperson.
- Honours
- Medal of the National Education Commission and Gold Cross of Merit.
- Languages
- Polish.
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Documentary summary
Mieczysław Kościelniak (mjɛˈt͡ʂɨswaf kɔˈɕt͡ɕɛlɲak; 29 January 1912 in Kalisz – 5 March 1993 in Słupsk) was a Polish painter, graphic designer, and draftsman, brother of Władysław and Tadeusz Kościelniak. Already a prominent artist, he was arrested in 1941 and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. His camp number was 15261.
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Note VALÉORINE
Mieczysław Kościelniak (1912–1993) was a caricaturist, draftsperson and graphic artist, among other activities, of Polish nationality. The caricaturist was born in Kalisz and died in Słupsk. Mieczysław Kościelniak worked in Auschwitz and Oświęcim.
Languages used include Polish. Works are held at Dutch Resistance Museum and NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Honours include Gold Cross of Merit and Medal of the National Education Commission.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q6843605 · wikipedia · Mieczysław Kościelniak
In this article
Biography
Biography
In the camp he drew about 300 paintings depicting the everyday life of prisoners. His work is currently displayed in the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. During his imprisonment in Auschwitz, he met fellow prisoner Bronislaw Czech, a three-time Polish Olympian, and helped refine Czech's artistic talents. He also befriended Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic priest who was murdered in Auschwitz and was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1982. At the end of the War in May 1945, he was liberated by the 3rd Armored Cavalry Group at the Ebensee Concentration Camp in Austria, near the town of Seewaichen on the Atter Kammer See. He painted a number of portraits of U.S. military personnel at that time, including one of Colonel James H Polk, commander of the 3rd Cavalry Group (now in the possession of Col. Kościelniak became a member of the Association of European Culture (SEC), and was awarded the National Education Committee Medal, the Gold Cross of Merit, and the Medal in the Service of Polish Education. After the war, Kościelniak moved to Warsaw, then to Ustka in 1979 and finally, in 1989, to Słupsk. He died in 1993 and is buried at the Ustka cemetery. One of the streets of the city now bears his name.
The recorded working language is Polish. The field of work recorded is graphics, book illustration and caricature. Places of work recorded in the authority are Oświęcim and Auschwitz. Work by Mieczysław Kościelniak is recorded in the collections of NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Dutch Resistance Museum. Distinctions recorded are Medal of the National Education Commission and Gold Cross of Merit.
Mieczysław Kościelniak (ur. 29 stycznia 1912 w Kaliszu, zm. 5 marca 1993 w Słupsku), polski malarz, grafik i rysownik; brat Władysława i Tadeusza.
Aleksander Durkiewicz
Auschwitz survival Mieczysław Kościelniak drawing from the "Day of prisoner" cycle.
Fallaner
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mieczysław Kościelniak • Born — 29 January 1912 • Birthplace — Kalisz, Kalisz Governorate, Congress Poland • Died — 5 March 1993 • Place of death — Słupsk, Słupsk Voivodeship, Poland • Resting Place — Ustka • Education — Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts • Awards — Cross of Merit
Identity
Identity
Mieczysław Kościelniak is recorded as having received Medal of the National Education Commission and Gold Cross of Merit.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1912
Mieczysław Kościelniak born at Kalisz.
1993
Mieczysław Kościelniak died at Słupsk.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Kalisz.
Birth place
Słupsk.
Death place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Curtis, Lisa J. Drawn out of horror. The Brooklyn Paper. 17 March 2003.
- 2.Boyes, Roger. Drawing among the dying: the forgotten artists of Auschwitz. The Times. 23 May 2005.
- 3.Northwestern University. Mieczysław Kościelniak.
- 4.WWII Letters and Notes of Colonel James H Polk, Red Anvil Press, 2005
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Mieczysław Kościelniak received Medal of the National Education Commission and Gold Cross of Merit.
Recognition and collections
Work by Mieczysław Kościelniak is
NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Dutch Resistance Museum
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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