White-red flag on the tower

Source: The archives of „Tygodnik Świdnicki” Józef Urbańczyk was the first person who, after the 2nd World War, hang white-red flag on the Town Hall Tower together with  Antoni Wiciński.

It is probably impossible to specify who the first to enter the Town Hall Tower after seizing the town by Polish authorities in May 1945 was. Nevertheless, we know persons who were certainly one of the first. The information on one of them was found in archival document drawn up by Felicja Strzemboszowa - the then manager of the Department of Culture, Art and Education.

In the document we can read as follows:

„ Citizen Józef Urbańczyk was assigned to the Department of Culture, Art and Education of Municipal District Authority of Świdnica Town and worked there from the 12^th May 1945 until 20^th October 1947. (…) Citizen Urbańczyk as an employee of the department hang the first banner of the Polish People's Republic on the Town Hall Tower in Świdnica on the occasion of the march-past of the Polish Army through Świdnica (at the request of local authorities). The hanging of the banner was not an easy thing due to the fact that the stairs leading to the tower were predominantly destroyed”.

The fact that Józef Urbańczyk hang the Polish flag was confirmed by Zenon Urbańczyk (his son) in his memoirs. He indicated a second person who, together with Józef Urbańczyk, participated in this historical moment. The person indicated was Antoni Wiciński, a well-known barber from Świdnica who opened his first barber's in the Market Square.

Source: Wspomnienia Zenona Urbańczyka, Archive of „Tygodnik Świdnicki”.