Marian Stecyk was born on 15 March 1930 as the second child of Michał and Michalina Stecyk in Kolonia Jesionów, Tarnopol Voivodeship, Poland. On 10 February 1940, as part of the first mass deportation to Siberia, the entire family was deported to the Soviet Union. At first, they were sent to the Kuzhnya exile camp in Krasnoyarsk Krai, where they stayed until December 1941. 

 

Following the ‘amnesty’ they were allowed to move around the Soviet Union, and they moved to the village of Tyubil. They stayed there for two months, and then in February 1942 they arrived at the Ovtsevod collective farm located by the Yenisei River. Their last place of stay was the Chulym sovkhoz. Their stay in exile lasted six years. The family returned to Poland in April 1946.

 

Marian Stecyk's memories, published in a book titled. "Over the Rivers of Siberia - The Diary of a Boy from 1940-1946", published by the Museum of Siberia, describes the difficult experiences of deporting the whole family to Siberia in an incredibly moving manner. The book was released in three language versions: Polish, English and Spanish, in order to reach the widest audience possible. Although Marian Stecyk wrote his memoirs many years after this story, the details mentioned by the Author are surprising. A colourful and vivid description of Siberian landscapes almost immediately triggers the reader's imagination. And when we add a fast-paced narrative and dialogues recalled by the Author, which have been taken place in individual situations, we are immersed in the Siberian reality almost immediately. Together with the Author-Narrator, wander along the banks of the Yenisei, learn about Siberian flora and fauna, go hunting, learn about the conditions living in exile.

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Marian donated his souvenirs, memoir, and a series of drawings documenting the fate of the family to the museum. He documented and described the conditions in which Polish deportees lived and with this knowledge he reached people living on different continents, to Poles and non-Poles all over the world.  His passion for history and commitment to preserving cultural heritage is an inspiration to us all. For many years, Marian was an active member of the Wrocław Branch of the Association of Siberian Deportees

 

On 28 November 2024, Marian Stecyk passed away in Wrocław, Poland, at 94 years.

 

 

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Source: Bialystok Sybirak Museum Facebook page

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