Józef Paczyński | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 26 April 2015 | (aged 95)
Burial place | Rakowicki Cemetery |
Nationality | Poland |
Occupation(s) | barber, mechanical engineer, teacher |
Honours |
Józef Paczyński (20 January 1920 in Łękawica – 26 April 2015 in Kraków) [1] was a Polish man who was known for having been the personal barber of Rudolf Höss during the time he spent as a prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
At the age of 19, Paczyński was captured by the Nazis when trying to cross into Slovakia to join Polish freedom fighters in France. [2] In June 1940, he was transported to Auschwitz, where he was assigned prisoner number 121. [3] At the camp, he was assigned to work in a barbershop. One day, Höss visited the shop and chose Paczyński to come to Höss's home at the edge of the camp to cut his hair. [3] Paczyński continued to cut Höss's hair weekly for nearly four years, during which time Höss never spoke to him. [3] He has said that although he could have used his tools to slit Höss's throat during this time, he did not, because he and many others would have been killed as a consequence. [4]
He was moved from Auschwitz to Loslau on 18 January 1945, making him one of the longest-surviving prisoners in the camp. [3] After being moved, he was later liberated by American troops in Germany. [3] After the war, he became a mechanical engineer and teacher. [3] In 2001, he received the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (English: Order of Rebirth of Poland). [2] He was also awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. [5]
Paczyński died on 26 April 2015, at the age of 95. [2] He was buried in the Rakowicki Cemetery, Kraków. [6]