Imagine walking into an old tenement building, heading down to the basement, and stumbling upon something straight out of a history book—except it’s real, and it’s been hiding beneath your feet for decades. That’s exactly what happened at Matejki 57 in Poznań, where a dark and forgotten piece of post-war history has just come to light.

A Basement with a Secret

For years, the tenement at Matejki 57 was just another old building, now home to the offices of the Municipal Housing Resources Board. But back in the day, it was something very different. After WWII, this very building housed the Citizens’ Militia Command—a place where people were detained, questioned, and, as it turns out, left messages scratched into the very walls.

When Przemysław Godyla, an employee of the Board (and a historian by education), decided to explore the basement, he had no idea what he was about to find. What he saw left him speechless.

🖊 Messages from the Past

The basement, now dry and eerily well-preserved, revealed dozens of inscriptions left behind by former prisoners. Some are short, desperate pleas. Others are longer, filled with pain, anger, and hope. Among them:

💬 “When will these Russian minions leave? When will their reign end?”
💬 “God… save Poland… from the torturers… red…”
💬 “God is great, pray and he will hear you.”

Alongside these words are names, dates, and even drawings, marking the presence of those who once sat in these underground cells, waiting—hoping—for a fate unknown.

🏛 A Historical Sensation

This discovery is more than just an old basement with some writing on the walls. It’s a raw, untouched piece of history, hidden for decades under the feet of a city that’s moved on. The inscriptions are believed to be the work of political prisoners from the Stalinist era, though some could have been left by regular criminals.

Now, the City Monument Conservator is stepping in to document and preserve this chilling find. The worry? If this building had been in private hands, this piece of history might have been erased forever.

🔜 What Happens Next?

For now, the site remains under study, with experts working to ensure that these voices from the past aren’t lost again. The hope is that this discovery will help shed light on a period of Poznań’s history that many would rather forget—but must never be ignored.

Stay tuned—this story is far from over.