Warsaw Uprising veteran and activist Wanda Traczyk-Stawska dies aged 99
In her later years, Traczyk-Stawska became a vocal advocate for the rights of women and disabled people.
Wanda Traczyk-Stawska, a 99-year-old veteran of the Warsaw Uprising against Nazi-German occupation during World War Two, has passed away. Born in Warsaw in 1927, she joined the underground resistance movement at the age of 12 and later fought as a riflewoman during the uprising, using the nom de guerre "Pączek". Traczyk-Stawska was seriously injured in the fighting and held in German prisoner-of-war camps after the rebellion was defeated.
After the war, she became an advocate for the rights of women and disabled people, earning a degree in psychology and working as a teacher of disabled children. In her later years, she also became politically active, supporting protests for disabled rights and women's rights, including the National Strike in 2019. She was a vocal critic of the PiS government's stance on abortion and called for reconciliation with Germany.
Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski praised Traczyk-Stawska as an extraordinary heroine, while German Ambassador to Poland Miguel Berger expressed his sadness at her passing, praising her advocacy for dialogue and peace.
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