Published : 2024-12-30

Maria Hiszpańska-Neumann (1917-1980)

Ravensbrück Woman and her Christian Identity Project

Abstract

Maria Hiszpańska in 1939 was a student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. During World War II, she was active in the underground. She was arrested by the Gestapo in 1941, imprisoned in Radom and Pińczów, and then in a concentration camp for women in the Third Reich. It was one of the two turning points in her biography mentioned in the article. She created many poignant graphics reflecting the conditions in FKL Ravensbrück and the mutual relations between female prisoners. Despite suffering in a German camp, she married a man of German descent after the war and learned German. She worked as a book illustrator, also for German publishing houses. She was able to make friends with people from different countries and with different views. For a long time, however, she found no support in any church and did not practice any religion. The second turning point was her several-week stay in Egypt. Thanks to that, her work gained color and a larger format, and spirituality gained a chance to develop within Christianity. Looking at the life and work of Maria Hiszpańska-Neumann leads to the conclusion that this extraordinary artist and Ravensbrück woman, perceived as fragile, delicate and not very resourceful, consistently and determinedly pursued her own identity project until the end of her life.

Keywords:

Maria Hiszpańska-Neumann (1917-1980), Ravensbrück, Ravensbrück woman, woman’s testimony of the concentration camp, identity project, turning point



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Kołodziejska, A. (2024). Maria Hiszpańska-Neumann (1917-1980) : Ravensbrück Woman and her Christian Identity Project. Biografistyka Pedagogiczna [Biographical Studies in Education], 9(3), 121–141. https://doi.org/10.36578/BP.2024.09.63

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"Biografistyka Pedagogiczna" received funding for the years 2022-2024 from the funds of the Minister of Education and Science under the programme „Rozwój Czasopism Naukowych”.

Project duration: 2023-2024.

The amount of co-financing is 65 992,00 PLN

Contract number: RCN/SP/0434/2021/1