Karol Szwedowski

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Karol Szwedowski (1889 - 1941) was a master builder, contracted to work at Westerplatte. He was one of the civilian defenders of this installation in 1939.

On December 13, 1927, at the age of 38, he received the diploma of master builder and was accepted to the Craftsmen's Guild of the city of Pultusk. On April 4, 1934 he arrived in Gdańsk from Legionowo. He was hired as a contract worker by the Military Transit Depot of Westerplatte. He worked there seasonally until 1939.

During the battle of Westerplatte on September 1-7, 1939, he assisted the wounded and fighting soldiers. Many mentions of his help to the fighters can be found in the book Westerplatte published by Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej (the Publishing House of the Ministry of National Defense) in Warsaw in 1978. As well as in the renowned feature film "Westerplatte" directed by Stanisław Rozewicz and produced in 1967. In this movie the role of Karol Szwedowski was played by Bolesław Płotnicki.

After being arrested he was sent to the camp Stutthof. At first it was thought that he perished in this camp, but there is evidence to the contrary in the form of a death certificate issued on the basis of the record books for the day of August 30, 1941 in the General Governorship in Legionowo (document number 105 of the year 1941). The death certificate states that Karol Szwedowski, son of Jacenty (father) and Jozefa (mother), died in Legionowo at Bukowiec on August 30, 1941, at the age of 52.

His son Ryszard Szwedowski was an officer in the Polish Army. He was murdered by the Germans in Palmiry.^{[neutrality disputed]}