Helena Marusarzówna: Skiing champion and WWII resistance courier

The Institute of National Remembrance has commemorated the 85th anniversary of the execution of Helena Marusarzówna, a prominent Polish alpine skier and resistance fighter. Born in Zakopane in 1918, Marusarzówna was a seven-time Polish national champion in alpine skiing.

During World War II, she transitioned from professional sports to active resistance, serving as a Tatra courier and a soldier for the Związek Walki Zbrojnej (ZWZ). She frequently navigated dangerous routes between Zakopane and Budapest to transport documents, messages, and funds for the Polish underground.

Following her arrest by Slovak gendarmerie in March 1940, she was handed over to the Gestapo. Despite undergoing brutal torture in various locations, including the Montelupich prison in Krakow, she refused to betray her fellow conspirators or reveal intelligence. Marusarzówna was executed by German forces on September 12, 1941, at the age of 23.