Tymbark cooperatives supported Polish underground during occupation

Historical accounts by Józef Kulpa detail how various cooperatives in the Tymbark region supported the Polish underground during the German occupation. The Podhalańska Fruit Cooperative, the Dairy Cooperative, and the Skiba Agricultural and Commercial Cooperative played central roles in resistance activities.

In Tymbark, an information cell was established within the Skiba Cooperative offices. Members Olga Szczepaniec and Anna Klimont monitored the town square, telephoning coded warnings to fruit processing workers whenever Gestapo vehicles passed. This allowed underground members to prepare for potential danger.

The Skiba Cooperative also facilitated secret education efforts. Professor Henryk Sędziwy, a leader in the Commission for Secret Teaching, used the cooperative's vehicles to transport instructions and secret mail from Kraków to support clandestine educational activities.