From making straw shoes in Ravensbrück to master craftsmanship in 1955: The life of Antonina Truskowska /Truskawska , a borderland woman

The aim of the article is to present Antonina Truskowska, born in the Polish Eastern Borderlands, and her path to become a craftswoman. In the early stages of her life, first and foremost she was a wife. However, during the German occupation Truskowska was arrested and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she was sentenced to death. It was while staying there that she volunteered to work making straw shoes. After the camp’s liberation, with her skills already developed in life-threatening conditions, she emigrated to Opole to become a shoemaker making home footwear. Her professional development resulted in passing her master craftsmanship exam in front of the examination board of the Chamber of Crafts in Opole.