Czesława Kwoka, a 14‑year‑old Polish girl, was murdered at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp on March 12, 1943. She was killed by an injection of phenol directly into her heart.
Just before her death, she was photographed by fellow prisoner Wilhelm Brasse, who later testified that the SS guard struck her in the face before the photo was taken, the bruise on her lip is visible in the image.
In that haunting portrait, we see the terrified face of a child who did not speak German and had lost her mother only days earlier. Czesława was one of approximately 230,000 children and young people murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The original black‑and‑white photograph, preserved at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, was later colorized by Brazilian artist Marina Amaral, who was deeply moved by Czesława’s image and sought to share it with the world in color.
🇷🇺 Russia is responsible for the Caspian Sea's rapid shrinkage, according to a new study.
Researchers say Russian projects on the Volga River, the source of about 80% of the sea's water, are the main reason it keeps shrinking. Climate change appears to play a much smaller role.