On 19 January 2026, the Centre for Dialogue and Prayer in Oświęcim, in cooperation with the Consul General of Hungary, co-organised a meeting devoted to the diary of Olga Galló, “Dziesięć Miesięcy Babilonu” (Ten Months of Babylon). The event invited participants to reflect on the camp experiences of the victims, the memory of the tragedy, and the intergenerational transmission of testimony.

The meeting was based on the notes of Olga Galló, a former prisoner of the German Nazi concentration camp KL Groß-Rosen. Her diary is a moving testimony to everyday life in the camp, portraying the drama of an individual trapped within a system of violence and dehumanisation. At the same time, it raises important questions about the responsibility of memory and the meaning of passing it on to future generations.

Participants were welcomed by the Director of the Centre for Dialogue and Prayer in Oświęcim, Fr Dariusz Chrostowski, and the Centre’s Vice-Director, Elżbieta Wronka. In his address, Fr Chrostowski emphasised the significance of the venue as a space for dialogue, reflection, and encounter, as well as the importance of personal testimonies in shaping historical and ethical awareness. He noted that Olga Galló’s diary, while the voice of one individual, becomes the voice of an entire generation marked by the experience of the Holocaust.

“Today’s gathering is an invitation to listen attentively to the story of an individual who has become the voice of an entire generation,” he said.

An introduction to the subject of concentration camps was presented by Dr Dorota Sula, a researcher at the Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica. Her presentation situated Olga Galló’s notes within the broader historical context of the Groß-Rosen concentration camp, helping participants better understand the realities in which the diary was written.

A particularly powerful moment of the gathering was the performance of an excerpt from the monodrama “Akta Babilonu” (The Files of Babylon) by Andrea Fullajtár, an outstanding Hungarian actress and the granddaughter of Olga Galló. The artistic interpretation of the text, combined with the personal dimension of family memory, lent the testimony exceptional depth and emotional force. The performance became a striking example of intergenerational dialogue, bringing the diary’s recorded story vividly to life on stage.

The event culminated in a conversation with Andrea Fullajtár, during which she shared reflections on her work on the monodrama, the significance of family memory, and the role of art in conveying the experiences of the Holocaust to contemporary audiences.

Among those in attendance were Dr Tibor Gerencsér, Consul General of Hungary in Kraków; Rafał Zieliński, Vice-Mayor of the Municipality of Oświęcim; Helena Wisła, President of the Board of the Monument-Hospice Foundation in Oświęcim; Dorota Mleczko, Director of the Memorial Museum of the Residents of the Oświęcim Region; Barbara Ledwoń, Vice-Director of the Małopolska Teacher Training Centre in Oświęcim; Monika Stalica, Head of the Department of Education, Health and Social Affairs at the Oświęcim County Office; as well as primary and secondary school students.

The gathering around “Dziesięć Miesięcy Babilonu” (Ten Months of Babylon) created a space for attentive listening, reflection, and dialogue, reaffirming the mission of the Centre for Dialogue and Prayer in Oświęcim as a place where the memory of the past remains alive and meaningful.

Olga Galló (Salgótarján, 1914)

Olga Galló was a Hungarian Jew, a prisoner of the Auschwitz and Groß-Rosen–Hochweiler concentration camps, and the author of one of the most significant female camp diaries. At the end of June 1944, she was deported from Budapest to Auschwitz. After four months, she was transferred with a group of 1,000 women to the Groß-Rosen–Hochweiler subcamp. During her imprisonment, she kept detailed notes documenting daily life and the mechanisms of terror within the camp.

After the war, her diary was published under the title “Dziesięć Miesięcy Babilonu” (Ten Months of Babylon) and was recognised as a valuable testimony to the Holocaust. The complete, uncensored version of the diary was published in 2025. Olga Galló died in 2004. She was the grandmother of Hungarian actress Andrea Fullajtár, who created a theatrical monodrama based on her writings.

Andrea Fullajtár (Budapest, 7 September 1973)

Andrea Fullajtár is a Hungarian actress, best known for her work in tragic roles. She studied acting after earlier studies at the National Academy of Drama, and in 1997 presented her graduation performance at the Kamra Theatre. Alongside her stage career, she has been associated with the University of Theatre and Film Arts, where she served as Head of the Acting Department. She is the granddaughter of Olga Galló, an Auschwitz survivor whose diary became the basis for Fullajtár’s award-winning monodrama, premiered in 2025.

Dr hab. Dorota Sula

Dr Dorota Sula is a Polish historian of the 20th century, specialising in research on Nazi concentration camps—particularly Groß-Rosen—and post-war population movements. She is professionally affiliated with the Groß-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica, where she conducts research and educational activities. She earned her doctoral degree at the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) and her postdoctoral degree at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (UAM). She is the author of numerous publications devoted to the history of concentration camps and the fate of their prisoners.

Photos: Consulate General of Hungary in Kraków; Centre for Dialogue and Prayer in Oświęcim