Maria Teresa Korzonkiewicz-Kiszczak, the wife of Czesław Kiszczak who led the Ministry of Interior and Administration for years and played a controversial role during the martial law era, has died. Her daughter, Ewa, informed PAP of her passing on Monday, marking the end of a life deeply intertwined with Poland’s late 20th century political history.
Born on August 20, 1934, in Kozy near Bielsko-Biała, Maria grew up with a housewife mother and a tailor father. In her reminiscences she described meeting her future husband by chance on a train, at a time when Czesław Kiszczak served as a military counterintelligence officer. Their wedding was civil, and after the birth of their daughter Ewa, the marriage became more private, with Maria often keeping sensitive information away from her husband. The relationship was described as turbulent, with political discussions frequently eliciting friction between them.
Her husband’s ascent through the security and military apparatus—rising from the Navy’s internal services to chief roles in military intelligence, the General Staff, and ultimately serving as Minister of the Interior from 1981—meant frequent moves for the family. They lived in multiple Polish cities, including Gdynia, Wrocław, and Warsaw. Maria herself pursued work as an economics teacher in various schools while enjoying the privileges afforded to those close to the state at the time, such as access to cars, private apartments, and VIP shopping channels. She was known for her sociable nature, love of visits to party circles, and a fondness for travel.
Professionally, Maria Kiszczakowa held formal training in economics and built a career as an educator and methodologist at secondary vocational schools after earning her degree. In 1985 she completed a doctorate with a thesis focusing on the institutional conditions that enable self-directed study by economics teachers. During the 1980s she lectured at the Teachers’ Training College, and after political changes and the emergence of private universities, she taught marketing at the School of Banking and Finance in Bielsko-Biała until 2006. She authored scientific publications and educational resources, as well as works of fiction and poetry. Her autobiographical books offer personal perspectives on her life with the general and on Poland during the 1970s and 1980s, including reflections on private life and the social climate of the era.
Attempt to sell documents
On February 16, 2016, Maria Kiszczakowa met with the president of the Institute of National Remembrance, Łukasz Kamiński, to discuss a sale of documents she possessed for 90,000 zloty. The materials reportedly related to Lech Wałęsa’s alleged cooperation with the Security Service as well as other PRL era records. Concerns about whether General Kiszczak could have held classified documents from that period had already surfaced. When Kamiński proposed the purchase, he notified the head of the Departmental Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, and on the same day law enforcement officers arrived at the Kiszczak villa to initiate investigations.
In total, about 50 kilograms of original files from the communist era were found in the Kiszczak residence. Among the seized items were manuscripts, typescripts, and photographs stored in six large packages. Two days later, on February 18, 2016, the Institute of National Remembrance publicly announced that the documents recovered from the Kiszczak residence included a personal file and a work file of a Security Service collaborator with the nickname “Bolek,” as well as a handwritten commitment to cooperation signed by Lech Wałęsa under the alias “Bolek,” along with receipts for payments signed “Bolek.” Wałęsa publicly claimed that the signatures in these papers were forged, a claim that sparked wide public debate.
Readers may recall echoes of these revelations in national discussions about the PRL era and its figures. The disclosure raised questions about the level of access to sensitive information within private households and the ethical dimensions of handling historical records. The Institute of National Remembrance has continued to study and interpret these materials, contributing to ongoing dialogue about Poland’s recent past. This case remains a notable example of how personal histories intertwine with national memory.
–/PAP