Karol Pawlica

Charles Pawlica, He is also known as Karl, Karol (born on 12 March 1884 in Niebory next to Cieszyn Silesia, died on September 17, 1970 ibid.) - Polish patriot, an agronomist, " Samurai from Niebory ", a diplomat, a lieutenant in the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian army.

He was oldest son of Charles Pawlica – a farmer from the Upper Zhukov (part of Horni Zukov) and Anna from Stonawski family. An agricultural school student in Mistrzowice (now Mistrovice, Czech Republic), after he graduated agricultural economy course in Kocobedz. He attended high school in Cieszyn, in the years 1900-1903 he studied at the renowned school of modern agricultural economy in Ober Hermsdorf. Since 1904 he worked as a lecturer in an inspector in the Larisch-Monich estate.

In 1914 he was drafted as a lieutenant reserve in the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian army. In 1915 he was captured by the Russians and was sent to the Asian part of Tsarist Russia . After his release from captivity, he developed a plan to save Polish orphans from a local Siberian orphanage. After traversing the wilderness of Siberia on July 24, 1920 he arrived with a group of 41 Polish orphans at the Tokyo headquarters of the Japanese Red Cross. On that day the "Official establishment of the welfare of Polish children" was established by J. Okakura - Attache president of the Japanese Red Cross. For his heroic deed he was honored with the Order of Samurai . Due to his efforts the saved Polish orphans were taken on board a merchant ship on to the USA, where they were taken by Polish expatriates. After coming to America Charles Pawlica was employed at the Polish Consulate in Chicago.

A year later he returned to Poland, where he was directed by the Ministry of the former Prussian District in Warsaw to work in the Department of Agriculture and National Patrimony of the Pomorskie Regional Office in Torun starting on the 6th of May 1921. 5 months later he was promoted to the rank of Consol Governor of Pomerania. In the 1930s he retired and became a member of the Alma Mater in Czechoslovakia with ID number 008950. He lived in Cieszyn Slowackiego 1 Street.

During the German occupation, he hid in the General Government in Warsaw. After the war he returned to the family in Niebory . The Czechoslovak Narodni vybor, granted him Czechoslovak citizenship in 1945 ( Niebory and whole Zaolzie the 1945 year were incorporated into Czechoslovakia ). In subsequent years, he joined the Polish Cultural and Educational Association and founded the local division in Niebory. Charles Pawlica died at the age of 86 and was buried at the cemetery in Niebory.