On 18 June 1947 in Bydgoszcz, the investigative judge of the District Court in Bydgoszcz, with its seat in Bydgoszcz, in the person of Judge K. Gąsiorowski, interviewed the person specified below as an unsworn witness. Having been advised of the criminal liability for making false declarations, the witness testified as follows:
| Name and surname | Łucja Zarzecka |
| Age | 35 |
| Parents’ names | Ignacy and Pelagia |
| Place of residence | Bydgoszcz, al. 1 Maja 124 |
| Occupation | trader |
| Criminal record | none |
| Relationship to the parties | none |
From the four photographs that were shown to me (the witness was shown photographs sent with the note from 5 June 1947, no. 443/47 from the District Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Kraków) I recall only this person (the witness points to the photograph with the sign Maria Mandl), whom I recognize as Maria Mandl. From November 1942 until the date of evacuation, that is, 18 January 1945, I was detained in the concentration camp in Auschwitz. Throughout that time Mandl was commandant at the Birkenau camp for women. Holding this position, Mandel was subordinate only to the commandant of the entire Auschwitz camp.
I worked in the Effektenkammer [personal effects storage], where I had no dealings with her. It was said that the leader of this kommando was friends with Mandl, and Mandl did not show any particular interest in this kommando.
In 1943 – I think it was in May – when the Effektenkammer was being moved from one place to another, we wanted to take our blankets with us, while obviously leaving such number of blankets behind as to keep their number the same. The block leader reported this in the Blockführerstube [guard room]. As a result, Mandl came in a car and beat Franciszka Keller (currently residing in Łódź, Piotrkowska Street 228, flat 5). I don’t know whether she beat the other two as well. All three were reported and Mandl punished them by detention in the Strafkolonne [penal colony]. These are the names of the remaining two: Maria Rutkiewicz (residing in Leszno Wielkopolskie, Wolności Street 10) and Lusia Rabczewska – I do not know whether she is alive. I have heard that due to being detained in the Strafkolonne, she was sent with an earlier transport to Ravensbrück.
Since I worked in a closed-off building, I had no other direct contact with Mandl and cannot say more about her conduct based on my own observations.
However, I heard many complaints from people around the camp, saying that she was very strict, personally beat prisoners, and administered harsh punishments such as detention in the Strafkolonne for trivial offences.
This is all I have to say in this matter.
The report was read out.