Ernst Wilimowski - Postwar Career

Postwar Career

After the war, Willimowski, who was regarded by the Polish government as a traitor, was not allowed to visit his Silesian homeland during Communism. He was with SG Chemnitz-West in 1946-47 and had a short spell with RC Strasbourg in 1949. After that, he settled in the Karlsruhe area, opening a restaurant there. Even though he was already in his 30s when organized playing resumed, he continued a career that lasted until 1959 and age 43. During this period he played for several German club teams including TSV Detmold, FV Offenburg, BC Augsburg, Singen 04 and VfR Kaiserslautern (including 70 goals in 89 Oberliga Südwest appearances for the latter, all scored when he was over 35 years old). After retiring, together with wife, Wilimowski for a while ran a restaurant, then worked in a Pfaff factory, to retire in 1978.

In the FIFA World Cup 1974 in Germany, Willimowski allegedly wanted to pay a visit to the Polish national team that stayed in Murrhardt near Stuttgart, but was refused permission by PZPN officials. In 1995 he was invited by Ruch Chorzów to come to Upper Silesia and celebrate club's 75th anniversary. Willimowski, according to his oldest daughter, Sylvia Haarke, wanted to come to Poland, saying that had it not been for the war, he would never have left Katowice. However, his wife Klara (née Mehne) was sick then and he had to stay with her. Willimowski died in Karlsruhe, Germany, leaving behind four children - three daughters (Sylvia, Sigrid and Ulle) and a son, Rainer.

Sylvia Haarke who lives in Hamburg, and in May 2007 visited Tarnowskie Góry with her husband Karl-Heinz Haarke (author of Wilimowski's biography), presented some interesting facts about her father. She said that Willimowski was a devout Roman-Catholic, always emphasizing the role of religion in his life. On many occasions he would tell his kids about his alleged encounter with Karol Wojtyła, which happened in the late 1930s in the Tatra Mountains. Also, after the famous Poland v Brazil (1938) game, Brazilian officials wanted to acquire his services. Willimowski had signed a preliminary contract, but it did not work out. According to Haarke, one of her father's biggest disappointments was not having been a member of the German team which won the 1954 FIFA World Cup.

Legendary coach of the Polish national team, Kazimierz Górski, met Wilimowski at a hotel in Murrhardt during the World Championship in Germany in 1974. Gorski immediately recognized Ezi, because in the interbellum period, Wilimowski was one of his idols. Whenever Ruch Chorzow came to play in Lwów (now Lviv), Gorski always attended the games, watching Wilimowski. However, being observed by an agent of the Polish secret police SB, the Polish coach greeted his idol very coldly: Mr Wilimowski, if you had not done anything wrong, perhaps you should have come back to Poland, and explain your behavior, cleanse yourself of all charges - said Górski. I was afraid - answered Wilimowski.