 matcrazy1's Gdansk Travelogues | | | |
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| Page Views: 1,141 Last Visit to Gdansk: August, 2005 | Remembering is important by matcrazy1 - last update: Oct 28, 2005 |
Who is that boy? | I AM 5 YEARS OLD, SOLIDARITY 1980 - 1985 |
I've visited the exhibition "Solidarity - the Power of Unity" in the Artus Court. I was moved to see this poster displayed there. The writing on the T-shirt says: I am five years old, and below: Solidarity 1980 - 1985.
I remember these posters put up on walls of houses in Krakow in 1985. Whoever did it that time, risked a lot, a few years in a prison and other persecutions from communist authorities. But these posters and others gave people hope for better future which was very important that hopeless time.
I wonder who is that boy in the picture. He was probably born in 1980. If you know e-mail me please. |
| EXHIBITION: SOLIDARITY - THE POWER OF UNITY |
Remembering is important Turning your back on the history is wrong. The slogan "Choose the future" is as banal as it is deceptive. Obviously we all choose the future - we can never choose the past. But the crucial matter for that future is how you remember your past, what you retail and what you discard, and how you assess the past.
Zbigniew Herbert, the distinguished contemporary Polish poet, said, "Be faithfull". Be faithfull not to the invaders, the communist anarchy, the satellite government, but to the truth and justice, the values which helped the nation survive, the values which were embodied in Pope John Paul II and weakened the Soviet Communism, and which eventually led to its peaceful collapse.
Wojciech Roszkowski.
The above words were written in the exhibition. Short comment: it was not at all peaceful collapse. There are many victims of that collapse, both living and dead.
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Solidarity "Solidarity means one and the other, and if there is burden it should be carried together, jointly. Therefore, never one against the other.
Never one against others.
And never burden carried by man alone, without the help of others.
There cannot be a struggle more powerful than solidarity.
There cannot be an agenda for struggle above the agenda of solidarity"
John Paul II
Gdynia, 11 June 1987
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Used by secret police There is Political Police Officer's hand-case with photo camera for secretive photomaking of so-called "extreme-forces". It was taken from an officer on duty on 1st May 1985 in Bydgoszcz.
I had the simplest camera ever that time: Soviet Smiena 8M. But, like most people, I was afraid to take any pictures during Solidarity demonstrations for the two reasons: problems from both demonstrators, who could regard me as a police officer on duty, and from the authorities which could use my picture to identify demonstrators.
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| UNDERGROUND PRINT SHOP FROM 1980' |
Illegal print shop I remember a lot of illegal leaflets, brochures and even books which somehow reached my home in Krakow in 1980'. I loved to read them.
They were published in underground and illegal print shops run by brave people who risked a lot. They were often forced to use old and simple printing equipment - look at my picture. Sometimes even normal typewriters and carnon papers to copy. I remember that all typewriters had to be registered at police office that time (even at my school) and police had a sample of typewriting of each registered typewriter to help them to indetify each illegal print.
These publications were shared among friends and family members. There was unwritten law not to ask where these illegal publications were from. Thus, I never asked about it my parents.
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| UNDERGROUND SOLIDARITY PRINTS |
Underground Solidarity publications There are a lot of different leaflets and prints displayed on the exhibition. This one in the middle depicts the facist black eagle (a symbol of a totalitarian system) and the writing WRONA SKONA which means literally "crow will die". The abbrevation WRON (a crow in Polish) meant Wojskowa Rada Ocalenia Narodowego = Military Council of National Surviving - it was the name of the hated military power which introduced the martial law against Solidarity. Thus, there were many prints and wall paintings depicting crossed out crow that time.
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| A BANNER SAYS: NUREMBERG FOR COMMUNISM! |
Nuremberg for communism! There is the banner hang above the movie screen which says: "Nuremberg for communism! December 1970, 1981. We remember. FMW." FMW is Federacja Mlodziezy Walczacej (Federation of Fighting Youth), not a military but peaceful and rather political organisation of young Poles. They demand the punishment for communist criminals and those who actively supported them in 1945 - 1990 similarily like Nazis involved in World War II and the Holocaust were punished in the Nuremberg Trials.
Except a few cases, communist criminals and their supporters were never accused and punished in Poland. Why? Well, in 1989 Poland was surrounded by communist regimes. Thus the first anti-communist government wasn't able to do that for political reasons. Additionally archives of the communist authorities had been mostly destroyed.
Later on, after the fall of Soviet communism, some "wiser" Polish communists became liberal and anti-communist, some started to play important role in both economy and politics. In the early 2000' they managed to cut the budget of the Institute of National Heritage - national public organisation which was founded to trial crimes (both communist and Nazi) against the nation. Thus, the institutute is too weak to keep thousands of trials and give the nation accurate information on who was a communist secret agent etc.
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Persecutions There are a few original judicial papers from the martial law displayed on the exhibition. They describe common human stories and tragedies that time.
The military court's ruled to arrest a 22 years old guy for distributing in his company various prints which contained 'false information on current social and political situation in Poland" that could cause "social unrest and riots". He was detained on 9 April 1982. On 20 July 1982, the military court decided to keep him arrested up to 30 July 1983.
The next is the sentence of the High Military Court (7 February 1983): 5 people were sentenced for 2.5 - 5 years in a prison for breaking censorship and bans of the martial law (ban on gatherings). |
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 Comments for matcrazy1 about Gdansk | | | | |
807Wheaton Fri Jul 18, 2008 19:36 UTC
We visited Gdansk in September 2007 on our Princess Cruise. I'm still trying to get the cities we visited on VT - WOW! Your Gdansk page is great - and a great help. Thanks. Marcia | flyingscot4 Fri Jun 22, 2007 15:23 UTC
Wonderful personal history. While the outcome was great, the struggle was brutal. Thank God for John Paul II, whose personal courage gave the people strength; and Ronald Reagan, who outspent the Soviet Union; and the Polish people. | Ekaterinburg Sat Apr 28, 2007 22:50 UTC
You must have explored every inch of Gdansk and I am enjoying accompanying you through the back streets and unvisited corners. Lech Walesa's house ?? Wow ! :)) | isailthe7seas Sun Apr 8, 2007 18:43 UTC
just wanted to say thanks for the tower listings... We are in Gdansk 1 day as we are on a Princess cruise itinerary (we have every intention of returning by land in the future) We love get a birds eye view... Also, thanks for the tip on Artus Court. |
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