In 1999, during his second to last pastoral trip to Poland John Paul II visited 21 localities. The Holy Father came to Poland, which after the difficult transformation period in the early 1990s was begining to feel an economic upturn and had a relatively stable democracy. A year before the Pope’s visit Poland joined NATO…
In the 1980s and 1990s, his songs were known and sung by everyone in Poland. His song “Walls” became the anthem of Solidarity and a symbol of the struggle against the communist regime. Jacek Kaczmarski was not just a “bard of the opposition” but also a charismatic poet, prose writer, and composer. by Jan Hlebowicz…
Philologists are relatively rarely sentenced to death in absentia. Nor do they always (although somewhat more often) become Chevaliers of the Legion of Honour. This alone shows how remarkable was the fate of Zdzisław Najder, who died on 15 February 2021. by Wojciech Stanisławski In the mid-20th century, it seemed that – comparing with…
On 6 February 1989, the Round Table discussions began. During those negotiations, representatives of the Communist authorities and the Solidarity opposition sought common ground for further action. In large part, they discussed political issues, but not only: they talked as well about the economy, administring justice, ecology, even housing policy. This agreement became possible thanks…
It was a breakthrough for the whole of Central and Eastern Europe. On 10 November 1980, Polish Supreme Court approved the legalization of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union ‘Solidarity’. It was the first truly independent labor union in a Soviet bloc country. by Tomasz Kozłowski In the summer of 1980, the greatest wave of…
Jerzy Popiełuszko, the chaplain of Solidarity, became a target of the communist regime’s hatred. He was brutally murdered on 19 October 1984. In his patriotic homilies, he preached the message of “forgiving the guilty.” by Jan Hlebowicz The telephone rang at the District Office of Internal Affairs. The officer on duty reluctantly picked up…
