“The Roads to freedom exhibition tells of people who tried to make
real the dream of sovereignty of hundreds of thousands of Poles living
in the Polish People’s Republic (PRL).” It commemorates the 25th
anniversary of the birth of Solidarnosc in August 1980.
The opening ceremony: Thursday 19th of January at 5 p.m. in Atrium the City Hall of the Hague.
Opening
by:
Mayor of the Hague Mr Wim Deetman and Ambassador of Poland Mr Jan
Michalowski
Presentations by:
• Jan Minkiewicz – chief of the Solidarnosc office in
Amsterdam in the 80’s
• Martin van den Heuvel – Eastern Europe historian
• Leo Mesman – chief of the Foreign Section of the Dutch Trade
Unions – FNV
Short
discussion:
moderator Malgorzata Bos-Karczewska, Polish journalist nad commentator
Organizators:
• Fundacja Centrum Solidarnosc in Gdansk www.fsc.org.pl
• Polish Embassy www.polamb.nl
• Gemeente Den Haag
Background
The 25th anniversary of the birth of
Solidarity and its broad, freedom-oriented social movement is an
occasion to remind Europe and the entire world about the historical
fact that the fall of communism, the fall of the Soviet Union, the
reunification of Germany in 1990 and the entry of 10 new countries into
the EU would not have been possible without the Poles and their social
upsurge in 1980.
Interesting links and documents:
• speeches
of Z. Brzezinski, M. Albraight, prof. B. Geremek, Timothy Garton
Ash, Jose Manuel Barroso and others on International Conference
29-30.08.2005 on www.solidarity25.pl (there click Conference -> Speeches)
• International promotion campaign of Solidarnosc 25th Anniversary
• a Dutch tv-dcumentary Netwerk „De bakermat van Solidariteit”(29.08.2005) Jan Minkiewicz tells a story of Solidarity birth in Gdansk August 1980
• resolution of the European Parliament (adopted) on the 25th Anniversary of Solidarity and its message for Europe
• essay „Solidarity and the systemic transformations in Central-Eastern Europe” (in Polish)
