hidden europe 45

Remembering Anna

by hidden europe

Picture above: The new European Solidarity Centre in the Polish city of Gdańsk (photo © Krzysztof Janczewski / dreamstime.com).

Summary

Anna Walentynowicz died five years ago this spring in the plane crash that also claimed the lives of many in the Polish leadership. We recall the woman who was a welder, crane driver and political activist - a woman who quietly helped shape modern Poland.

It was 35 years ago that Anna Walentynowicz was sacked from her job as a crane operator at the Lenin shipyards in Gdansk (Poland). Anna’s dismissal led to a wave of strikes as workers protested over the sacking of a loyal comrade who had served the shipyard, first as a welder and later as a crane operator, for 30 years.

The strike committee quickly espoused wider goals beyond merely the reinstatement of Anna Walentynowicz — and its work was to have reverberations around Poland and far beyond.

Related articleFull text online

In search of a new role: the port city of Szczecin

The shipyards in Szczecin once built some the world's finest and fastest passenger liners. But today the cranes are silent, and the city of Szczecin is struggling to define its role in modern Poland. The Baltic port city is a gritty place, and all the more interesting for that.

Related articleFull text online

A Silesian Jerusalem: visiting the calvary at Krzeszów

Not far from the Czech border, in the southernmost part of Polish Silesia, lies the monastery of Krzeszów (formerly known by its German name of Grüssau). It was to this quiet spot that manuscripts and books from Berlin were sent for safe keeping in the Second World War. These days, pilgrims make their way to the monastery as a place of prayer.