A breath of freedom - from the activities of the NSZZ “Solidarity” Sandomierz Land in 1980-1991

“Just a little more, wait a little longer, grow up, we’ll tell you about these incidents.” – is an excerpt from “Song for a Daughter” sung in 1980 by striking workers of the Coast. Since then, so many people have grown up that the demand for telling the latest history is still emerging, along with new schoolchildren.We invite you to an exhibition (prepared by the Sandomierz District Museum in cooperation with the Sandomierz Association “Memory and Solidarity”) showing, against the background of national events, the activities of the NSZZ “Solidarity” of the Sandomierz Region. The strikes that were born in July and August 1980 on a wave of opposition to the arrogance of power and deepening living difficulties led to the signing of the Gdansk Accords on August 31 accepting workers’ demands. These agreements brought a breath of freedom to Poland, restored a sense of dignity and subjectivity, resulted in a multitude of social initiatives, the development of independent publishing houses and the press, and, above all, allowed the legal formation of NSZZ “Solidarity” structures.

Temporary Founding Committees of independent trade unions were spontaneously formed in the workplaces of the former Tarnobrzeg province, with membership growing rapidly. During the 1st Delegates’ Convention, held in Stalowa Wola on April 25-26, 1981, it was resolved that the headquarters of the Regional Board would be Stalowa Wola, the name NSZZ “Solidarity” Sandomierz Land was adopted, and Stanislaw Krupka was elected chairman.

The exhibition shows three stages of NSZZ “Solidarity” Sandomierz Land: the first, in 1980-81, the second: from December 13, 1981 to 1989, and the third: from the elections to the contract Sejm and Senate, held on June 4, 1989, to the first fully free parliamentary elections since the end of World War II, held on October 27, 1991.

The exposition will be inaugurated by a seminar for history teachers, prepared by the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola in conjunction with the Rzeszow branch of the Institute of National Remembrance, entitled “The Polish people and communism. Poles to Communism. Social Resistance, Solidarity and Breakthrough. Participants in the conference will receive free conference materials (one set per school) and a certificate of participation in the training, which is a form of in-service training. Registration is accepted until March 12.