The 'Roads to Freedom' exhibition concentrates on the history of Poland during the 1956- 1989 years. 'Solidarność', a political and social movement, was originated on the area of the former Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk in 1980. This movement made the Polish society hope for independence. The 18 day long strike, in 1980, which was finished on 31 August by concluding agreements between the workers on strike and the authorities, became a symbolic date signifying the beginning of the end of communism in Europe. Those events started the whole process of a number of nations liberating from the communist rule. The irony of the fate resulted in the fact that the employees from works named after Lenin – the leader of Russian communists, started disassembling that system which, in theory, promised free and good life to people but, in fact, brought terror, poverty and enslavement.

EXHIBITION PLAN

Room 1 Everyday Life in Poland

Food store – a reconstruction of a primitive shop from the 70s, with very few goods. Visitors may see the dull and crude reality of the Polish People’s Republic. Older visitors will be reminded of empty shelves and the times the economy lacked many items. Vinegar was among the few commodities available in food stores. This symbolic shop provides a good opportunity to remember the life of Poles in socialism – so idealised today.

Room 2 A Historical Introduction

The era of the Polish People’s Republic was also a time of severe political repression. In the 1950s, prisons became the symbol of the communist state. A reconstruction of a prison cell reminds us of political prisoners in that period. At the same time, it stands for times when the possibility of travelling beyond the Soviet bloc was nearly impossible, and the average citizen was fed with information that only the socialist system guaranteed prosperity. Computer stations thematically group subsequent stages of the strife for freedom and citizens’ rights before August 1980. The theme entitled “Polish Months” documents the dates of rebellion against the communist authorities one after another: 1956, 1968, 1970, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1988, and 1989. The “Democratic Opposition” presents opposition groups fighting for a free country. The “Church” describes the battle of the Catholic Church for free conscience in special, historical segments, and it emphasises its historical role in the Polish nation’s march to independence. “Exile” and “Independent Culture” describe the pro-independence activities of emigrants and the phenomenon of independent publishing by Poles. The “Totalitarian State” and the “Everyday Life in the Polish People’s Republic” present the reality of communist Poland.

Room 3 August 14.08.1980-31.08.1980

We enter the room through the flower-ornate, historical gate of the Gdańsk Shipyard. Upon entering, we see the bust of Lenin, the then patron of the Shipyard. Films and slides cover the whole 18 days of the strike, whose events touched the whole world becoming the symbolic beginning of the downfall of communism in Europe. In the room, we can hear fragments of original recordings from the negotiations, as well as strike songs. We can see the reality of the strike: a symbolic block of styrofoam – associated with resting during the strike; services; and days of waiting for talks with the authorities to be held. When looking at pictures and slides, we can feel the atmosphere of those days. The wooden boards, where the text of 21 demands was written down, were entered in UNESCO’s World List of Documentary Heritage called “Memory of the World” on October 16th, 2003. In the “August 1980” room, we can read about the history of “Solidarity’s” logo, which was created by a graphic artist from Gdańsk – Jerzy Janiszewski. Today, the logo is recognised world-wide. The venue of negotiations between representatives of factories of northern Poland and the government has also been reconstructed (the EHS Hall). Large-format pictures present delegates of the strike committee and representatives of Polish authorities, who signed the first treaty between representatives of the society and the communist regime in post-war Poland. The actual moment of signing the historic August Treaty on August 31st, 1980 has been captured, together with the people who were seated at the main table. There is also a table at which communications to people gathering in front of the Shipyard were prepared on a running basis. The people awaited reliable information concerning the ongoing negotiations.

Room 4 Solidarity and Hope 01.09.1980-12.12.1981

“Solidarity” operated legally for 16 months. The generation that breathed freedom then speaks of the period with sentiment – it was a carnival. In 1980, ten million Poles joined the new union; artistic and social life flourished. The presented slides show, on the one hand, a 16-month-long period of Poles’ great expectations for the nation to be led to complete independence, and on the other hand, we may see provocations organised by the security forces, which led to destabilising and renouncing the agreement of August 1980. It was a time when the shipyard workers in record time built a monument in homage of the victims of December 1970, which nowadays is referred to in guidebooks as the “Monument of the Three Crosses”. It was a time when Lech Wałęsa travelled around the country and was welcomed everywhere as if he were the uncrowned king of Poland. The Festival of True Songs was a lesson in laughing at the authorities. This was the first public, official and uncensored show by a large group of Polish artists. When military manoeuvres by the Warsaw Pact seemed to herald a Soviet invasion, in September 1981 the 1st Convention of Delegates of the “Solidarity” Trade Union (shown on slides) sent a message to other nations of the Soviet bloc.

Room 5 Martial Law 13.12.1981-22.07.1983

On December 13th, 1981 the communist authorities declared war on their own nation. In order to understand the grim sense of communist propaganda of the time, we can listen to the proclamation by General Jaruzelski, excerpts of conferences held by J. Urban, the then Cabinet Spokesman. Slides show street fighting between the Polish nation and the authorities that were imposed upon them. There are primitive stickers and stamps demonstrating that “Solidarity lives!” We can also listen to fragments of services by Solidarity’s chaplain, Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, who was murdered in 1984 by the secret police. There is also a reconstruction of an underground printing house in a special chamber in this room. The Martial Law period ends with a moving, 6-minute-long film. Equipment used by the militia and its special units to disperse street demonstrations, which is hung around the room, constitutes a supplement to the film.

Room 6 A film retrospection

A film retrospection is a 7-minute-long review of archive films, which refer to outbursts of social disapproval in different historical periods from 1956 to 1989. The film ends with the election of June 1989 and the formation of the first, non-communist Government led by Tadeusz Mazowiecki. In this room we may also see the Polish historical calendar, which covers the years 1944-1989.

Room 7 Time For Changes

This is the name of the last room, wherein we can see films on the changeover in Central and Eastern Europe that started in June 1989 in Poland. When in 1985 the Soviet Union declared “glasnost”, Polish communists realised that the ground they had been standing on was no longer firm. In an attempt to retain at least some power, they arranged for the so-called “Round Table Talks” (February to April 1989), which were a political compromise with representatives of the strengthening opposition. On June 4th, 1989 the first free elections were held for the Senate and the Contracted Parliament. This event had a domino effect, as other Central and Eastern European countries proclaimed independence. This room is also the venue of temporary exhibitions, which indirectly address the whole presentation of the “Road to Freedom”.