The plaque reads: “To the known and unknown people of Solidarity, as a token of pride and remembrance for their courage and determination in working to restore Poland’s independence. Bolesławiec City Council. Bolesławiec, December 2022.” The plaque also features the Polish flag and the Bolesławiec coat of arms. The inscription also includes the word Solidarity in the “solidarica” typeface, whose prototype was the lettering forming the logo of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity,” a symbol of the Polish freedom movement.
The initiator of the commemorative plaque was Józef Pokładek – chair of the Bolesławiec City Council, at the request of the District Organization of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity” in Bolesławiec County.
– You have come to unveil a plaque—a plaque dedicated to people who, on December 13 of that memorable year, 1981 (when martial law was declared), were not afraid and stood up to defend freedom and human dignity, despite being sentenced to internment and later imprisonment. Their fight against communism lasted until 1990, until the almost-free elections. Thanks, among others, to these people, communism was overthrown and we Poles were given the freedom we longed for – stressed Józef Pokładek, chair of the Bolesławiec City Council.
The plaque was solemnly unveiled by: Lucyna Brodacz, Zygmunt Maczkowiak, and Józef Pokładek. The blessing was given by Rev. Prelate Józef Gołębiowski – former chaplain of Solidarity and Honorary Citizen of Bolesławiec. The unveiling was preceded by an address from Honorary Citizen of Bolesławiec and representative of Bolesławiec Solidarity, Jan Filipek, who recalled the difficult and courageous path of anti-communist opposition activists and their fundamental contribution to Poland’s recovery of independence and sovereignty.
Representatives of local governments, members of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity,” and representatives of Bolesławiec organizations and institutions attended the unveiling ceremony.
The ceremony took place with the participation of standard-bearer units representing councilors of the Bolesławiec City Council and the “Solidarity” organization from Bolesławiec. The Municipal Brass Band “Bolesławiec” added splendor to the event.
It is worth recalling that on August 22, 2020, at Wolności Square in Bolesławiec, on the 40th anniversary of the founding of “S,” a monument to “Solidarity” was solemnly unveiled with the inscription “Conquer evil with good,” highlighting the historical significance of the events of August ’80. The “S” monument and the motto of Blessed Rev. Jerzy Popiełuszko, chaplain of “Solidarity,” who based his work and teaching on St. Paul’s message, “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good,” remind us of one of the most important events in Poland’s recent history. The deputy mayor, Iwona Mandżuk-Dudek, recalled this and subsequent initiatives of the Bolesławiec community, stressing that the commemorative plaque, unveiled on the 41st anniversary of the imposition of martial law, would be a true book of remembrance both for the well-known faces of Solidarity honored with the title “Honorary Citizen of the City”—Jan Filipek, Zbigniew Razik, and Rev. Henryk Gołębiowski—and for the less well-known, often anonymous people thanks to whom Poland regained its independence. Historical symbols of independence in Bolesławiec also include Sierpnia 80 Street, Rev. Jerzy Popiełuszko Square, the Monument to the Centenary of Regaining Independence, Solidarity Roundabout, and successive editions of the “Jacek Kaczmarski and Solidarity Bards Song Review,” during which young residents of Bolesławiec perform works by artists who once helped build the awareness of Poles striving to regain independence.