Anna Walentynowicz was one of the key figures in the Solidarność trade union.
The movement that initiated the fall of communism in Eastern Europe started here at the shipyard and the famous crane operator Mrs. Walentynowicz was instrumental in bringing about the change.
But she was much more than that. Her colleagues remember her foremost as a great social activist, who always had the courage to address difficult and uncomfortable issues related to the working and social conditions of the shipyard workers. Her disciplinary dismissal on August 7th, 1980, sparked employee protests that led to a strike on August 14th which resulted in the so-called August Agreements and the creation of the Solidarność trade union. She died on April 10th, 2010 in the Smolensk catastrophe.
On the occasion of the Anna Walentynowicz year announced by the Polish Parliament and her 90th birthday falling in 2019, we decided to honor the legendary crane operator by opening the very building she worked at and grant the public access to the overhead crane she operated.
From August until the end of October 2019 visitors had the chance to visit the building and learn about her lift. The exhibition prepared by the Gdańsk branch of the Institute of National Remembrance includes numerous publications, photos, and archive materials, like her job application to the Gdańsk Shipyard and her resume.
This year the historic workplace of Anna Walentynowicz can be visited only through our Virtual Tour below.
In addition to the already known IPN exhibition about the legend of the Solidarity movement, you can also visit the Maritime Historical Foundations expanded “History of the Gdańsk Shipyard 1844-2019” exhibition and a completely new one on life in the times of the People’s Republic of Poland. The exhibition introduces the political mechanisms that were in force before 1989 and shows the meanders of everyday life in socialist reality.
