A gift to Kraków from Gdańsk

“A gift to Kraków from Gdańsk” is a sculpture made by by Dorota Nieznalska in 2017 and placed at the entrance of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków. According to the official website of the museum “this project has been inspired by the figure of Lech Wałęsa and his significance in the historic act of overthrowing communism. A Gift to Krakow from Gdańsk is a fragment of the Gdańsk Lenin Shipyard fence which Lech Wałęsa scaled on 14 August 1980 around 11 am (all the gates of the shipyard had been closed by that time) to join those who had gone on strike. When he arrived in the shipyard, he assumed the leadership of the Inter-factory Strike Committee. A list of twenty-one demands was issued by the Committee over which talks begun with the representatives of Poland’s communist government officials. The strike ended on 31 August 1980 when an accord was signed which later became known as one of the three August Agreements. This date is assumed as the symbolic beginning of the NSZZ Solidarity movement which led to the overthrow of communism in Poland and in Europe. A Gift to Krakow from Gdańsk was built out of bricks which were left after one of the shipyard halls was taken down. The artist was also inspired by a monument, a fragment of the shipyard wall, which stands close to the Solidarity headquarters in Gdańsk.” These photos were taken in March 2023.