On the occasion of the Freedom Day, which is celebrated in Poland on June 4, we offer to your attention a brief summary of historical event of the end of the 20th century that were crucial for Polish freedom and sovereignty. The first foretelling of this were the elections to the Sejm and the Senate of June 4, 1989. The direct result of these events was the tearing down of the Berlin wall and restoration of full independence of Central and Eastern European countries.

All photos of this exhibition were taken by Erazm Ciołek who accompanied the striker workers of the Gdańsk wharf in 1980 and documented the events during the Round Table sessions. The exhibition is complemented with posters from the times of creation of the “Solidarity”, authentic notice of introduction of the martial law, and propaganda posters of the Sejm and Senate election campaign of June 4, 1989.

Erazm Ciołek (24.06.1937 – 13.11.2012) was a photo artist and photojournalist. He actively documented political events and the public struggle against the power of the Polish People’s Republic. Before the parliamentary elections of June 4, 1989 he made a well-known series of photos for election posters for “Solidarity” candidates. He received many awards for his activities. 

View the exhibition “From the “Solidarity” to the “Round Table”