Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk gets prestigious European Prize

At a ceremony in Strasbourg on Tuesday Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Piotr Gliński spoke of the phenomenon of the Solidarity movement which, he said, “thanks to the support of the Church overthrew the communist system”.

He stressed that the ideas of Solidarity have lost nothing of their relevance and continue to be topical in Europe, including Poland, where, in his view, they have not been fully implemented.

Pedro Agramunt, chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, has described the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk as “a fascinating example of a cultural institution working to promote freedom and solidarity”, adding that “the events it recounts and its programme make it a forum for modern Europe.”

The director of the centre, Basil Kerski, said that the Council of Europe prize is yet another stimulus for the centre to cultivate the ideas of the Solidarity movement and promote them across Europe.

The Museum Prize is awarded annually by the culture commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Located in the neighbourhood of the Gdańsk shipyard, the cradle of the Solidarity movement, the European Solidarity Centre is an educational, research and academic institution comprising an archive, a library, conference facilities and offices of several NGOs.

The museum was presented with a bronze statuette, “La femme aux beaux seins” by Joan Miró, which it will keep for a year, together with a diploma. (mk/rg)