The Religious and Patriotic Attitudes of the Residents of Świdnik in the 80s of the 20th century

Abstract

The article is an attempt of presenting religiously-patriotic attitudes of the residents of Świdnik against the backdrop of socio-political events of that time. The problem of the influence of the so-called Świdnik July (Świdnicki Lipiec) on the August evens at the Polish coast in 1980 was treated as a particularly important scholarly dilemma. Equally important problem was the range of the influence of the institutional transformation on the changes of the public attitudes in the 80s.
The first troubles of the communist authorities with Świdnik were born on the foundations of the religious needs of its inhabitants. Only in 1975 permission was granted to build the church. The first parish priest, but also an organiser and a builder of the church, ks. Jan Hryniewicz could actively mobilise to work nearly the entire community of the city.
In the 80s Świdnik turned out to be a very ungrateful city towards the communist system. It was the industrial Świdnik which, according to many historians, initiated a gradual, yet evolutionary in its character, fall of the communism. The Świdnik July strikes (8-11) permanently entered into the modern history of Poland. It was also in this city where the important for the country events occurred. I.e. in April 1981 the Congress of Solidarnośc Delegates (Zjazd Delegatów Solidarności) took place. It is also worth mentioning the patriotic behaviour of the WSK (Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego) crew in the dramatic days of the martial law and then the vigorous activities of Komisja Zakładowa during the martial law period. It is necessary to note the initiation of the first in the country marches along the main street of the city. In the 80s the cultural and educational (i.e. the performances of renown actors and artists) activities were continued in conspiracy. Finally, a “free voice” was being sent through the Radio Solidarnośc. These noble initiatives were an expression of religiously-patriotic attitudes of the inhabitants.