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Lech
Walesa,
trade union activist, politician; born
September, 29 1943 in Popowo, Poland; son of
Boleslaw and Feliksa Walesa; married to Miroslawa
Danuta, 1969; children: Bogdan, Slawomir, Przemyslaw,
Jaroslaw, Magdalena, Anna, Maria-Victoria, Brygida.
Electrician in Lenin Shipyard, Gdansk, 1966
- 1976, 1980 - 1981 and from 1983; member of
the strike committee December 1970; dismissed
from work, June 1976; active in founding committee
of Independent Trade Union, from May 1978; chairman
of strike committee in Gdansk, August 1980;
chairman of National Co-ordinating Committee
of Independent Trade Union "Solidarnosc",
September 1980; chairman of National Executive
Committee NSZZ "Solidarnosc", 1981
- 1990; held in detention, December, 13 1981-
November 1982; chairman of strike committee
in Gdansk Shipyard, 1988; cofounder and chairman
of Citizens Committee, December 1988; chairman
of the opposition delegation in the "Round
Table" talks with communist government,
February - April 1989; President of Republic
of Poland, 1990 - 1995.
PhD (hon.): Alliance College, Paris,
1981; University of Columbia, 1981; Catholic
University, Louvain, 1981; Mac Murray College,
Illinois, 1982; University Notre Dame, 1982;
Providence College, 1981; St. Senis University,
Paris, 1982; Seton Hall University, 1982; Paris
University, 1983; Harvard University, 1983;
Fordham University, 1984; Dundee University,
Great Britain, 1984; Mac Master University,
Hamilton, Canada, 1989; Simon Fraser University,
Canada, 1989; Gdansk University, 1990; Copernicus
University, Torun, Poland, 1990; Connecticut
State University, 1996, Universidad Anahuac
del Sur, Mexico City, 1996, Universidad del
San Salvador, Buenos Aires, 1997, Universidad
de Mendoza, Mendoza, 1997, Korea University
(hon. prof.), Seul, 1997, Meiji University,
Tokyo, 1997, Westminster College, Fulton, 1998,
Lynn University, Miami 1998, Gannon University,
Erie, Pennsylvania, 1999, University of Hawaii,
Honolulu, 1999, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Middelbury College, VM, 2000,
Oregon, 2001, Pontificia Universidad Catolica
Madre Y Maestra, Santiago de los Caballeros,
Republica Dominicana, 2001, St. Ambrose University,
Davenport, Iowa, 2001, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah, NJ, 2001, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, NC, 2002.
Named "Man of the Year" by: "Time
Magazine", 1981; "The Financial Times",
1980; "The Observer", 1980; Polish
Radio and Television, 1989; "Saudi Gazette",
Saudi Arabia, 1989, Wprost, Poland 1995. Recipient
of Free World Prizes: Norway, 1982, "Le
Point", 1981; "Le Soir", 1981;
"L'Express", 1981; Freedom Medal,
Philadelphia, 1981; "Die Zeit", 1981;
"Die Welt", 1980; Peace Prize of Arbetet,
1981; Love International Award, 1981; Medal
of Merit Polish American Congress, 1981; International
Democracy Award, 1982; Social Justice Award,
1983; American Friendship Medal, 1983; Nobel
Prize for Peace, 1983; Humanitarian Public Service
Medal, 1984; Pro Fide et Patria Medal, Poland,
1985; International Integrity Award, 1986; Philadelphia
Liberty Medal, 1989; Countries of Europe Human
Rights Prize, 1989; U.S. Medal of Freedom, 1989;
George Meany Human Rights Award, 1989.
Decorated 1st class Order of Francisco de Miranda,
1989; Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order
of the Bath, 1991; Grand Cross of Legion of
Honour, 1991; Grand Order of Merit, Republic
of Italy, 1991; Ordine Piano I Classe Cavalliere
di Collare, 1991; Honorary Citizen of London,
1991; Grand Sash of Order of Leopold, 1991;
Order of H.H. Pius XII; Order of Merit of Federal
Republic of Germany; Order al Merito of Republic
of Chile; National Cross of Order of Cross of
South, Brazil; Medal of Independence of the
Republic of Turkey; Military Order of St. James
with Swords, Portugal; Order of Henry of Portugal;
Order of Korea; Order of the Netherlands Lion
of Holland; Order of St. Olaf of Norway; Medal
of Republic of Uruguay; Medal UNESCO; Grand
Colar da Ordem da Libertad, 1993; Grand Cross
of White Rose with Chains, Finland, 1993; Royal
Order of Seraphim, Sweden, 1993; Order of the
Elephant, Denmark, 1993; Grand Cross of Order
of Merit, Republic Hungary, 1994; knight of
Order of Rebirth of Poland; Knight of Order
of White Eagle, Poland; Path for Peace Award,
Apostolic Nuncio to the United Nations, 1996;
Freedom Medal of National Endowment for Democracy,
Washington, 1999; International Freedom Award,
Memphis, 1999; the Great Order of the White
Lion, Czech Republic, 1999, Gran Gruz Placa de Oro de la Orden Heraldica do Cristobal Colon, Republica Dominicana, 2001.
Author of "A Way of Hope", 1987 and
"The Struggle and the Triumph", 1991,
"Everything I do I do for my country"
1995. Columnist in "Wprost" weekly
1996 - 2000.
Currently Lech Walesa is heading Lech Walesa
Institute Foundation, established in December
1995, which in today's Poland, occupies a special
and exceptional place. The Institute attains
the goals that Lech Walesa has been faithful
to all life, of which the major ones are:
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safeguarding of national
heritage and the tradition of independence
and solidarity;
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research and analysis
of the recent history of Poland, in particular,
of social movements and political parties
and their programmes and activity;
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supporting the process
of power decentralisation in Poland and
of development of local self-governments
and endeavours aiming at renewal of Polish
Republic;
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continuation of the reforms
inspired by "Solidarnosc"
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propagating moral principles
in politics and public activity, as well
as judging the ways of carrying out politics
and exerting power;
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popularising the proper
image of Poland and of the Poles outside
the country as well as promulgating information
about Poland.
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All the Lech Walesa
and his Institute's activities aim at consolidating
democracy and the free market economy in Poland,
as well as at permanently integrating Poland
into European structures. The Institute particularly
cherishes the respect for freedom and rights
of a citizen and for proper functioning of the
state of law.
Outstanding experts in various disciplines,
such as politics, economy, science, culture,
law, and administration, cooperate with Lech
Walesa and his Institute's in different aspects
and fields of interest.
Lech Walesa is active in socio-political life in Poland and abroad. Thanks to his visits abroad (approximately 15 per year) he is in contact with world leaders and wide representation of various societies.
To promote his ideas in Polish political life creator and president of the political party - Christian Democracy of III Polish Republic, 1997 - 2001.
Lech Walesa's visit to Kiev
Warsaw, 24 November 2004
Due to the alarming situation in Ukraine and the invitation for president Lech Walesa sent on November 25 by one of the candidates to the presidential office, Mr.Victor Juszczenko, Lech Walesa will fly tomorrow to Ukraine.
Being worried by the recent events in the neighboring country, President has changed his previously arranged travel plans in order to meet with the President of Ukraine, Mr. Leonid Kuczma, and two candidates in the presidential campaign, Mr. Victor Juszczenko and Mr. Victor Janukovycz.
In the agreement with the appropriate governmental institutions, Lech Walesa and his delegation, will depart from Cracow. to Kiev at 8:00 a.m. The flight will be operated by a governmental plane. The meetings during the stay are organized by the Polish Embassy in Kiev. At this very moment, the details of the visit are not known.
Lech Walesa Representing Europe During the Opening of the Winter Olympics
Source: Polityka No 7/2002 - ©AFP
Press excerpts:
Majority of newspapers and magazines reported Lech Walesa's participation in the opening of the 19th Winter Olympics. Here are some selected excerpts:
'Details of the opening ceremony had traditionally been kept a great secret. All that had been known was that Lech Walesa was going to participate in it carrying the Olympic flag as a representative of Europe. The Americans perceive Lech Walesa as the icon of freedom, peace, and solidarity. 'It is a great honor for me to be representing Europe. I will carry the flag as the first person on the right, told 'Zycie' the former president'.
(ZYCIE February 11, 2002)
'Lech Walesa participated in the opening ceremony of the 19th Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. As a guest of honor representing Europe, he carried the Olympic flag. 'I am the only European who will carry the Olympic flag together with the representatives of other continents', said Wałęsa on Polish Radio III before the opening ceremony. 'It is a nice big gesture', he added'
(PAP - RZECZPOSPOLITA 34/2002)
'Among the eight people who carried the Olympic flag into the Stadium (such as. Archbishop Desmond Tutu from South Africa, a legendary downhill skier Jean Claude Killy and director Steven Spielberg), there was Lech Wałęsa, 'honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, leader of the Polish workers, and later the president of Poland, a small but brave country', as one of the American papers put it. The torch was lit by the American hockey team who fantastically won against the USSR in Lake Placid in 1980'
(Jacek Adamczyk, Michal Pol - GAZETA WYBORCZA February 11, 2002)
In the Saturday edition of the 'Zycie' Maciej Krzyzanowski asked Lech Walesa about his impressions from the opening ceremony:
'Lech Walesa; To say that it is an honor it is to say the least; it is more a feeling of great pride that as a Pole I will be representing Europe while carrying the Olympic flag. I had not expected that the organizers would bestow this enormous honor on me. But this goes to say that the International Olympic Committee still remembers that there is someone called Walesa somewhere'
(ZYCIE 9.02.2002)
Photos from the stay in Salt Lake City (USA)
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