The celebrations of 11 November present an excellent opportunity to pay tribute to all anonymous heroes of August 1980 who fought for freedom and dignity for all Poles. The JSW Foundation has arranged an abundance of events which, even during the current challenging period of a pandemic, will enable their participants to pay homage to miners and celebrate Poland’s Independence and Freedom in unity. 

Please note: The organizers of the celebrations call on everyone to pay homage to the miners by lighting a candle in their home window on 11 November, Poland’s Independence Day, at 8:00 p.m.

40 years ago, the miners in Jastrzębie managed to successfully negotiate the terms of the Jastrzębie Agreement. Their achievement changed the lives of people across the country by paving the way for the establishment of a free and independent Homeland. Tradition and history form the pillars of the mining ethos, based on which the JSW Foundation has organized a socio-educational campaign under the slogan “Celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Jastrzębie Agreement – Silesian contribution to 100 years of the Independent Republic of Poland”, the highlights of which will take place on 11 November 2020 with a holy mass for the Homeland at 11:00 a.m. in the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, and a theatrical and musical performance entitled “Heroism of Witold Pilecki” at 4:00 p.m., which will be held without the participation of the audience but will be broadcast live on the internet at www.porozumieniejastrzebskie.pl. A spectacular light show will be projected on 40 buildings in Jastrzębie-Zdrój and places across the municipalities cooperating with JSW at 7:00 p.m. At 8:00 p.m., candles will be lit in the windows to commemorate the anonymous heroes. 

“We must not forget that here in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, 40 years ago, during the signing of the Jastrzębie Agreement, a free and independent Poland was being born. Owing to their determination, JSW miners took a giant leap towards the collapse of the communist system and thus the regaining of freedom for our country. The August Agreements signed by the communist authorities in 1980 with the protesting workers ended the strike wave across the country. As a result of that struggle, the authorities agreed to register the Solidarity Trade Union, release political prisoners and implement economic reforms. Our Jastrzębie Agreement was the one that ensured work-free Saturdays,” says Włodzimierz Hereźniak, President of the JSW Management Board.

As part of the celebrations of Poland’s Independence Day and the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Jastrzębie Agreement, the JSW Foundation has arranged a host of social and informational events which will be held until the end of the year, including an exhibition of historical photos from KWK Manifest Lipcowy (currently KWK Zofiówka) and an exhibition about prelate Bernard Czernecki and his role in the building of an independent homeland. The prelate’s deeds will also form a significant portion of the show “Heroism of Witold Pilecki” and the film which will be made available on the website www.PorozumienieJastrzebskie.pl. Another very interesting initiative of the JSW Foundation will be an attempt at creating a ‘time capsule’, the purpose of which will be to acquaint future generations with the significance of the Jastrzębie Agreement. The Foundation is in the process of collecting souvenirs, photographs and archival newspaper clippings from that period and requests the owners of such memorabilia to share them with the project organizers.

“40 years ago, Jastrzębie miners endeavored to attain the impossible. Our great national uprisings stemmed from the ideas of freedom and justice, inspiring heroes who passed on their values to the miners through history textbooks. Despite the pandemic, we wish to remind all Poles on the Independence Day that it was here, in the mines of Jastrzębie, that our free and independent Homeland was born. We owe it to all the anonymous miners who wrote their narrative so beautifully on the pages of our country’s history,” says Artur Dyczko, President of the JSW Foundation, Vice-President of the JSW Management Board for Technical and Operational Matters. “Let us celebrate this day together, regardless of our political affiliations and beliefs. Let us rejoice in freedom and independence. I urge everyone to take part in our celebrations of independence, and especially to light a candle that will commemorate our fellow citizens in a dignified manner.”

The organizers are also actively promoting the event in social media. Through this channel, they are reaching out to schools, preschools, parishes, sports clubs, Voluntary Fire Brigade units, municipalities, towns and cities to involve them in the joyful celebrations and encourage their active participation. Among the proposed online initiatives is “challenge40”. The participants of the challenge will show, in the form of videos, photographs or presentations, how they spend their family weekends, embedding the “40” motif, thereby commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Jastrzębie Agreement. The slogans of the campaign are: #PorozumienieJastrzebskie (#JastrzębieAgreement) #LubięTo! (#ILikeIt!) #Pamietamy (#WeRemember) and #ŚwiętujmyRazem (#WeCelebrateTogether). Specially designed Instagram frames have been placed in the towns and municipalities covered by the JSW Foundation’s outreach. Employees of the JSW Group have already joined the project and we encourage everyone to follow suit! Take a picture and post it on your social media profile with the hashtags #PorozumienieJastrzebskie #Pamietamy #ŚwiętujmyRazem. This is an obvious reference to the August 1980 Agreements, which provided for work-free Saturdays. A dedicated website has also been created at www.PorozumienieJastrzebskie.pl along with a Facebook page where comprehensive information about the events that took place 40 years ago and the festivities commemorating them have been posted.

For more information, please visit www.PorozumienieJastrzebskie.pl and the website of the JSW Foundation.