Solidarity steps-in to preserve a piece of Polish history from foreign buyers

The first print of the famous "Solidarity" logo will not be sold abroad as planned but purchased by the management of NSZZ Solidarność. The owner of the poster, Krystyna Janiszewska, was to receive as much as EUR 12,000 from a foreign buyer. "Please understand my point of view, history is history but I have to eat," she said. When the news reached Solidarity members they decided the print was much too important for it to be lost abroad. "This poster has a very high symbolic and historical value for our party, that is why it is our duty to buy it. We will meet Ms Janiszewska as soon as Tuesday to discuss the price," said Solidarity's deputy president Maciej Jankowski. It is uncertain whether Solidarity will be able to offer as much as the foreign buyer, but they say they are determined to buy the poster. The logo was created by Jerzy Janiszewski during the 1980 strikes at the Gdańsk shipyard and Solidarity's symbol later achieved worldwide fame. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 4; Rzeczpospolita, p. A4) D.W.