That's how I remember it/ Wojciech Maziarski

We invited journalist and hungarian Wojciech Maziarski to lead an author's tour of the permanent exhibition of the ECS in the month in which we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Uprising, a revolt against the oppressive system suppressed bloodily by Soviet tanks.

Wojciech Maziarski studied in Budapest more than twenty years after the Hungarian Uprising (1979—1981). During this time, he established contact with the Hungarian opposition. In the judgment of the authorities there, overly involved. Maziarski was deported for “anti-state activities”. In the 1980s, he was an active participant in the student opposition in Warsaw — he held positions in the structures of the student self-government of the University of Warsaw, co-organized protests against the restriction of university autonomy, and after the outlawing of independent structures created publishing initiatives. He was the editor of the underground student press and published in the second circulation and the emigration press. In the 1980s, Maziarski animated the international cooperation of the opposition in Central Europe. He was a mediator of contacts between the Polish and Hungarian opposition and co-created cooperation networks of independent circles in the region. He worked for Polish-Czechoslovak Solidarity, was a co-creator of the “Solidarity” Information Service and the Eastern European Information Agency, a network for the exchange of independent information between the oppositions of the region. He participated in the transmission of news about political events to Western media and co-organized the founding meeting of Polish-Hungarian Solidarity (1988—1989). After 1989, he was a correspondent for the Polish Section of the BBC, then a long-time journalist for Gazeta Wyborcza. He served as editor-in-chief of Newsweek Polska (2009—2012) and head of the “Opinions” department of Gazeta Wyborcza (2018—2025). He is currently a columnist for Gazeta Wyborcza. Author of journalistic and literary books, including “Like a phoenix from a bottle. Conversations with alcoholics”, “Selection” and the series “Readings about good change”. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polish Revival, the honorary badge of the Activist of the anti-communist opposition and the Badge of Meritorious Cultural Activist.

We invite the creators of Polish freedom continuously for 11 years to share memories, emotions and anecdotes at the permanent exhibition ECS. Each walk is different, individual, subjective. They are very popular among visitors. Each time, the energy accumulates in an astonishing way: the exposition becomes almost a theatrical scenography for a story, and memories make it come to life and take on a new expression.

“Every day we learn history from objective sources — textbooks, encyclopedias, we listen to the stories of guides, experts and historians. The more objective, the better — says Adam Czubaszek from the ECS Exhibition Department, head of the subjective walks project. — However, if someone talks about events in which they participated, it will always be a subjective story and in this case it is an added value. We ask our guides to recall anecdotes, dialogues and emotions. It is this aspect that makes subjective walks so highly appreciated by our guests.

We guarantee a visit in an intimate group, exciting stories and the opportunity to talk with a guide.

We always invite you to take walks on the last Saturday of the month and invariably at noon. On November 29, Ewa Kulik-Bielińska will show you.

date | always last Saturday of the month, 12.00 place | Gdańsk, Plac Solidarność 1 collection | ECS, vis-à-vis ticket offices (ground floor) time | approx. 120 minutes place | ECS, exhibition fixed admission | ticket price 18 zł