Arkadiusz Rybicki – Aram. President of the Programm Council Board of the Foundation. Born on January 12, 1953. He graduated with a master degree from the Department of History on the University of Gdansk. In 1977 he became one of the founders and publishers underground monthly newspaper “Bratniak”. In 1979 became one of the founders and creators of Young Poland’s Movement. In August 1980, together with Maciej Grzywaczewski (his future to be brother in law), he wrote (painted) 21 Demands of the striking workers on a famous wooden plaque, which has been included by UNESCO on the list of World Cultural Legacy. After the August Strike, he got involved in the work for “Solidarity”, and became a Director of the Press Information Office of Solidarity, (“BIPS”). During the Martial Law he has been interned for whole year in the Internment Camp in Strzebielinek. Since 1983 for several years he was a close co – worker with Lech Walesa, whose biography he had written in 1988. During the years 1999-2001 he was a Vice Director of the Ministry (Department) of Culture and National Legacy. During the years 2000-2002, he worked as a Director of National (Office) (Enterprise) Academy of Culture, known as a Library of Ossolinskich (Ossolineum). Since 2005 he was serving as a Parliament Member Of the Republic of Poland.

He has died on the April the Tenth, 2010, in an air crash near Smolensk on the way to Katyn.

Jerzy Borowczak. He has graduated from the Technical School of Navy Construction in Gdynia. He was a member of one of the strongest of the underground organization, The Free Workers Union (WZZ – Wolne Zwiazki Zawodowe). In 1980, together with Bogdan Borusewicz who currently serves as the Speaker of The Senate, and with another two Gdansk Shipyard workers, Bogdan Felski and Ludwik Pradzynski, he has initiated and started the famous August Strike of the Gdansk Shipyard. Since then, he became and still is one of the closest co-workers and friends with Lech Walesa. After the birth and creation of “Solidarity” Movement, he became a Vice- President of the Gdansk Shipyard “Solidarity” Council. After introduction of the Martial Law, ha was fired from Shipyard, and has started working in a later well known, Gdansk Co-Op of High Altitude Services, “SWIETLIK” (The SKYLIGHT). In 1989 he returned to the Gdansk Shipyard, and started the work as an union’s activist, after the former “SOLIDARITY” Movement had been reactivated. Among other offices, he also held a position of a Chairman in the Shipyard “Solidarity” Union. In the year 2000, he became a Parliament Member, taking the seat of the deceased Franciszka Cegielska, widely known Coastal activist from the AWS Party (Connected to former “Solidarity” Movement). In 2001 he supported the creating of the currently governing party “Platforma Obywatelska” (The Citizen’s Platform).

Since 2002 he also has taken the office of the director of “Solidarity Center Foundation”, as well as an office of the member of the City Council Board. He bears a title of a “Honor Citizen of Gdansk”.

In 2006 he has been awarded with a Officer Cross of Polonia Restituta (Poland Restored) by the President of Poland Lech Kaczynski.

Maciej Plazynski. Born on February 10, 1958. Active participant of Young Poland’s Movement. After August 1980, he became a founder and the first Chairman of Independent Association of Polish Students on University of Gdansk. He was one of the organizers of Student’s Strike, before and after December 13, 1981. (The date of the introduction of the Martial Law). During Martial Law he founded and operated Working Co – Op of the Services performed on high altitude, “SWIETLIK – Gdansk” (“The Skylight – Gdansk”). He also was a co-creator of the “Congress of Liberals”, which later has changed into political party, called “Liberal Democrats Congress”. During the years 1990 – 1996, he was the first non communist Governor of Gdansk Region (nominated by Tadeusz Mazowiecki, the first Polish Prime Minister after the fall of communism). He was also among the founders and first members of the AWS Social Movement. During the years 1997 – 2001, member of the Polish Parliament, and a Parliament Speaker. In 2001, together with Andrzej Olechowski and Donald Tusk (current Polish Prime Minister), they created the now governing political party “The Citizen’s Platform”. Since 2005 he also was a Vice President of Polish Senate. During the parliament election in 2007, he represented the PiS (Law and Justice, conservative party), he didn’t though become a member of PiS, and remained in Polish Parliament as an Independent Member. He was also a president of the association “Polish Commonwealth”.

He died on April 10, 2010 in an airplane crash near Smolensk, on his way to Katyn.

Arbeitsgenossenschaft für Höhendienstleistungen „LEUCHTKÄFER":

Jan Pawlicki. wurde 1959 in Krakau geboren. In Krakau lebt er und ist als Architekt, Bühnenbildner und Schriftsteller tätig. Er ist Koordinator kultureller Projekte und Ereignisse, die in Polen, Russland, in der Ukraine, in Litauen und in der Europäischen Union realisiert werden.

Born (1959), raised and still living in historic city of Cracov, architect, scenographer and writer. He is a coordinator of the large number of cultural enterprises and events, taking place in Poland, Russia, Lituania, Ukraine and in European Union. Among other creative achievements there are such as a restoration of the burnt Greek Catholic Sanctuary on the “Holy Mountain, Saint Grabarka” which is referred and known as a “Greeko-Catholic (Orthodox Catholic) Czestochowa.” He also coordinated the reconstruction of the masterpiece of Cossac Baroque: the Silver Gate of Czar in a Sophie’s Council in Kiyev. He was also responsible for exposition of the monumental art and icons by Jerzy Nowosielski in Poland, Russia, Lituania, Ukraine and Spain, as well as for the publication of the catalogs of icons by Jerzy Nowosielski, and other icons of the Old Rite. He also works on the translation of Russian and Ukrainian poetry into Polish language.

While implementing all the above projects, he cooperated with the following: The Moscow Orthodox Patriarch, with a Orthodox Metropoly in Warsaw, The Museum of Kiyev Sophia in Kiyev, The National Museum of Lvov, The Museum of Lituanian Art in Vilnius, The City Museum in Barcelona, Valence and Saragossa, The Pilgrim Museum in Santiago de Compostella, as well as with many Polish Museums, led by The National Museum of Art in Warsaw.

Mariusz Wilk (geb. am 19. Januar 1955 in Wroclaw), Journalist, Schriftsteller, Essayist und Weltreisender.

Born od January 19, 1955 in Wroclaw – journalist, writer, essayist and traveler. He has graduated from Wroclaw University, Polish Philology Department. Since 1978 he was an active member of democratic opposition. Co-creator of many of the underground political newspapers and magazines: “Biuletyn Dolnoslaski”, “Podaj dalej”, “Tematy”. (“The Lower Silesia Bulletin”, “Hand it Forward”, “Topics”). During the Shipyard Strike in August 1980, he was a co-editor of the daily “Strike Bulletin”, published in the Gdansk Shipyard. From 1980 he moved to Gdansk, where he became the main editor of “SLOLIDARITY – The Newspaper of Gdansk Region Council (the known interview with Gunter Grass was published in this newspaper). After introduction of the Martial Law he remained in hiding, continuing to be the editor of now underground illegal newspaper, until his arrest in December 1982. After he was released from prison in 1983, he had worked in the Co-Op of High Altitude Services “SWIETLIK GDANSK” (“THE SKYLIGHT GDANSK”). In 1984, together with Maciej Lopinski and Marcin Moskit (pseudonym, the real name was: Zbigniew Gach), he had published in Paris, the –then- bestseller, the book about the underground “Solidarity” under the title “Conspira “ (slang for “THE CONSPIRACY”), which was instantly published underground in Poland, with an interviews with Bogdan Borusewicz, Zbigniew Bujak, Wladyslaw Frasyniuk, Alexander Hall, Tadeusz Jedynak, Bogdan Lis, and Eugeniusz Szumiejko. The book has been gotten an Award of “Solidarity” of Publishers in 1984. He was arrested second time in 1986, accused of collaboration with foreign intelligence, (for which the publishing of the “Conspira” behind the Iron Courtain). Released after several month because of general amnesty. After the 1988 strikes on the Coast, he quit his active political participation. During the Nineties he stayed abroad. He had settled in Russia, on the Soloviets Islands, later on the coast of the Onega Lake, recently again on the Far North. Doring this period of time he was a Russian correspondent of the Parisian “Culture”, until the last edition of this publication (in 2000. He has also been awarded with a “Literary Award of CULTURE, dedicated to Zygmunt Hertz in 1997). He is currently cooperating with a “Rzeczpospolita” (appendix “Plus-Minus”), his texts used to be published also in “Literary Notebooks”, “Gdansk Newspaper” and “Political Review”. In 2006 he has been awarded with an Officer Cross Polonia Restituta (Poland Restored).

He wrote:

• CONSPIRA. Notes about underground „Solidarity”/ 1994
• BLACK’N RED/1991
• WOLF’S NOTEBOOK. Solovietz notes /1996-1998/ 1998
• VOLOKA/ 2005
• HOUSE ON ONIEGO/ 2006
• ON RENS TRACKS/2005

COWORKERS

A person wishing to remain anonymous, committed to the Foundation.