Janek Wisniewski
Encyclopedia
Janek Wiśniewski ' is a fictional name given to a real person (Zbigniew Godlewski) in the poem Ballad of Janek Wiśniewski.
city of Gdynia
by the military or militia on December 17, 1970, during the Polish 1970 protests
. The image of an anonymous young man's body carried on doors through the cordons of police and tanks inspired Dowgiałło to write the poem. Not knowing his name at the time, the author decided to give him a name that is typically Polish. Later it was discovered the man was actually named Zbigniew Godlewski and lived in nearby Elbląg
. In 1970 he was shot dead along with 44 other people.
The music for the song Pieśń o Janku z Gdyni (also known as Ballada o Janku Wiśniewskim) was written by Mieczysław Cholewa. The song, along with the story of Janek Wiśniewski, was popularized when it was performed at the end of the 1981 movie Man of Iron
(by actress Krystyna Janda along with Jacek Kaczmarski
). After the fall of communism in Poland, a major street in Gdynia was named after Janek Wiśniewski and also a street in Elbląg was named after Zbigniew Godlewski.
The legend and the real person
The name was invented by the ballad's author Krzysztof Dowgiałło to symbolize an 18-year worker killed in the PolishPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
city of Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
by the military or militia on December 17, 1970, during the Polish 1970 protests
Polish 1970 protests
The Polish 1970 protests were protests that occurred in northern Poland in December 1970. The protests were sparked by a sudden increase of prices of food and other everyday items...
. The image of an anonymous young man's body carried on doors through the cordons of police and tanks inspired Dowgiałło to write the poem. Not knowing his name at the time, the author decided to give him a name that is typically Polish. Later it was discovered the man was actually named Zbigniew Godlewski and lived in nearby Elbląg
Elblag
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
. In 1970 he was shot dead along with 44 other people.
The music for the song Pieśń o Janku z Gdyni (also known as Ballada o Janku Wiśniewskim) was written by Mieczysław Cholewa. The song, along with the story of Janek Wiśniewski, was popularized when it was performed at the end of the 1981 movie Man of Iron
Man of Iron
Man of Iron is a 1981 film directed by Andrzej Wajda. It depicts the Solidarity labour movement and its first success in persuading the Polish government to recognize the workers' right to an independent union....
(by actress Krystyna Janda along with Jacek Kaczmarski
Jacek Kaczmarski
Jacek Kaczmarski was a Polish singer, songwriter, poet and author.Kaczmarski was a voice of the Solidarity trade union movement in 1980s Poland, for his commitment to a free Poland, independent of Soviet rule. His songs criticized the ruling communist regime and appealed to the tradition of...
). After the fall of communism in Poland, a major street in Gdynia was named after Janek Wiśniewski and also a street in Elbląg was named after Zbigniew Godlewski.