The Silesian Freedom and Solidarity Centre is a place where the history of resistance to the communist system becomes an experience—not just a collection of dates and facts. Our multimedia exhibition, created after the building’s extension in 2021, follows the events of the 1980s, with particular emphasis on the strike and pacification of the “Wujek" coal mine on December 16, 1981. The modern exhibition spans three floors of the former clothing warehouse, whose ramp was the site where special forces opened fire on protesting miners in December 1981.

However, the Centre’s activities are not limited to the exhibition itself. Each year we organize the commemoration of the “Wujek" mine pacification, bringing together representatives of the authorities, social organizations, and the local community. We oversee the cross monument built in honour of the Nine Miners and develop a wide range of educational programmes, including classes on recent history, workshops on underground printing techniques, and activities for both younger and older visitors.

Projects such as the Bieg Niepodległości im. Dziewięciu Górników, the youth’s Bieg Dziewięciu Górników, book publications, annual educational boards, our semi-annual bulletin Głos., and original historical podcasts are also an important part of our activity. Our Contemporary Art Gallery presents works by artists who explore the struggle for freedom in communist Poland, with particular focus on the tragedy at the “Wujek" coal mine.

It all comes together in the mission of the Silesian Freedom and Solidarity Centre: to remind, to educate, and to preserve the memory of those who had the courage to resist in the most difficult times.