Calendars from secret print shop
In the beginning of New Year 2018 we would like to invite you to review calendars from secret print shop. They were printed by the Secret Print Shop of “Solidarity” Temporary Works Committee of J. Pilsudski Gdańsk Ship Repair Yard. You can see the scanned calendars below.
In archival science calendars (Latin calendae, also kalendae = the first day of the month), together with archival materials such as donation certificates or envelopes, are recognized as ephemeral prints. Depending on their shape we can distinguish for example wall, book, appointment, desk, or pocket calendars. Due to their content they are typically divided into common, specialist or professional calendars.
Below two 21 x 30 cm wall calendars are described.
The first of these calendars was issued for 1987, the second one for 1989. The first one shows a crowd of people and a sizable “Solidarity” inscription. The lower part constitutes the essential part of the calendar with the Gdańsk Ship Repair Yard’s logo.
The second calendar presents the contours of the Polish state. The central part is occupied by the image of the Monument of Killed Shipyard Workers in Gdansk in 1970 and the red “Solidarity” inscription. Within the contours we can find distinctive images of the Pilsudski Gdańsk Ship Repair Yard, Textile Plant in Łódź, Warsaw Technical University Independent Students’ Union, and the J. Pilsudski Steelworks in Nowa Huta. Also, in the lower part of the calendar, there is the actual calendar with the Ship Repair Yard’s logo.
The calendars from secret print shop differed in price – the first one was available for 200 Polish zloty, the second for 350 Polish zloty. Marked in red are not only Sundays and public holidays, but also dates significant for the “Solidarity” Trade Union. These include the 31st of August (the Gdańsk Accords) or the 19th of October (kidnapping of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko).
Visit us at the Archives of the National Commision of NSZZ „Solidarność”
Let us also remind you that it is possible to use our holdings in our Reading Room. We are open from Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 3.30 pm. Feel free to contact us at: !
/Łukasz Grochowski, The Archives of the Solidarity National Commission,
Iwona Flis, Stanislaw Flis Foundation “Pomerania Archives”/
