Chopin (Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin)
This was one of my surprises, Chopin was actually Polish, not French!
That’s a common assumption people usually do, because he lived great part
of his life in France.
He was born in the Duchy of Warsaw, in a time when Poland did not exist as
a nation, since its territory was controlled by other countries.
He emigrated to France when he was 20 years old. When it comes to music, I
think he is the most famous Polish person.
Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa co-founded and headed Solidarity, the first independent trade
union in the Soviet bloc.
In the dawn of August 14th 1980, around 17,000 workers seized control of the
Lenin shipyard in Gdansk to protest. After negotiations with the Communist
government, Solidarity’s leader, Lech Wałęsa, appeared before his fellows and
made a historical announcement:
“We have an independent, self-governing trade union! [crowd cheers] We have
the right to strike!”
This historical event marked the formation of the Solidarity trade union, which
over time became a strong political force against the Communism in Poland.
In 1983, Wałęsa received the Nobel Peace, and in 1990 he was elected the first
president in Poland after the end of the Communism era.
Andrzej Wajda
I confess I didn’t know Andrzej Wajda before living in Poland. I believe that
great fans of international cinema probably know the Polish director, that in
2000 received an Oscar for his 5 decades of extraordinary film direction.
One of his most famous movie, and the only one I’ve watched so far, is called
Katyń, and it covers the massacre of 22,000 Polish officers during World War
II.
The Polish officers were captured by the Russian army, and in 1940 were ex-
ecuted in a huge massacre that is still remembered today. A sad event in the
history of Poland.
Marie Curie (Maria Salomea Skłodowska)
A great Polish scientist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity.
She was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize and also the first person and
only woman to receive the Prize twice!
She was born in Warsaw, and when she was 24 she emigrated to France (just
like Chopin), where she then obtained French citizenship later on.
A woman way ahead of her time!
Did you know that she actually move to France because women were not al-
lowed to enter the university in Poland?
And she did great!
Unfortunately, her constant contact with radiation had terrible effects on her
health, and on her husband’s as well.
Just like Chopin, many people think she is French, but no, she was a GREAT
Pole! Another famous person that has entered to the history of our science.