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57-563: Stalowa Wola is one of the youngest cities of Poland. It was built from scratch in the late 1930s in the forests surrounding village of Pławo. The city was designed to be a settlement for workers of Huta Stalowa Wola (known in 1938 to 1939 as Zakłady Poludniowe or Southern Works ), a plant built as part of the Central Industrial Region . The name "Stalowa Wola" translates to "Steel Will" in English, reflecting its origins and purpose as

114-531: A city established to support the steel industry . Stalowa Wola is home to the sports club Stal Stalowa Wola . Stalowa Wola is located in the lowlands of the Sandomierz Basin , near the San river. Even today sixty percent of the total area within its administrative borders (82 square kilometres (32 square miles)) consists of natural pine forests, remnants of once extensive and primeval Sandomierz Forest . The name of

171-650: A line runs east to Zamość , via Zwierzyniec . The ZMKS is the city's main public transit agency, operating a fleet of buses in Stalowa Wola and the surrounding districts. The city is a home for the professional football club Stal Stalowa Wola . They play their home matches at the Subcarpathian Football Center , opened in 2020. Moreover, the city is known from the amateur football club Parafialny Klub Sportowy San Rozwadów, that compete in Klasa A . Stalowa Wola

228-471: A local priest, reverend Bernard Czernecki. Among the striking coalmines were: Communist secret services , as well as conformist Solidarity leaders, were completely surprised by the strikes in Upper Silesia. In a report dated 14 August 1988, special agents of Służba Bezpieczeństwa wrote: “According to our sources , opposition leaders are not planning anything”. Later, some of the strikes were broken by

285-507: A massive wave of workers' strikes which broke out from 21 April 1988 in the Polish People's Republic . The strikes, as well as street demonstrations, continued throughout spring and summer, ending in early September 1988. These actions shook the Communist regime of the country to such an extent that it was forced to begin talking about recognising Solidarity . As a result, later that year,

342-590: A meeting, during which they demanded end of repressions of Solidarity activists, and 20,000 złoty salary increase. The first strikes broke out four days later, on 25 April 1988, in mass transportation centers in northern cities of Bydgoszcz and Inowrocław . On the next day, one of the biggest companies of the country, Vladimir Lenin Steelworks in Kraków, joined the strike. The workers demanded salary increase, re-employment of Solidarity activists, who had been fired during

399-644: A result, HSW joined the select group of manufacturers in Western Europe with such capabilities. In 2021, the Military Engineering Works in Dęblin merged with HSW. In 2022, HSW acquired the Sanok -based bus and coach manufacturer Autosan . In 2023, HSW purchased the civilian construction machinery part that it had sold to Guangxi Liugong Machinery including two production halls along with its employees. It

456-597: A strike on 15 May 1988, but the main activists of Solidarity had been arrested by the Służba Bezpieczeństwa , whose special agents got word of the plans. In the second half of August, further mines, most from southern Upper Silesia joined the strikers, and the Interfactory Strike Committee under Krzysztof Zakrzewski was founded in Jastrzębie-Zdrój. Miners from Jastrzębie-Zdrój were supported by

513-530: Is twinned with: 50°34′N 22°03′E  /  50.567°N 22.050°E  / 50.567; 22.050 Huta Stalowa Wola Huta Stalowa Wola ( HSW SA) is a defense contractor that operates a steel mill in the city of Stalowa Wola , Poland. It is a major producer of military equipment and one of the largest heavy construction machinery producers in East-Central Europe. In 1981 HSW and International Harvester constructed

570-583: Is a nationally important armament center for the Polish army. Based on the military profile of design, production and sales, Huta Stalowa Wola S.A. offers armament equipment. The Stalowa Wola Power Plant, part of the Tauron Group, also plays a leading role in the city's economic life. On 09.09.1997 the Tarnobrzeg Special Economic Zone "Euro-Park Wisłosan" was inaugurated. The land, which includes

627-406: Is an area of just under 1,000 hectares, located to the south of the existing plants, intended for industrial investments related to supporting the development and implementation of modern technologies in the fields of energy, electro mobility, transportation, hydrogen technology, aviation or automotive. The first major investment is a plant for the production of copper foil for the automotive industry,

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684-668: The Milicja Obywatelska special, antiriot detachments - at Morcinek coalmine in Kaczyce (24 August), Lenin in Myslowice, and Andaluzja in Piekary. Almost all strikes took place in mines, whose employees were people transferred from other areas of Poland in the 1970s. Mines in “traditional” parts of Upper Silesia did not join the protestors, except for Andaluzja from Piekary Slaskie, and Lenin from Myslowice. On 2 September Lech Wałęsa appeared in

741-576: The Kingdom of Poland , it was located in the south-eastern corner of the Sandomierz Voivodeship , near the border with Red Ruthenia . The city of Stalowa Wola was built on the site where the village of Pławo once stood, between the ancient towns of Nisko and Rozwadów . The first mentions of Pławo come from the first half of the 15th century. At the nearby village of Przyszów, there was a hunting lodge of King Władysław Jagiełło , built before 1358. In

798-577: The Ministry of State Treasury decided to include HSW in the recently established Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa , headquartered in Radom , making it Poland's largest arms manufacturer. In 2016, the expansion of the gun barrel manufacturing facility was completed to meet the needs of the AHS Krab self-propelled howitzer program, enabling the production of barrels up to 155 mm in caliber and up to 11 meters in length. As

855-615: The Southern Works , as the mill was then called, was started in dense pine forests around Pławo in March 1937. Among other things, the plant manufactured artillery cannons. Following the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland , which started World War II in September 1939, the city was occupied by Nazi Germany . During the war, Stalowa Wola was one of the centres of the Home Army . The settlement

912-591: The TD-40 earth mover, the world's largest at that time. It had plough capacity 19 m and the engine had 460 hp. Production began in 1983. TD-40 was used by State Polish mines and was exported to USA , Czechoslovakia , and the Soviet Union . TD-40E variant is still produced under the "Dressta" name. HSW SA is part of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA . It was established in 1938 in the Second Polish Republic . It

969-533: The TriCity ( Gdańsk , Gdynia and Sopot ) and Hel . The city has several railway stations that include: Stalowa Wola , Stalowa Wola South , Stalowa Wola Centre and Stalowa Wola Rozwadów , and is a main rail junction. All four stations are located on the main Przeworsk – Skarżysko-Kamienna line. Additionally, Stalowa Wola Rozwadów provides a northern connection with Lublin and, from Stalowa Wola South ,

1026-402: The 1980s employed around 21,000 people, was under a watchful eye of the security services, and its employees were strictly prohibited from undertaking any kind of oppositional activities. Nevertheless, across the 1980s, it was one of main centers of protests and demonstrations, and in spring of 1988, Stalowa Wola workers started the first strike of that year, which ended after a few days, and which

1083-521: The 21 August demonstration in Gdańsk. By far the biggest strike of summer 1988 took place in Stalowa Wola Steelworks, in which around 10,000 workers participated, and the plant was surrounded by militarized police units. The Stalowa Wola strike was so significant, that it was dubbed “the fourth nail in the coffin of Communism”. Since the Steelworks was an arms manufacturer, the factory, which in

1140-703: The 7th anniversary of the Gdańsk Agreement , street demonstrations and clashes with police took place in Warsaw , Wrocław , Lublin , and Bydgoszcz . On 8 March 1988, on the 20th anniversary of the 1968 Polish political crisis , activists of the Independent Students Union organized demonstrations in Warsaw, Kraków and Lublin. Most active demonstrators were immediately repressed by the government. On 21 April 1988, 5000 workers of Stalowa Wola Steelworks organized

1197-630: The Communists. The late 1980s was a time of deep economic crisis for Poland. The military regime of General Wojciech Jaruzelski did not carry out any radical reform of the economy in 1982-1983 following their imposition of Martial Law in Poland . Industrial production remained below the 1979 level. Average inflation rate climbed to 60% by 1988, and Poland’s hard-currency debt to the Western countries grew from $ 25 billion in 1981 to $ 43 billion in 1989. Furthermore,

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1254-492: The Gdańsk Lenin Shipyard to join striking miners from Jastrzębie-Zdrój. According to Alojzy Szablewski , who was leader of plant’s Solidarity, Lech Wałęsa was called, and during a meeting it was decided the strike would begin on Monday 22 August. On that day, at 7 a.m., some 3000 workers put away their tools. Their only demand was short - legalization of Solidarity. Soon afterwards, other main factories of Gdańsk joined

1311-601: The Holocaust after having been affected by World War I only some 20 years earlier. Jews in Rozwadów were a religiously observant community, i.e. traditional or Orthodox in practice. The leading rabbi of Rozwadów, similar to other rabbis of the region, followed Hasidism practice and was of the Horowitz family. In New York, a Rozwadower Rebbe established a small synagogue on the upper West Side , which continued for many decades after

1368-557: The July Manifesto coalmine, the last place that continued the strike. After his appeal, and a long argument, the miners decided to give up. The strike at July Manifesto was the longest one of Communist Poland. On 17 August the Port of Szczecin began to strike. In the following days, other companies from Szczecin stopped working, and the Interfactory Strike Committee was founded. It issued a statement, which consisted of four points, one of which

1425-532: The Port of Szczecin and the July Manifesto coal mine, lasted until 3 September. On 18 December Wałęsa established the Solidarity Citizens' Committee , which opened way for the Polish Round Table Agreement . In 1988, director Andrzej Piekutowski made a documentary film Coal Miners’88 , which presents strike in July Manifesto coal mine. Also, Pawel Smolenski and Wojciech Gielzynski wrote

1482-577: The area of the Stalowa Wola Subzone, belonged to Huta Stalowa Wola S.A. , which, as a result of restructuring, had unused assets in the form of production buildings, not fully completed halls, storage rooms and developed plots for industrial development. The Stalowa Wola subzone is an active area of the Tarnobrzeg Special Economic Zone EURO-PARK WISŁOSAN, covering an area of 280 hectares. Entrepreneurs operating on

1539-500: The basis of permits issued by the Industrial Development Agency S.A. have incurred investment outlays here in the amount of PLN 1.71 billion, with total employment reaching almost 6,000 employees. On 31.07.2021 an agreement was signed on the establishment of the company "Euro-Park Stalowa Wola" to manage the newly created investment zone. The zone was given the name "Strategic Investment Park - Euro-Park Stalowa Wola". It

1596-452: The communists promised not to persecute the strikers. The promise was broken, and hundreds of people were fired in the fall of 1988. At first, the government tried to threaten the protestors; on 20 August, the Committee of National Defence announced preparations for introduction of national state of emergency. However, the determination of the workers made the Communists realize that talks with

1653-546: The fledgeling State of Israel . Stalowa Wola is one of the leading highly developed industrial centers in the Subcarpathian province. More than 6,000 enterprises operate here - nationally and internationally recognized companies. The dominant industries are concentrated around machinery, armaments, aluminum, metal, foundry, steel, wood, construction. Investors from all over the world, including Korea, China, USA, Scandinavia, Germany, have located their capital here. Stalowa Wola

1710-513: The investor is Korean technology giant SK Nexilis . Stalowa Wola is an important point on the commercial map of the northern part of the Subcarpathian province. The city is home to shopping malls and centers, food, construction and furniture supermarkets. Polish State Railways (PKP) provides scheduled connections to Lublin , Warsaw , Kraków , Katowice , Wrocław , Rzeszów , Przemyśl and Odesa (in Ukraine ). Summer connections are available to

1767-501: The late 15th century, Pławo was a royal village. In 1656, the area of Pławo was the site of a battle between Polish and Swedish armies. Here, in the confluence of the San and Vistula , Swedish troops of King Charles Gustav were surrounded by Stefan Czarniecki (see Swedish invasion of Poland ). Until the Partitions of Poland , Pławo belonged to Sandomierz Voivodeship . From 1772 to 1918, it

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1824-451: The martial law, as well as legalization of Solidarity. Meanwhile, a strike broke out in Stalowa Wola Steelworks. Both these actions were suppressed by the Communist security forces ( ZOMO ), supported by anti-terrorist units. In Stalowa Wola, a demonstration of force, together with threats of use of regular army troops, was sufficient, and the strikers gave up on 30 April. In Kraków, however,

1881-401: The military rule was a failure, even though Solidarity had been outlawed in 1982, which in turn forced its members to go underground. In those circumstances, anger and frustration of the nation grew, deepened by economic malaise, and constantly declining living standards. More than 60% of population lived in poverty, and inflation, measured by black-market rate of the U.S. dollar , was 1,500% in

1938-552: The mill, Stalowa Wola has a large power plant, opened Spring 1939. In 1988, the city was one of the centres of workers' protests (see 1988 Polish strikes ). Currently, Stalowa Wola is the third-largest city of the voivodeship, with a population of 60,000. The Rozwadów suburb of Stalowa Wola was a thriving Jewish shtetl prior to World War II and was closely associated with Tarnobrzeg and other nearby shtetls including Ulanów , Mielec , Dzików etc. These communities, infused with vitality before 1939, were utterly destroyed during

1995-528: The mill, and took its name from the town of Stalowa Wola . In the 1960s and 1970s the company started production of heavy construction machinery, and in the 1980s, it was one of the major centers of resistance to the government (see 1988 Polish strikes ). In 1991 Huta Stalowa Wola became a joint stock company . It is the town's major employer. On 1 February 2012, HSW SA sold its civilian construction machinery division to Guangxi Liugong Machinery . In 2012, HSW bought Jelcz-Komponenty Sp. z OO . In 2014,

2052-626: The next day, a strike broke out in Lenin Gdańsk Shipyard , where workers demanded legalization of Solidarity. Soon, Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Andrzej Wielowieyski showed up in Gdańsk, ready to talk to the management of the plant. However, the talks were fruitless, and on 10 May, after threats of use of force, the strike ended in the atmosphere of failure. The last strike of the spring took place in Szczecin , involving workers of city’s mass transit system. During late spring and early summer of 1988,

2109-476: The officially non-existent trade union were inevitable. On 31 August General Czesław Kiszczak met with Lech Wałęsa. During the conversation, which was witnessed by Archbishop Bronisław Wacław Dąbrowski , Kiszczak appealed for putting an end to strikes, he also promised to take care of legalisation of Solidarity. Even though Solidarity activists in several centers opposed Wałęsa's appeal to end strikes, soon afterwards laborers returned to work. The last strikes, in

2166-479: The period 1982 - 1987. On 29 November 1987 the Communists decided to seek popular support for a 110% price increase, calling the Referendum on political and economic reforms (see Referendums in Poland ) supported by the old slogan of "democratization" as the only concession. The government of Zbigniew Messner lost the referendum - according to independent sources, with a turnout of around 30%, - but officially, it

2223-586: The reforms would end up with even deeper crisis. The first strike of summer 1988 took place in the Upper Silesian city of Jastrzębie-Zdrój , and it began on 15 August. On 15 August a strike broke out at the July Manifesto coal mine in Jastrzębie-Zdrój ; the mine had been a center of strikes eight years earlier ( see Jastrzębie-Zdrój 1980 strikes ). Importantly, miners from July Manifesto tried to start

2280-422: The regime decided to negotiate with the opposition, which opened way for the 1989 Round Table Agreement . The second, much bigger wave of strikes (August 1988) surprised both the government, and top leaders of Solidarity, who were not expecting actions of such intensity. These strikes were mostly organized by local activists, who had no idea that their leaders from Warsaw had already started secret negotiations with

2337-547: The shipyard - Port Polnocny, Stocznia Polnocna , Stocznia Remontowa. Interfactory Strike Committee was founded, led by Jacek Merkel , and workers were supported by a number of personalities, such as Jacek Kuroń , Adam Michnik , Lech Kaczyński , and his twin brother Jarosław Kaczyński . Unlike in August 1980, the 1988 strike was different, as the government lacked power to force the strikers to give up. Furthermore, Gdańsk Lenin Shipyard

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2394-462: The situation in Poland did not improve. In several cities, local Solidarity branches unsuccessfully tried to legalize the union. On 19 June local elections took place, and Solidarity urged voters to boycott them. On 26 July government spokesman Jerzy Urban said that Solidarity permanently belonged to the past, and two days later, Polish sociologists announced that only 28% of Poles believed that government’s reforms would succeed. Most people thought that

2451-508: The strike, I am asking you in the name of Solidarity”. Following Wałęsa's request, 4,000 workers left the factory on 1 September at 7 p.m. Together with around 15,000 inhabitants of the city, they marched to the Church of Mary, Queen of Poland, where they were greeted by reverend Frankowski, who said: “Illegal priest is welcoming participants of the illegal strike”. On 19 August a group of young activists began circulating leaflets, urging workers of

2508-505: The town gathered by the Gate 3 to the steelworks, where local parish priest, reverend Edmund Frankowski, celebrated two masses (26 and 31 August), which were attended by up to 10,000 people. Frankowski actively supported the strikers, in the sermons, he urged the faithful to help the workers. The Stalowa Wola strike ended on 1 September, after the personal request of Lech Wałęsa, who called Wiesław Wojtas, telling him: “You are great, but please, end

2565-820: The town of Rozwadów (now a district of Stalowa Wola) and the surrounding villages and towns. He saved an estimated 8,000 Polish Jews from certain death in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust , performing his services in utmost secrecy under the threat of capital punishment. Following the Holocaust , the remaining Jews were motivated to seek a new start in Palestine , thanks to Berihah 's efforts. A community of former Rozwadów citizens had been established in New York City and continued its affinity long after World War II. Many former Rozwadów citizens of Jewish backgrounds moved to

2622-533: The town, Stalowa Wola, can be roughly translated into English as “steel will” and comes from a statement made by General Tadeusz Kasprzycki , Minister of Military Affairs of Poland in the late 1930s in which he declared that the new Polish industrial development plan of the Central Industrial Area symbolizes the steel will of the Polish nation to modernize itself . The area of today's Stalowa Wola belongs to historic Polish province of Lesser Poland . In

2679-523: The war. There is a link to a yizkor book about Rozwadów which gives further notes on the Jewish life there. The Rozwadów synagogue was, until World War II , located on Attorney Street in the lower east side of NYC . During World War II , Dr. Eugene Lazowski , a military doctor of the Polish underground Home Army , Armia Krajowa , created a fake epidemic of dangerous infectious disease , Epidemic Typhus in

2736-634: The workers continued their action, therefore the government decided to use power. In the night of 4-5 May the steelworks were brutally pacified by the ZOMO and anti-terrorist units. In reaction to the attack, workers of several factories across the country organized protests and meetings. On 1 May 1988, opposition activists organized peaceful demonstrations in several Polish cities, such as Bielsko-Biała , Dąbrowa Górnicza , Gdańsk, Kraków, Łódź , Płock , Poznań , Warsaw, and Wrocław. They were attended by thousands of people, and in some places, street fights erupted. On

2793-568: Was a part of a series of investments made by the Polish government from 1936–1939 to create the Central Industrial Region . This was to be a group of factories built in the middle of the country, away from the borders with Germany and the USSR . It was designed to provide a reasonably secure location for the production of armaments and high technology goods. The mill manufactured high alloy steels and weapons – artillery and heavy machine guns – in 1937. A city grew around

2850-602: Was a prelude of the summer events. On the morning of 22 August, workers at the plant decided to organize a sit-in, with only one demand - legalization of Solidarity. This decision was crucial for further events in Poland, as strikes in Upper Silesia were slowly coming to an end. Led by Wieslaw Wojtas, the strike lasted 11 days. Workers were supported by local priests, and activists of the so-called Supporting Office, who delivered food, medicine, blankets, helped those beaten by government security forces, but also informed Western Europe about situation in Stalowa Wola. Every day, citizens of

2907-448: Was announced that 63.8% voters participated in it, and so, deputy prime minister Zdzisław Sadowski decided to go on with the price increase. The policy was introduced on 1 February 1988. It was the biggest hike since 1982. The operation was a failure, as the massive price increases were followed by 40% increase in wages, meant to offset the price increases. As a result, inflation rose at alarming speed, and by late 1989, near hyperinflation

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2964-448: Was announced that this part of the company would switch to manufacturing military equipment. 50°33′21″N 22°03′03″E  /  50.55583°N 22.05083°E  / 50.55583; 22.05083 *An existing company, but not currently producing any vehicles 1988 Polish strikes [REDACTED] Wojciech Jaruzelski [REDACTED] Zbigniew Messner [REDACTED] Lech Wałęsa The 1988 Polish strikes were

3021-516: Was captured by the Red Army in August 1944, and on April 1, 1945, Stalowa Wola received its town charter. In 1948, the mill was renamed as Huta Stalowa Wola and in 1953, a separate urban county of Stalowa Wola was created. In 1973, the town of Rozwadów was annexed, followed in 1977 by the village of Charzewice. At its peak in the 1970s, the mill employed 35,000 people, with branches scattered across southern Poland, from Radomsko to Strzyżów . Apart from

3078-516: Was part of the Austrian province of Galicia and remained an insignificant, privately owned village. In early 1937, the government of the Second Polish Republic accepted the project of the Central Industrial Area , which included the construction of a brand new steel mill , together with a settlement for the workers. Before the outbreak of World War II , some departments of the mill were operational and several blocks of flats were built. Construction of

3135-511: Was reached. In late 1987, Communist authorities initiated a wave of repressions of activists of underground Solidarity trade union and other oppositional organizations. On 9 November Kornel Morawiecki , leader of Fighting Solidarity , was arrested. In the same year, Lech Wałęsa resumed his post as leader of Solidarity, where he remained until 1990. Meanwhile, local branches of the movement tried to legalize themselves in courts across Poland, but all these attempts were refused. On 31 August 1987,

3192-463: Was the demand of legalization of Solidarity. On 28 August the Committee announced that Wałęsa was its sole representative. In response, Wałęsa sent to Szczecin a statement about his meeting with Czesław Kiszczak , during which the future Round Table talks had been discussed. Nevertheless, the strikes in Szczecin did not end until 3 September. Wałęsa had informed the public about talks with the regime during

3249-589: Was visited by a number of guests from abroad, including Boston Mayor Ray Flynn , in whose presence the use of force was not likely. The events in Gdańsk were described by Padraic Kenney as truly Orange Alternative strike . Workers of the Gdańsk Repair Shipyard mocked secret service and police agents, by making a styrofoam tank with the slogan: Leave your arms at the gate, we want dialogue . The strikes in Gdańsk ended on 1 September, and on 3 September both sides signed an agreement, according to which

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