Biuletyn Dolnośląski. Wrocław’s Voice of Free Speech
Jolanta PAWNIK
‘During the communist era, Wrocław was not only one of Poland’s most important centres of opposition but also one of the country’s strongest bastions of free speech. An exceptionally large number of underground publications produced outside state censorship were printed there. One of the most significant was Biuletyn Dolnośląski, commonly known as “Biudol”, which was established on 3 May 1979’, writes Jolanta PAWNIK
.Wrocław held a distinct position during the Polish People’s Republic era, both due to its robust opposition movements and the significant output of independent publications. The so-called “second network” – publishing activities beyond the reach of state censorship – developed in Wrocław on a scale that set the city apart from other centres across the country.
One of the most important titles, published long before the emergence of ‘Solidarity’, was Biuletyn Dolnośląski, commonly known as ‘Biudol’. Its story began on 3 May 1979, when the Social Self-Defence Club was established in Wrocław as a regional initiative linked to the circles of the Workers’ Defence Committee. The first issue appeared a month later, in June 1979. It was modest in form: ten A4 pages, printed on one side only using a gelatine-based duplicator and held together with a paper clip. The print run amounted to around 500 copies. Articles were typed on typewriters, assembled by hand and produced entirely under conditions of deep secrecy. Piotr Starzyński organised the technical side of the operation, and Jan Waszkiewicz served as editor-in-chief. The first editorial team also included Henryk Lis and Janusz Łojek. ‘Reader! Once you have read this bulletin, do not put it away in a drawer. Pass it on to friends or strangers. The reach of free speech depends on your initiative and courage,’ the editors urged their readers.
From its very first issue, the bulletin’s editorial programme was clearly defined. ‘We shall publish information on the more important events, although, given the limited size of the publication, we will initially concentrate on local matters. Considerable attention will be devoted to questions of the rule of law, as we seek to point out and shed light on its flagrant violations. We shall also endeavour to present independent social initiatives operating across the country, while giving priority to local initiatives,’ the editors wrote in the introduction. The bulletin was a response to the information vacuum in a state where the official media avoided subjects deemed inconvenient to the authorities.
The first issue included the declaration of the Social Self-Defence Club, a text on the origins of the Workers’ Defence Committee, an article on grassroots self-organisation and a section entitled ‘Repression’, documenting the actions taken by the state apparatus against the opposition. The publication also carried the contact details of the Wrocław Social Self-Defence Committee spokespeople, enabling readers to connect with the opposition.
The second issue, published in July 1979, revealed the bulletin’s broader ambitions. It was devoted entirely to Pope John Paul II’s first pilgrimage to Poland, which the editors regarded as one of the most important events in the country’s history. The bulletin grew in size, which prompted a change in the printing method.
Trouble with the authorities began to appear soon after. Issue 3–4, published in August 1979 and containing the secret protocol of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, was almost entirely confiscated by the Security Service during a search of Krystyna Sławińska’s flat. It was subsequently reissued with the note ‘second edition’. This was the first clear sign that the authorities had come to regard the bulletin as a genuine threat.
By the end of 1979, Biuletyn Dolnośląski had reached a circulation of around one thousand copies. Around that time, Kornel Morawiecki joined the editorial team and quickly became its central figure, taking responsibility for organising both printing and distribution. ‘I was eleven when, at “Kornelówka”, our home in Pęgów, I began seeing not only underground newspapers and books at my father’s workplace but entire bundles of uncensored publications, along with reams of paper, tins of ink and other printing materials. […] Almost from the very beginning, my father entrusted me with various tasks connected with the bulletin. They were not too risky, though. Mostly, they involved carrying packages to people in my school satchel, such as parcels with printing masters’, recalled former Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, reflecting on the period when the publication was produced in his family home.
Under Kornel Morawiecki’s influence, the bulletin began to take on a distinctly political character. One example was the January 1980 issue, which carried a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Alongside its regular sections, the publication also introduced new columns devoted to culture, and even a satirical supplement entitled Biuletynek.
Subsequent issues covered widely varying subjects: contemporary history, developments across the Eastern Bloc, workers’ rights, elections to the communist-era Sejm, the activities of the Polish United Workers’ Party and analyses of the political system itself. The bulletin also published documents unavailable through official channels, including materials relating to the Katyń massacre and the events of December 1970.
Biuletyn Dolnośląski did more than just inform – it actively participated in opposition activities. In 1980, as strikes intensified across the country, it published appeals to workers, reports from protests and practical guidance for those taking part in industrial action. As historian Włodzimierz Suleja has noted, it was the most important opposition publication in Lower Silesia before August 1980, as well as one of the most regularly issued underground periodicals in Poland.
A notable characteristic of the bulletin was the editorial team’s inclination to embrace distinct strands of the opposition movement. As Jan Waszkiewicz later recalled, Biuletyn Dolnośląski published texts by both Jacek Kuroń and Leszek Moczulski, which was highly unusual given the ideological divisions of the period.
Gradually, ‘Biudol’ became far more than simply an information bulletin. It evolved into a forum for exchanging ideas, a space for debate and a tool for building an independent flow of information. During the 1980s, even through the years of martial law, the bulletin became linked with ‘Fighting Solidarity’ and maintained publication despite ongoing repression.
Over the course of more than a decade, 96 issues of the bulletin were published, alongside numerous supplements and special editions. Its circulation ranged from several thousand to as many as 10,000 copies, distributed not only in Wrocław but throughout the country.
.The story of Biuletyn Dolnośląski encompasses more than the history of a single publication. It shows how, when freedom was severely limited, an alternative network of information emerged.
