On 25 February this year. The ceremony of handing over the archives of Władysław Siła-Nowicki took place in the Sejm. The documents were handed over to the Archive of New Files in Warsaw by the lawyer's wife Irena Silla-Nowicki and daughters. The ceremony was held under the honorary patronage of Vice-Marshal of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński. The event was co-organized by the Parliamentary Group of History Lovers.
"Great work for the restoration of independence"The deputy speaker Kuchciński called the achievements of attorney Siła-Nowicki. He emphasized that "mecenas (...) is one of the very few prominent Polish figures of the last century who have witnessed all the most important political, public and historical events since World War II."
Handing the documents over to the Archive of New Files, the wife of the patron, Irena Sila-Nowicka, expressed her hope that "the documents will allow to preserve the memory of what was good and what was bad in our public life and this memory, our common heritage will serve the next generations. - For my husband, whose documents I am handing over today, Poland was always the most important - she added.
The ceremony was accompanied by an exhibition presenting the events in Wladyslaw Silla-Nowicki's life and documents collected by the patron, including, among others, materials from the period of activity of the Solidarity Trade Union - correspondence, strike proclamations, speeches, bulletins, and a collection of private photographs.
Władysław Siła-Nowicki born 22 June 1913, died 25 February 1994. He was a lawyer, political activist, anti-communist opposition activist in PRL. He took part in the defensive war of Poland in 1939, he served in the Home Army and in the "Freedom and Independence" Association. He cooperated with the Workers' Defense Committee. In the years 1992-1993 he was a judge in the State Tribunal. He co-founded the Christian Democratic Labor Party. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
The Archive of Władysław Siła-Nowicki consists of 150 documents describing important events in the history of Poland through the prism of Władysław Siła-Nowicki's political, social and advocacy activities. One of the most important documents that were transferred to the Archive of New Files are materials concerning the help that Siła-Nowicki provided as a lawyer in political trials in the years 1960-1980 in the whole country, especially in the trials of members of NSZZ "Solidarność" during the martial law, e.g. Jacek Kuroń, Henryk Wujec, Kazimierz Świtoń, Leszek Moczulski, Andrzej Czuma, Anna Walentynowicz. Noteworthy are also documents devoted to the preparations and deliberations of the Round Table, in which Władysław Siła-Nowicki participated, among others name lists of participants of the Round Table. An important part of the Archive are also Władysław Siła-Nowicki's personal documents, especially those pertaining to the trial and the death sentence for conspiratorial activity in, among others, the "Wolność i Niezawisłość" ("Freedom and Independence") association and the change of the death sentence to life imprisonment, protocols of the hearings of witnesses, trial records and correspondence from isolation to the family.
Archiwum Akt Nowych was established in August 1918, and in 1919 it was incorporated into the network of state archives. For over 90 years of its activity it has been taking care of the Polish archival heritage, reporting to the General Director of the State Archives, Minister of Culture and National Heritage and safeguarding the documentation of the highest offices of central administration, political parties, associations and social institutions as well as people who have played an important role in the history of our country.
source: www.sejm.gov.pl
