Unveiling the plaque in commemoration of the help offered to the Hungarians in 1956 | Gdańsk University of Technology

– We commemorate the events of 1956 in Hungary and the help and support that Polish society, including employees and students of Gdańsk University of Technology, brought to our friends from Hungary - said Prof. Krzysztof Wilde, Rector of Gdańsk University of Technology, during the opening ceremony.

Dariusz Drelich, the Governor of Pomeranian province, emphasized that the commemoration of the events of 1956 at Gdańsk University of Technology is symbolic.

– [...] I think it is important that all young people who study here will read the text of this board and it will remind them of history and solidarity [...] – added Dariusz Drelich.

Dr Pál Attila Illés, Consul General of the Republic of Hungary in Gdańsk also emphasized that "the Hungarian uprising taught us solidarity".

– [...] On 23 October 1956, students of the Technical University in Budapest organized a demonstration supporting the events in Poland. [...] A few days later we experienced the solidarity of Poles. When the uprising was suppressed, the Poles helped us, collected medicines and clothes, donated blood, and took in children from Hungary. It was indeed a great help, the greatest in the entire world. This is why we have gathered here today, to thank the people from 1956, students and employees from the University of Technology, but also other universities in Gdańsk, the residents of Gdańsk, the Tricity and the region – said Dr Pál Attila Illés.

Prof. Edmund Wittbrodt emphasized during his speech that the plaque, like other plaques at Gdańsk University of Technology commemorating important events, shows that “the University of Technology does not only mean science and engineering, but means that the academic community was also involved in of the local and community matters“, and the unveiling of the plaque is "a commemoration of these relations between the societies ”.

– I am glad that we can meet here during such a beautiful and important 65th anniversary of the great rebellion, one of the biggest uprisings against communism - emphasized Prof. Mirosław Golon, director of INR Branch in Gdańsk, listing the most important figures in the history of Polish-Hungarian cooperation between nations. - Today, this exhibition aims to thank and show other, less known people [...] thousands of Gdańsk residents, hundreds of students of the University of Technology, students of the Medical Academy, other universities and high schools, who in 1956 became involved in helping the brotherly nation. Today's celebration and long-lasting commemoration are dedicated to them.

A request to place a plaque on the premises of Gdańsk University of Technology, commemorating the aid provided to Hungary in 1956 by students and residents of Gdańsk, was received by Gdańsk University of Technology from the Hungarian Embassy, and consequently, in October 2019 the University Senate adopted a resolution approving placement of the plaque in the Main Building of Gdańsk Tech.

The exhibition "Solidarity with Hungary. Help of Gdańsk residents for Hungarian insurgents in 1956 " was prepared by the Institute of National Remembrance Gdańsk in cooperation with the Liszt Institute - Hungarian Cultural Center in Warsaw. The exhibition is bilingual: Polish and English. It is accompanied by a catalog published in three languages: Polish, English and Hungarian. The exhibition in the hall, in front of the Main Library will be open to visitors until 15 November.