Jerzy Ziętek
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| Jerzy Ziętek | |
|---|---|
 Bust of Jerzy Ziętek |
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| Rank |  Generał brygady |
| Born | June 10, 1901 Gliwice |
| Died | November 20, 1985 Katowice |
| Career | |
| Later work: | politician |
Jerzy Jorg Ziętek (b. 10 June 1901 in Gliwice – d. 20 November 1985 in Katowice, Silesia) was a Polish politician and general. A Silesian Insurrectionist in his youth, during the Second World War he joined the Polish communists and later became an important politician from Silesia in the People's Republic of Poland.
[edit] Biography
Jerzy Ziętek was born in the city of Gleiwitz, Prussian province of Silesia, in the German Empire. He was active in various Polish cultural movements, for which he was discharged from gymnasium in 1919 and passed his matura exams in front of the provisional Polish commission in Bytom.
He was the advocate of Silesian independence and in the aftermath of the First World War he participated actively in the Silesian Uprisings (1919-1921) against the Germans. In 1920 he was introduced to Polish Military Organization. In the third Silesian Uprising (1921), he battled in the 8th Company of the 3rd Gliwice battalion. At first, he was commander of a platoon, and later of the entire company. On more occasions he was involved in direct fighting, in Łabędy, Stare Koźle, Januszkowice and Sławięcice. He was also involved in organizing the plebiscite in Silesia, under the guidance of the League of Nations, which eventually determined to award most of Silesia to the Second Polish Republic.
Nonetheless Ziętek in his memoires was disappointed with the results of the peace agreement that was pushed through by the British: „Our struggle for freedom is being mocked at, especially by the British who are unwilling to grant it to us. Lloyd George was the most infamous of them all, having said that you can not give a watch to a monkey because the animal will break it, implying that the watch was Silesia and the monkey Poland“ [1]
From 1922 until 1939 he was a mayor of Radzionków and took part in the autonomous government of Silesia and from 1930 to 1935 he was a deputy for the Polish parliament (Sejm) from BBWR party.
In 1939, after the Germans invaded Poland he fled the Nazis and found himself in the Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union (which joined the Germans in their invasion). In the Soviet Union he decided to cooperate with the Polish communists. In 1943 he enrolled in the Union of Polish Patriots and joined the Polish Army in the Soviet Union, where he had the rank of pułkownik (colonel) and was the vice-commander of the Polish 3rd Infantry Division. In 1945 he became a member of the Polish communist party (PPR, and later the PZPR).
In his political career, which lasted from 1945 until 1985, he occupied a number of different positions. First as the vice-voivod of the Silesian-Dąbrowa Voivodeship, from 1950 its first representative and from 1964 the leader of the voivodeship sejmik. In 1973 he became the voivod himself until 1975. He was also a representative in the Polish Sejm from 1947 until 1952 and from 1957 until 1985. From 1961 to 1969 he was the chairman of the Sejm Commission of Building and Communal Economy. From 1963 to 1980 he was a member of the Polish Council of State and from 1980 its vice-chairman.
From 1949 until the end of his life he was the vice-president of Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy (ZBOWiD). In 1959 the People's Republic of Poland awarded him the Order of Builders of People's Republic of Poland (Order Budowniczych Polski Ludowej). In 1971, at the 30th anniversary of the Third Silesian Uprising, he was also promoted to the rank of generał brygady. In 1977 he received honorary PhD diploma from Silesian University[1]
In 1946 he wrote his memoirs about the times of Silesian Uprisings: "Powstańczy Szlak – rozważania powstańcze" (Rebellious Silesia - the insurrectionist's thoughts). His life was also the basis of the 1979 movie by Antoni Halor: Man with the cane (Człowiek z laską).
He was responsible for creation of the Silesian Central Park, Silesia Stadium, Katowice Rondo and many other buildings important for the region. There are monuments to him in the Park as well as on the Katowice Rondo (which is named after him). He is also the patron of Silesian School of Management in Katowice. The Gazeta Wyborcza named him as the second-most important Silesian person in the 20th century, coming second to Wojciech Korfanty and before director Kazimierz Kutz.
He died on November 20, 1985 in Katowice.
[edit] References
- ^ Jerzy Ziętek, "Powstańczy Szlak – rozważania powstańcze", 1946, Nakł. Związku Weteranów Powstań Śląskich. Original text: „Wszędzie nasze postulaty wolnościowe spotykały się z nieżyczliwością, w czym celowali politycy angielscy, z krótych szczególną niesławą okrył się Lloyd George. Powiedział on, że nie może małpie dać zegarka, bo go popsuje. Małpą w jego mniemaniu miała być Polska, zegarkiem zaś Śląsk.“
- (Polish) Entry in PWN Encyklopedia
- (Polish) Entry in WIEM Encyklopedia
- (Polish) Biography
- (Polish) Biography
- This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding Polish Wikipedia article as of 12 August 2006.
- This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of 12 August 2006.
[edit] Further readng
- Jan Walczak, Generał Jerzy Ziętek. Wojewoda katowicki. Biografia Ślązaka 1901-1985., Śląsk Spółka z o.o. , 2002, ISBN 8371640005
