Janek Wiśniewski

Janek Wiśniewski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjanɛɡ viɕˈɲɛfskʲi]) is a fictional name given to a real person, Zbigniew Eugeniusz Godlewski (August 3, 1952 – December 17, 1970), shot dead by security forces during the Polish 1970 protests in the city of Gdynia. The event was popularized across the country in the poem and song, known by the name of Ballad of Janek Wiśniewski.

Zbyszek Godlewski
Portrait photo of Janek Wiśniewski on his grave
Born
Zbyszek Godlewski

(1952-08-03)August 3, 1952
Zielona Góra, Poland
DiedDecember 17, 1970(1970-12-17) (aged 18)
Gdynia, Poland
Cause of deathShot
Resting placeElbląg, Poland
Awards

Biography
Polish 1970 protests in Gdynia: body of Zbyszek Godlewski (memorized as Janek Wiśniewski) carried by the demonstrators on a door panel

On December 17, 1970, during Poland's demonstrations against the Communist regime, the army fired into the crowd of workers emerging from a commuter train in Gdynia, under the pretext of preventing an industrial sabotage action. At least 40 innocent people were killed by police . The image of an anonymous young man's body carried on a door panel through the cordons of police and tanks inspired author Krzysztof Dowgiałło to write the poem about him. The name Wiśniewski was invented by Dowgiałło for the ballad to symbolize an 18-year worker killed by the military or the militia. Not knowing his real name, the author gave him a symbolic name sounding typically Polish. Later it was established by the opposition that the killed man was named Zbigniew Godlewski and had lived in nearby Elbląg.[1]

The music for the song Pieśń o Janku z Gdyni (also known as Ballada o Janku Wiśniewskim) was written by Mieczysław Cholewa. The song, along with the story of Janek Wiśniewski, was popularized when it was performed at the end of the 1981 movie Man of Iron (by actress Krystyna Janda along with Jacek Kaczmarski). After the fall of communism in Poland, a major street in Gdynia was named after Janek Wiśniewski and also a street in Elbląg was named after Zbigniew Godlewski.

In 2011, a Polish movie about the events of December 17, titled "Czarny Czwartek - Janek Wiśniewski padł" ("Black Thursday - Janek Wiśniewski Has Fallen"), was released in cinemas. The title was inspired by a line in "Pieśń o Janku z Gdyni". The song was covered by Kazik Staszewski and used in the movie trailer.

References
  1. Bober, Mariusz (19 December 2008). "Niech Jaruzelski powie prawdę Z Izabelą i Eugeniuszem Godlewskimi, rodzicami Zbyszka Godlewskiego (Janka Wiśniewskiego) zastrzelonego w grudniu 1970 r. w Gdyni, rozmawia Mariusz Bober". 294 (3311) (in Polish). Nasz Dziennik. ISSN 1429-4834.
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