The opportunity to absorb the 20-year history of the Solidarity movement in Poland is currently being offered to the Saint Louis University and St. Louis communities.

The Polish Consulates in St. Louis and Chicago, the Pius XII Memorial Library and the Russian and Eastern European Studies Program at SLU are sponsoring a photographic exhibit, “Solidarity: Twenty Years of History,” which will be on display until Nov. 11 in the Pius XII Memorial Library.

The exhibit includes more than 75 large photographs that trace the solidarity movement throughout its existence.

From the exihibit’s beginning in 1979, which was sparked by the visit of Pope John Paul II, to Lech Walesa leading the workers’ protests, this movement quickly engulfed the then-Communist-controlled nation. The exhibit ends in 1999 with Poland’s entry into NATO and another visit from the Pope.

According to Daniel Schlafly, director of the Russian and Eastern European Studies Program at SLU, “Saint Louis University is honored to be chosen as the St. Louis location for this striking collection of photographs that has been enthusiastically received in other major cities in Europe and North America.”

Some of these other cities scheduled on the exhibit tour include Vienna, Rome, Frankfurt, Germany, Warsaw, Poland and New York and Atlanta.

On Monday, Oct. 29, a special panel, “Solidarity’s Place in History,” was held in the Knights Room of the Pius XII Memorial Library. The panel, which featured Solidarity activists, diplomats, academics and historians, kicked off the exhibit.

The panel members contributed their personal stories of their involvement in the movement and the history surrounding it to a crowd of about 70 people.

The audience at the panel consisted mainly of members outside the SLU community, but Schlafly encourages students to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about the rich history surrounding the Solidarity movement in Poland.