The senseless murder of Pawel Adamowicz, Gdansk’s mayor of 20 years, robbed Poland and Europe of a fighter for freedom and tolerance, who adhered to liberal Christian-Democratic values with increasingly rare integrity.
But more so it took away someone who understood and embodied the values of the city itself: He was part of Gdansk and Gdansk was part of him.
Gdansk was highly international from its early history. One of four capitals of the Hanseatic League, a medieval trade union, Gdansk had large German, Dutch and Scottish populations, among others. Many prominent citizens had mixed backgrounds, like Dutch-German-Polish scientist Gabriel Fahrenheit, inventor of the eponymous temperature scale.
Coming from a family of Poles resettled from then heavily Polish Wilno (now Vilnius, Lithuania) and deeply religious, Adamowicz could easily have spurned that heritage, leaning into an increasingly Polish-focused mainstream. Instead, he embraced the diversity. Today Gdansk trams have honorary patrons of Polish, German and other backgrounds, their biographies and contributions to the city written out for all to read.
To ensure the future would be equally colorful as the past, Adamowicz reached out to ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, be it presiding over pride parades or celebrating the local Tatar community. In 2005, he launched the Fahrenheit scholarship, Poland’s first to send students abroad, opening the horizons for young people.
A self-described Ukrainophile, he welcomed thousands of Ukrainians to Gdansk after war broke out.
“Ukrainian society enriches our city’s culture. By working together, learning about each other, we break stereotypes, overcome prejudice,” he said in an interview, “no official statements of politicians, intellectuals, or bishops can replace direct relations between our nations.”
This vision was inspired by Solidarity, a Gdansk-born workers’ rights movement that brought down communist rule. Adamowicz believed the city should keep spreading its liberal values, particularly toward the East. In 2011 he pushed for an English-language version of Nowa Wschodnia Europa (New Eastern Europe), a monthly magazine, to bring the region’s problems to the attention of Western audiences, making the Gdansk-based European Solidarity Center a co-publisher.
“He was always supportive of our work and whenever we had a potential problem with funding he was the first to react to help us out,” Adam Reichardt, New Eastern Europe’s chief editor, told me.
The last time I saw him was at that European Solidarity Center, opening a regional democracy conference. In halting but clear English (he was actively learning in his later years), he spoke about Gdansk’s special mission to continue the fight for freedom and tolerance.
Yet that mission increasingly brought him into conflict with the ruling right-wing Law and Justice government. When the Polish government started championing the anti-refugee movement in Europe, Gdansk became the first Polish city to join European resettlement programs. Adamowicz defended that position by drawing on the teachings of Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, arguing that “our relationship to asylum seekers and immigrants defines our humanity.”
This led to a barrage of hate from right-wing pundits and government members, often claiming that he was crypto-German, looking to destroy Poland. The nationalist All-Polish Youth issued a political death certificate for “liberalism, multiculturalism, and foolishness.” His friend and fellow Gdansk native Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, was similarly attacked, as were other liberal politicians from the region, turning Gdansk into a favorite target of pro-government media, with Adamowicz as one of the boogeymen.
It also stirred up controversy in Gdansk itself, with some arguing that it was not a mayor’s role to play national politics. More, however, argued the only guarantee of Gdansk’s independence and culture was to oppose the pressure from Warsaw, and that Adamowicz – with his 20 years’ experience and knowledge of local coalitions – was the best person for that role. Last November he received 65 percent of the votes, more than the ratings of all opposition parties combined.
His deep passion for Gdansk and dedication to the city was what won people over. A constant presence on the cobblestone streets of the old town, Adamowicz lived and breathed Gdansk. He knew everyone and everyone had their Adamowicz story.
Tusk expressed this when he flew in to Gdansk to attend a march in Adamowicz’s honor on Monday, Jan. 14 evening. “Dear Pawel, we are here as your friends. You had to wait, until this tragic moment, to see from above how many friends you have in Gdansk. Tens of thousands,” an emotional Tusk said.
But he was not quite right. Just moments before the attack, in front of the crowd celebrating Poland’s biggest charity event, Adamowicz was praising the generosity and solidarity of Gdansk citizens. “You are all so lovely, Gdansk is the most wonderful city in the world.”
It truly is, Pawel.
Jakub Parusinski is the Chair of the Media Development Foundation, a former CEO of Kyiv Post, and Gdansk native.
