Katarzyna Janina Łaniewska-Błaszczak (20 June 1933 – 7 December 2020) was a Polish theatre and film actress, opposition activist in the

Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...

, and a political activist since 1989.

Biography

Both of Katarzyna Łaniewska's parents came from

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

. Her father was an activist of the co-operative movement and a Polish legionnaire during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, who was considered a "dangerous element" by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

and murdered at

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

after he was denounced by a colleague of Belarusian origin. Along with her mother and siblings, she survived the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...

, and was sent to the transit camp in

Pruszków Pruszków ( yi, ‏פּרושקאָוו) is a city in east-central Poland, situated in the Masovian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in Warszawa Voivodeship (1975–1998). Pruszków is the capital of Pruszków County, located along t ...

. Łaniewska and her family returned to Warsaw on 17 January 1945. After the war, she joined the "harcerstwo" (polish version of

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

). In 1955, she graduated from the Theatre Academy in Warsaw, and made her debut in the same year. She was president of the Warsaw branch of the Association of Polish Stage Artists (ZASP) and from 1992 to 2006 served on the Skolimowska Commission of ZASP Board. By September 2013, she was a columnist of the weekly "W Sieci".

Political activities

During her studies, she belonged to the socialist

Union of Polish Youth Związek Młodzieży Polskiej (Union or Association of Polish Youth, abbr. ZMP) was a Polish communist youth organization, existing from 1948 to 1956. It was subordinated to Polish United Workers' Party It was formed from the Union of Youth Stru ...

, but as she said, "it is not true, as some are trying to insinuate that I managed the ZMP. It was not like

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

". She then belonged to the

Polish United Workers' Party The Polish United Workers' Party ( pl, Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza; ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other lega ...

. By the end of the seventies, she became involved with the anti-communist opposition. In 1980, she co-founded a branch of

Solidarity ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...

at the

Ateneum Theatre The Ateneum Theatre in Warsaw ( pl, Teatr Ateneum im. Stefana Jaracza w Warszawie) is a Polish dramatic theatre founded in 1928. It resides in a building erected a year earlier in the interwar Poland as headquarters for the Professional Union o ...

. She participated in organizing patriotic concerts and the distribution of underground publications. She worked with

Jerzy Popiełuszko Jerzy Popiełuszko ( born Alfons Popiełuszko; 14 September 1947–19 October 1984) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest who became associated with the opposition Solidarity trade union in communist Poland. He was murdered in 1984 by three agen ...

during this period. In the Polish parliamentary elections in 2011, Łaniewska was a nonpartisan candidate to the Senate on behalf of the

Law and Justice Law and Justice ( pl, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość , PiS) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Poland. Its chairman is Jarosław Kaczyński. It was founded in 2001 by Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński as a direct su ...

party in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. She received nearly 100 thousand votes (nearly 31%) and lost to the

Civic Platform Civic Platform ( pl, Platforma Obywatelska, PO)The party is officially the Civic Platform of the Republic of Poland (''Platforma Obywatelska Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''). is a political party in Poland. It is currently led by Donald Tusk. It w ...

party's

Barbara Borys-Damięcka Barbara Borys-Damięcka (born 2 November 1937) is a Polish politician. She was elected to the Senate of Poland The Senate ( pl, Senat) is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the Sejm. The history of the Polish S ...

with almost 197 thousand. She regularly engaged in activities supporting the Law and Justice Party, and was one of the main speakers on behalf of the organizers of the "March of Freedom and Justice" on 13 December 2015.

Personal life

After her third year of studies, she married

Ignacy Gogolewski Ignacy Gogolewski (17 June 1931 – 15 May 2022) was a Polish film actor. He appeared in more than 30 films. Selected filmography * '' Three Stories'' (1953) * ''Tonight a City Will Die'' (1961) * ''The Codes'' (1966) * ''Stawka większa niż � ...

, with whom she had a daughter, Agnieszka. The marriage broke up after ten years. From 1984 until his death in 2018, her second husband was Andrzej Błaszczak.

Awards

* 1966 –

Cross of Merit (Poland) The Cross of Merit () is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state. History At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was awa ...

* 1966 – Nagroda CRZZ * 1967 – Badge of the 1000th anniversary of the Polish State * 1970 – Badge for her services for Warsaw * 1970 –

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

* 1975 –

Medal of Merit for National Defence The Medal of Merit for National Defence ( pl, Medal Za Zasługi dla Obronności Kraju) is a decoration of the Ministry of National Defence of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divi ...

* 1975 – Badge of Merit by the FJN * 1998 – Order of Polonia Restituta * 1999 – Cultural Activist of Merit for publishing the second circulation during the period of martial law* 2006 –

Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

* 2007 – Order of Polonia Restituta (for "outstanding achievements in business for democratic transformation in Poland, for her involvement in the struggle for freedom of expression and free media, for achievements undertaken for the benefit of the country and social work").

Theatres

Polish Theatre in Warsaw Polish Theatre in Warsaw ( pl, Teatr Polski im. Arnolda Szyfmana w Warszawie) is a theatre in Warsaw, Poland. It is located at ul. Karasia 2. The current artistic director is Andrzej Seweryn. The theatre was initiated by Arnold Szyfman and desig ...

– 1955–59 and 1983–95 * Drama Theatre in Warsaw – 1959–62 and 1966–77 *

National Theatre, Warsaw The National Theatre () in Warsaw, Poland, was founded in 1765, during the Polish Enlightenment, by that country's monarch, Stanisław August Poniatowski. The theatre shares the Grand Theatre complex at the Theatre Square in Warsaw with another ...

in Warszawie – 1962–66 *

– 1977–83

Filmography

Bibliography

Nota biograficzna w ''Encyklopedii Solidarności''