BHP Hall

Sala BHP in Gdańsk is a historic building on the grounds of the former Gdańsk Shipyard, where the August Agreements were signed on 31 August 1980. It is one of the most important places in modern Polish history and a symbol of the birth of Solidarity.

What is Sala BHP?

The name refers to a hall used for occupational health and safety training for shipyard workers. In August 1980, during the strike, it became a negotiating chamber. It housed the headquarters of the Inter-Factory Strike Committee, and representatives of the workers sat at the table with a government delegation. Today the building is a listed monument, entered in the register of historic buildings in 1999 together with Solidarity Square.

What happened here in 1980?

The two-week shipyard strike ended in this very hall. The agreement was signed by Lech Wałęsa, chairman of the Inter-Factory Strike Committee, and Deputy Prime Minister Mieczysław Jagielski. The authorities agreed, among other things, to the creation of new, independent and self-governing trade unions and to the right to strike. The agreement also included provisions for a monument to the victims of December 1970, for broadcasting Sunday Mass on Polish Radio and for limiting censorship. The events in this hall launched a sixteen-month period often called the carnival of Solidarity.

What does the hall look like today?

After renovation, the interior was recreated to evoke the atmosphere of the strike. It is worth remembering that the decor is a reconstruction, not the original interior. Inside you can see copies of the boards listing the 21 demands of the Inter-Factory Strike Committee. The original boards are displayed at the European Solidarity Centre, and in 2003 they were inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World register. The hall is accompanied by an exhibition on the history of the Gdańsk Shipyard, which helps visitors understand the workers' daily labour and why changes that reshaped Poland and Europe began here.

Why visit?

• You can stand where a document was signed that opened the way to a legal, independent workers' organisation in the Eastern Bloc.
• It is a good starting point for learning the story of Solidarity, especially when combined with the European Solidarity Centre and the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers, both right next door.
• The hall is part of the Historic Gdańsk Shipyard ensemble, which received the European Heritage Label in 2014.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sala BHP the original 1980 interior? Not entirely. The building is historic, but the decor has been recreated. The original boards with the 21 demands are kept at the European Solidarity Centre, and copies stand in the hall.

Who signed the August Agreements? Lech Wałęsa as chairman of the Inter-Factory Strike Committee, and Deputy Prime Minister Mieczysław Jagielski, representing the government.

When did it happen? On 31 August 1980, after two weeks of strike at the Gdańsk Shipyard.

Is it suitable for people who know little about Polish history? Yes. The exhibition and the setting itself explain the course of the strike and the meaning of the agreement, even without prior knowledge.