Lech Walesa: a legend who is loathed?

The last time I visited Poland was in the early nineties.  The country was still giddy having escaped from under the slab of Soviet occupation.

The Soviet Union had been consigned to the super-sized dust bin of history.

My reason for returning this week was a film made by Poland’s most famous film director Andrej Vajda about the most famous Pole alive, Lech Walesa.

The film is fast paced and highly watchable.

But when you make a movie about a living political icon you’re bound to court controversy.

I was surprised by how much Walesa’s former comrades in the Solidarity movement now dislike him.

The accusations range from him being a former communist spy to having served as a hopelessly incompetent president who squandered Poland’s chances of rebirth.

The nation is bitterly divided about his role in the country’s history.

I felt far from qualified to get involved in the debate.

What I can say is that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Poland, especially Gdansk.

The city is one of the gems of Northern European culture. Its architecture, rebuilt brick by brick after near total destruction in World War Two is a beguiling mixture of Dutch, German, Slavic and neo classical.

In the 1560s Gdansk was the only city outside England to build a Shakespeare theatre and put on the bard’s plays in his lifetime. Today some of that glory has been rediscovered.

Given the city’s attractions and Poland’s relatively successful economy it is remarkable how many young Poles are still seeking a better life in countries like the UK. I feel like saying to them – don’t be so hard on yourself.