ABSTRACT
The developments preceding the political changes of 1989 provide the starting point for considerations concerning civil society in Kraków. The phenomenon of development of grassroots activity resulting from a reflection on the contemporary reality, which was a form of civil resistance, provided the original leaven for civil activity in the reality of the new political system. It resulted in the intensive organisation of citizens’ committees in the first free elections, and in the development of non-governmental organisations. Citizens’ ideas were planned long before the transformation was finally carried out, such as the construction of the Manggha Centre proposed and cofounded by Andrzej Wajda and Krystyna Zachwatowicz. Yet the positive energy of the breakthrough was curbed by the problems of transition. Citizens’ activity was rechannelled into opposition against the authorities, and the focus of social interest shifted to private matters. Participation discovered new impulses in the wake of Poland’s accession to the European Union and the development of a legal system of shared governance. The major urban movements, consistent with the growing activation of citizens also recorded in other Central European countries, were observed in the early 21st century. However, the fact that the tools for participation are still insufficient, mostly due to their mainly consultative nature and modest resources to carry out civil projects, remains visible. Recent years have also marked a return to mass public manifestations against changes in laws that infringe civil freedoms.
