Appreciated by the Sejm. Wojciech Korfanty – Patron of the Year 2023 and his place in contemporary public space

Round anniversaries of important historical events are often a stimulus for an indepth analysis of their historical significance for the fate of individual countries and nations. The above statement also applies to historical figures. One such figure is Wojciech Korfanty, who in many respects played a special role in the recent history of Upper Silesia and Poland. With this in mind, in 2023, when the Year of Wojciech Korfanty is celebrated in Poland, established on the 150th anniversary of his birth, the authors of the article decided to first analyze the path that the motion for adopting a resolution establishing the Year of Korfanty traveled in the Sejm. In the second part, the authors focused on the multidimensional presence of Wojciech Korfanty in public space. By this term we understand such forms of commemoration as monuments, commemorative plaques, patronage of schools and institutions, street names, publications or murals. The analysis carried out for the purposes of the article showed that Wojciech Korfanty, as one of the so-called „Fathers of Polish Independence”, he was fully deservedly appreciated by MPs, and with each year of Independent Poland (after 1989), he also gains in importance as a figure more and more visible in the public space. And although the article did not discuss the implemented initiatives commemorating his figure in 2023, undoubtedly the researcher who will undertake this task at the beginning of 2024 will have rich and diverse source material to analyze.