Press Ball Berlin honors the Polish ex-president Lech Walesa
from BZ/dpa
On the occasion of its 150th anniversary, the Press Ball Berlin paid tribute to the Polish President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa (79).
The founder of the initially banned Polish trade union “Solidarnosc” was the guest of honor at the ball on Saturday evening, which was created in 1872 as a charity event for journalists in need.
As a trade unionist, Walesa was one of the driving forces behind the political transition in Poland from socialism to democracy in the 1980s. For this he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983. From 1990 to 1995 Walesa was President of Poland.
The Press Ball Berlin was opened by Berlin’s Governing Mayor in front of around 600 guests in the “Grand Hyatt” hotel near Potsdamer Platz Franziska Giffy opened. The program included performances by the Comedian Harmonists and the Blue Man Group.