# 1997 in Poland

Events during the year 1997 in Poland.

## Incumbents

Incumbents :
| Position | Person | Party | Notes |
| President | Aleksander Kwaśniewski | | |
| Prime Minister | Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz | Democratic Left Alliance | Until 31 October. |
| Prime Minister | Jerzy Buzek | Solidarity Electoral Action | From 31 October. |
| Marshal of the Sejm | Józef Zych | Polish People's Party | Until 20 October. |
| Marshal of the Sejm | Maciej Płażyński | Solidarity Electoral Action | From 20 October. |
| Marshal of the Senate | Adam Struzik | Polish Peasant Party | Until 21 October. |
| Marshal of the Senate | Alicja Grześkowiak | Solidarity Electoral Action | From 21 October. |

## Events
### January

* 1 January:
** Skępe regained its town rights.
** Pasym, Radlin, Siechnice and Świątniki Górne were granted town rights.

### February

* 1 February – The Poznań Fast Tram was opened.

### March

* 1 March – Polsat 2 television channel launched.

### April

* 2 April – The Constitution of Poland was adopted by the National Assembly.

### May

* 5 May – 12 were killed and 36 others injured in the Reptowo rail crash [pl].
* 25 May – A constitutional referendum was held. The new constitution was narrowly approved, with 53.5% voting in favor. The voter turnout was 43.9%.

### June

* 8 June – Queen Jadwiga of Poland was canonized by Pope John Paul II in Kraków.
* 10 June – John of Dukla was canonized by Pope John Paul II in Krosno.
* 19 June – The University of Białystok was established.

### July

* 6 July – 1997 Central European flood: Flooding began in Poland in the towns of Głuchołazy and Prudnik.
* 10 July – 1997 Central European flood: Left-bank Opole was flooded.
* 12 July – 1997 Central European flood: Wrocław was flooded.
* 18 July – 1997 Central European flood: A day of national mourning for the victims of the flood was declared by President Aleksander Kwaśniewski.

### September

* 21 September – The 1997 Polish parliamentary election was held, won by the Solidarity Electoral Action.

### October

* 3 October – TVN television station launched.
* 17 October – The Constitution of Poland came into effect.
19-20 October - The Sejm cross was hung in the building of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, the lower house of the Polish parliament. by a Solidarity Electoral Action (AWS) MP Tomasz Wójcik. it has hung in the sejm since 1997.
* 31 October – Jerzy Buzek became the Prime Minister of Poland.

### November

* 11 November – The Cabinet of Jerzy Buzek passed the vote of confidence.

### December

* 15 December – The Monument to the Heroes of Warsaw was placed on a new pedestal in Warsaw.

## Deaths
### January

* 6 January – Edward Osóbka-Morawski, activist and politician, Chairman of the Polish Committee of National Liberation (b. 1909)
* 26 January – Mira Zimińska, film actress, director of the Mazowsze folk group (b. 1901)

### February

* 27 February – Mieczysław Jagielski, economist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Poland (b. 1924)

### March

* 7 March – Agnieszka Osiecka, poet, writer, scenarist, film director, journalist, and songwriter (b. 1936)

### April

* 27 April – Piotr Skrzynecki, choreographer, director, and cabaret impresario, creator of the Piwnica pod Baranami literary cabaret (b. 1930)

### August

* 9 August – Robert Satanowski, general, later an orchestra and opera director (b. 1918)
* 30 August – Ernst Wilimowski, German–Polish football player (b. 1916)

### September

* 4 September – Alfred Kałuziński, handball player (b. 1952)

### October

* 18 October – Leonard Andrzejewski, actor (b. 1924)
* 31 October – Tadeusz Janczar, film actor (b. 1926)