DARIUSZ ADLER sits proudly at his desk below the flags of Poland and the European Union in a bright Edinburgh office. In the the distance sits the famous Edinburgh landmark Arthur’s Seat.

The Consul General of the Republic of Poland has been a popular figurehead for more than 100,000 Poles in Scotland for more than four years. The married father-of-two feels settled in Scotland but as a career diplomat in an ever-changing world he will soon be moved. Belfast is the next port of call in a career which has taken him from Warsaw to Chicago to London and now Edinburgh.

At 52, Adler has lived through a turbulent post-war period for his homeland. He saw Poland shake off the shackles of the Soviet Union following the rise of the Solidarity movement which led to the first free elections in modern times.

But as he enjoys the view of Arthur’s Seat on a sunny summer’s day he is looking to the future which will see his adopted country of Scotland leave the European Union. Adler says: “The consulate in Edinburgh was opened before the Second World War and we will absolutely be here after Brexit. But we don’t know the consequences of Brexit for our people.”

He admits he was left “shocked” and “surprised” by the UK’s decision to leave the EU and holds out some hope that the rights of Polish citizens in Scotland can be protected. “I hope the Brexit process will see cooperation between the UK government and the EU countries. I hope they will find a good resolution for the UK and the EU,” is how he puts it.

Part of his legacy is a huge rise in the number of Poles registered to vote in Scotland. “Before our campaign there were no more than 15,000 Poles registered to vote. In the last local elections this year, there was something like 45,000 Poles registered. It went up dramatically. It was very good for us,” he says.

The Consul General knows more than most about the importance of democracy. Born in Warsaw in 1965 under communism, he was a teenage student at the city’s university when trade union leader Lech Walesa was leading the Solidarity movement.

Adler recalls: “It was an amazing time for the people of Poland. I was involved with the independence movement, which was for students who wanted change. I was a member and we organised meetings. I was at one of the biggest universities in the country and the idea to do something for a new country came to our university before some other universities. We grew up with Solidarity.”

One of his closest friends had family in Chicago and this connection helped him and his friend secure student visas in the US. “We spent a lot of time learning languages," he remembers, "and trying to find a better future. In Poland it was still a time when our government preferred the Russian language. It was not a good place to learn the English language.”

He was still in Chicago when the first democratic elections since the Second World War were held in Poland. “I voted at the Polish consulate in Chicago and I remember there were so many people who wanted to vote for Solidarity," he says. "The polling station was supposed to close at 10pm but there was such a long queue outside. They got everyone inside the gate before it closed. All the people who wanted to vote were able to vote. It was after midnight by the time they finished.

“It was an amazing time. I remember the weather was really horrible – it was very cold – but people helped each other keep warm so that they could stay in the queue.

“Poland was a different country after the elections. We had a government elected by the people and I made a decision to return and finish my studies.”

After graduating with a degree in International Relations, Adler worked in the private sector but there was no job security and he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1996. Three years later he jumped at the chance to return to Chicago as vice-consul. “It was absolutely amazing for me to go back and work at the consulate. I was married by then and my children were very young. We all left Poland for the United States. It was good time for us. We were there for five years.”

Four years ago he was given the top job at the Polish consulate in Edinburgh.

“We want to promote Poland and we want to encourage integration of the Polish people with the local people. It’s very important for us." he says firmly. "I think now the integration is much better, because the Scottish Government has given the signal that ethnic minority groups are welcome.”

Scotland’s 100,000 Poles have settled in cities, towns and villages the length and breadth of the country “because we come here to work”. Adler says: “We are absolutely not interested in taking benefits. When I read that Poles come here for benefits I find it almost funny. The fact that we are spread across Scotland shows that we are only interested in finding a job. We go where there is work.”

He admits that has affected the election chances of Polish candidates in the council elections. “For other ethnic groups which are concentrated in one place, for example in Glasgow, it is very easy to elect a candidate from that ethnic group. In the last election for local authorities we had five Polish candidates and not one of them was elected. They received a lot of votes from Scots and from other ethnic minorities but it was not enough. It is very important for us to play a part, even if it is a small part, in Scottish political life.”

“Scotland is an absolutely beautiful place and I will be sad to leave,” Adler says, admiring the view of Edinburgh. "Scotland is a very good place, not only for young people, like my daughter, who is at university here now, but for all people who want to settle here. I will miss it when I go but I will be back often.”