Polonia Restituta Order of Polonia Restituta Order Odrodzenia Polski | |
---|---|
Commander's Cross of Polonia Restituta | |
Awarded by the President of Poland | |
Country | Poland |
Type | Five classes |
Eligibility | All |
Awarded for | Extraordinary and distinguished service |
Status | Currently awarded[1] |
Statistics | |
Established | 4 February 1921 |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Order Virtuti Militari |
Next (lower) | Order of the Military Cross |
Ribbon bar of the Grand Cross |
The Order of Polonia Restituta (Polish language: Order Odrodzenia Polski , English: Order of Rebirth of Poland) is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, national defense, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries. It was established on 4 February 1921 and can be awarded to both civilians and soldiers, as well as to foreigners.
History[]
The Order of Polonia Restituta is commonly believed to be the successor to the Order of the Knights of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr (known simply as the Order of Saint Stanislaus) established by the last King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth – Stanisław August Poniatowski, to honor supporters of the Polish Crown. It was established on 7 May 1765, its number fixed at a total of 100, and required from the Knights a payment of fees that were donated to benefit the poor as well as adherence to various rules of chivalry. Due to the rising influence of the Russian Empire on Central European affairs the rules of awarding of the Order were broken. After the Partitions of Poland the Order was resurrected in the Duchy of Warsaw, bestowing upon its recipients the title of hereditary nobility and requiring donations to a Warsaw hospital. After the November Uprising the Order was entirely taken over by the Russian Empire. When Poland regained its independence in 1918, the government abolished this Order due to the severe abuses of its rules by the Russians who often awarded their version to those who - according to the dominant view in newly independent Poland - had been responsible for the destruction of Poland and Polish culture. Instead the Order of Polonia Restituta was established to once again reward the noble values that the original stood for. The Order was established on 4 February 1921 and the first Grand Master of the Order - Marshal Józef Piłsudski awarded the first Orders on 13 July 1921. The Order also became Poland's main honor for foreigners and was awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
After World War II both the Polish government-in-exile and the People's Republic of Poland were awarding the Order though the versions differed slightly. Despite communist control the Order's prestige remained safe and it was even given to many people who were hardly model communists. The Order was saved from abuse as it was simply passed over in favor of more traditional communist awards. During this time the Order of Merit of Poland became the favored award for foreigners. On 22 December 1990 the Polish government-in-exile returned the rights to its version of the Order to the new Polish state. Invalid awards have been revoked and today the remaining communist versions of the Order hold the same status as any other issues.
Award process[]
Among civilian awards, the order is second only to the rarely awarded Order of the White Eagle. Historically the Order entitled its recipient to a state pension. As such nominees for the award are evaluated by a special committee responsible for upholding the honor of the order. The Chapter of Polonia Restituta is composed of a Grand Master and eight members appointed by him who serve five year terms. Upon becoming elected the President of Poland is automatically awarded the order and becomes the Grand Master of the Order Chapter. The names of new recipients are published in the Monitor Polski, a publication required to provide announcements of legal decisions to the public.
Classes[]
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The Order has five classes:
The badge of the order is a gold Maltese cross enamelled in white. The obverse central disc bears a white eagle on red background (the Coat of Arms of Poland) surrounded by a blue ring bearing the words "Polonia Restituta". The reverse central disc bears the year 1918 (for the People's Republic of Poland version, 1944). It is worn on a ribbon, red with a white stripe near the edges, as a sash on the right shoulder for Grand Cross, around the neck for Commander with Star and Commander, on the left chest with rosette for Officer, and on the left chest without rosette for Knight.
The star of the order is an eight-pointed silver star with straight rays. The central disc is in white enamel, bearing the monogram "RP" (Republic of Poland) (for the People's Republic of Poland, "PRL") and surrounded by a blue ring bearing the Latin words "Polonia Restituta".
Notable recipients[]
- Deryck William Kingwell — Air Commodore of the RAAF(Royal Australian Air Force) [Deceased]
- Colonel Allen C. House, United States Army
- Franciszek Alter — Polish general
- Władysław Anders — commander of the Polish Armed Forces in the West (Commander's Cross)
- Tasker H. Bliss — American Chief of Staff of the US Army
- O.L Bodenhamer — National Commander of The American Legion
- Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko — Polish general (Officer's Cross)
- Władysław Bortnowski — Polish general (Commander's Cross, Officer's Cross)
- Omar Bradley — American General of the Army
- Leonid Brezhnev — Marshal of the Soviet Union and Soviet politician (Grand Cross)
- Edmund Charaszkiewicz — Polish military intelligence officer
- Antoni Chruściel — commander of all Polish armed forces of the Warsaw Uprising (Grand Cross)
- Victor Crutchley — British admiral
- Hieronim Dekutowski — one of commanders of Wolnosc i Niezawislosc (Grand Cross)
- John Dill — British Field Marshal
- Bolesław Bronisław Duch — Polish general (Officer's Cross)
- Dwight D. Eisenhower — President of the United States of America, Supreme Allied Commander (Chévalier-May 18, 1945)[2]
- Wanda Gertz — Polish resistance fighter
- Józef Haller de Hallenburg — Polish general (Commander's Cross)
- William Holmes — British general (Commander's Cross with Star)
- Wilm Hosenfeld — German officer (Commander's Cross)
- Norman Hulbert — British officer
- Ludwik Idzikowski — Polish aviator and pioneer (Officer's Cross)
- Wacław Jędrzejewicz — Polish soldier and diplomat (Grand Cross, Officer's Cross)
- Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski — Polish general and resistance fighter (Commander's Cross, Officer's Cross)
- Jan Karcz — Polish officer (Officer's Cross)
- Adam Koc — Polish officer (Officer's Cross)
- Stanisław Kopański — Polish general (Grand Cross, Officer's Cross)
- Franciszek Kornicki - Polish fighter pilot (Commander's Cross)
- Józef Kowalski — Polish supercentenarian and last veteran from the Polish-Soviet war 1919-1921
- Władysław Kozaczuk — Polish officer and historian (Knight's Cross)
- Roman Krzyżelewski — Polish admiral (Commander's Cross, Officer's Cross, Knight's Cross)
- Włodzimierz Kubala - Polish colonel, military attorney. (Commander's Cross)
- Tadeusz Kutrzeba — Polish general (Commander's Cross, Knight's Cross)
- Witold Łokuciewski — Polish fighter ace (Commander's Cross, Knight's Cross)
- Douglas MacArthur — American Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces
- Peyton C. March — US Army Chief of Staff
- Wacław Micuta — participant in the Warsaw Uprising, UN diplomat (Commander's Cross with Star)
- Joseph T. McNarney — American general (Commander's Cross with Star)
- Martin Dunbar-Nasmith — British officer
- Adam Nieniewski — Polish officer (Officer's Cross)
- Jerzy Pajaczkowski-Dydynski — Polish officer
- Earle E. Partridge — American general
- Hubert Perring — British officer, for services to 303 Squadron
- Sławomir Petelicki — Polish commander of GROM (Commander's Cross, Officer's Cross)
- Witold Pilecki — Polish resistance fighter
- Stanley George Culliford — New Zealand Pilot, for services during Operation Motyl.
- Jadwiga Piłsudska — Polish aviator, daughter of Józef Piłsudski
- Józef Piłsudski — Prime Minister of Poland, First Marshal, Chief of State
- Stanisław Popławski — Polish general (Grand Cross, Commander's Cross with Star, Commander's Cross)
- Arthur John Power — British admiral
- Alexander Pokryshkin - Soviet WWII ace pilot
- Wacław Przeździecki — Polish officer (Commander's Cross)
- Władysław Raginis — Polish officer (Grand Cross)
- Stefan Rowecki — Polish general (Knight's Cross)
- Wilhelm Orlik-Rueckemann — Polish general and military pioneer (Commander's Cross)
- Edward Rydz-Śmigły — Marshal of Poland
- Jan Rządkowski — Polish general
- Danuta Siedzikówna — Polish nurse
- Władysław Sikorski — general, Prime Minister of Poland, Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile
- Jan Sobczyński — Polish painter and soldier
- Stanisław Sosabowski — Polish general
- Włodzimierz Steyer — Polish admiral (Commander's Cross, Officer's Cross)
- Zygmunt Szendzielarz — Polish commander of the 5th Vilnian Home Army Brigade (Grand Cross)
- Stefan Sznuk — Polish general (Commander's Cross)
- Antoni Szylling — Polish general
- Josip Broz Tito — Marshal of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav politician (Grand Crosses) twice awarded
- Władysław Wejtko — Polish general (Commander's Cross)
- Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski — Polish general (Commander's Cross with star)
- Ryszard Winowski - Polish colonel (Commander's Cross)
- Józef Zając — Polish general
- Mariusz Zaruski — Polish general (Grand Cross)
- Georgy Zhukov — Marshal of the Soviet Union and Soviet politician (Commander's Cross with Star)
- Group Captain W.A.J. Satchell D.S.O Order of Polonia awarded 15 August 1953 for outstanding services to the Polish Air Force during World War Two.
References[]
- ↑ "Orders and decorations". The Official Website of the President of the Republic of Poland. BBN Biuro Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego. http://www.president.pl/en/president/competences/orders-and-decorations/. Retrieved 30 December 2011. "The following four orders are conferred...Order of the Rebirth of Poland (five-class)"
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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The original article can be found at Order of Polonia Restituta and the edit history here.