Anna Stupnicka-Bando made Honorary Citizen of Warsaw

Redakcja, 19 August 2024

Participant in the Warsaw Uprising, doctor, President of the Polish Association of the Righteous Among the Nations – Anna Stupnicka-Bando has been granted Honorary Citizenship of Warsaw. This distinction was presented at a ceremony during a sitting of the Warsaw City Council, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. Anna Stupnicka, pseudonym “Anka”, born in 1929, fought in the Uprising as a nurse – organising, in Żoliborz, the medical unit of District II “Żywiciel” of the Home Army. During the German occupation, together with her mother, she helped Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto. On 19th September 1983, she was honoured with the title of Righteous Among the Nations.

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“The 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising is something absolutely special. [...] We are talking about the values which guided those involved and which they pass on from generation to generation – solidarity and camaraderie.”

“Today, at this ceremony, I would speak about something which I have not yet spoken about – about a love of our city”, said Warsaw Mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski. “All of our Honorary Citizens have loved and love Warsaw – just like the Uprising participants who gave their entire lives to our city to make Warsaw look as it does today.”

On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, on 31st July 2024, a ceremony was held during a session of the Warsaw City Council during which the Honorary Citizenships of the capital city were awarded. This title is an expression of the highest distinction and recognition for outstanding achievements by Polish citizens and non-citizens. To date, it has been awarded to ninety-eight people.

This year, the honour has been awarded to Barbara Gancarczyk, Stefan Meissner, Anna Stupnicka-Bando, Zbigniew Rylski as well as to Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish-Belarusian journalist and dissident.

During the ceremony, awards were granted to thirty-six people and organisations.

The group of Warsaw Uprising participants, awarded Honorary Citizenship of Warsaw, included Righteous Among the Nations , Anna Stupnicka-Bando.

She was born on 23rd July 1929 in Końskie, but grew up in Warsaw. Together with her mother Janina Stupnicka, she lived in Żoliborz, at ul. Mickiewicza 25. During the German occupation, she gave aid to Jews.

In the winter of 1941, together with her mother, she help Liliana Alter escape from the Warsaw Ghetto to the “Aryan side”. Liliana then sheltered in the Stupnicki apartment until the end of the war.

Janina Stupnicka also helped Dr. Mikołaj Borenstein from Łódź, for whom she arranged false papers and found a job in a neighbouring building. For a period of time, Ryszard Grinberg also hid in the apartment on ul. Mickiewicza.

Przeczytaj więcej: The story of help extended to Jews by Anna Stupnicka-Bando

On 19th September 1983, Anna Stupnicka-Bando and her mother, Janina Stupnicka, were honoured, by the Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem, with the title of Righteous Among the Nations.

Since 8th August 2008, Anna Stupnicka-Bando has served as president of the Polish Association of Righteous Among the Nations.