Władysław Bartoszewski becomes an honorary citizen of Kraków

The decision to award Prof. Bartoszewski honorary citizenship was taken by the City Council in December 2012. The motion to grant the title was supported by Świat Ma Sens Foundation, the Kraków Club, Senator Bogdan Klich and a group of Kraków City Councillors.

For many years, Władysław Bartoszewski was linked with Kraków. Following the fall of the Warsaw Uprising, he worked there as a columnist and editor of the Home Army (AK) Command’s Biuletyn Informacyjny, and then worked on the Tygodnik Powszechny. In awarding the Professor honorary citizenship, Councillors emphasized his efforts in remembering the history of the crimes of Nazism and totalitarian communism, as well as the history of the Polish Underground and of the Warsaw Uprising.

This is yet another honorary citizenship bestowed upon the Professor. Others include that of Warsaw, Gdynia, Wrocław and Oświęcim.

Honorary citizenship of Kraków has been awarded since 1850, with thirty five people having received it since 1989. They inlude Sławomir Mrożek, Lech Wałęsa, Margaret Thatcher, Czesław Miłosz, Ronald Reagan, Siergiej Kowaliow, Stanisław Lem, Wisława Szymborska, Ryszard Kaczorowski, Zbigniew Brzeziński, Jan Nowak-Jeziorański and Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz.

Władysław Bartoszewski was born on 19th February 1922. He was a prisoner at Auschwitz, a politician, columnist and writer. He is currently a Secretary of State in the office of Donald Tusk, advising the Prime Minister on international dialogue. In 1995, he was presented with the Order of the White Eagle. For the help he provided Jews, within Żegota, during German occupation, the Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem bestowed upon him the title of Righteous Among the Nations.