Order of Polonia Restituta

Order of Polonia Restituta
Order of Polonia Restituta
KrzyzKomandOrderuOdrPolski1918.jpg
Current version of the Commander's Cross Polonia Restituta
Awarded by Republic of Poland
Type Five classes
Eligibility All
Awarded for Extraordinary and distinguished service
Status Currently awarded
Statistics
Established February 4, 1921
Precedence
Next (higher) Order Virtuti Militari
Next (lower) Order of the Military Cross

The Order of Polonia Restituta (Polish: 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, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries. It was established on February 4, 1921 and can be awarded to both civilians and soldiers, as well as to foreigners.

Contents

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 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 February 4, 1921 and the first Grand Master of the Order - Marshal Józef Piłsudski awarded the first Orders on July 13, 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, less prestigious, award for foreigners. On December 22, 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.

Classes

The Order has five classes:

1. Grand Cross (Krzyż Wielki) Ribbon
2. Commander's Cross with Star (Krzyż Komandorski z Gwiazdą) Ribbon
3. Commander's Cross (Krzyż Komandorski) Ribbon
4. Officer's Cross (Krzyż Oficerski) Ribbon
5. Knight's Cross (Krzyż Kawalerski) Ribbon

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".

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.

Notable recipients

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • List of recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta — The List of recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta includes notable recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta sorted by their profession. Where possible it also lists their country of origin and order grade. People highly distinguished… …   Wikipedia

  • Polonia Restituta — Infobox Military Award name=Order of Polonia Restituta caption=Current version of the Commander s Cross Polonia Restituta awarded by=Republic of Poland type=Five classes eligibility=All for=Extraordinary and distinguished service campaign= status …   Wikipedia

  • Polonia Restituta — Orden Polonia Restituta der Komtur Klasse Der Orden Polonia Restituta (poln.: Order Odrodzenia Polski, dt.: Orden der Wiedergeburt Polens) ist nach dem Orden vom Weißen Adler die zweithöchste zivile Auszeichnung der 3. Polnischen Republik und war …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Polonia Restituta — Ordre Polonia Restituta Version actuelle de la croix de Commandeur L Ordre Polonia Restituta (en polonais Order Odrodzenia Polski, en français Ordre de la Renaissance de la Pologne) est l une des plus hautes décorations polonaises. Cette… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Orden Polonia Restituta — der Komtur Klasse Der Orden Polonia Restituta (poln.: Order Odrodzenia Polski, dt.: Orden der Wiedergeburt Polens) ist nach dem Orden vom Weißen Adler die zweithöchste zivile Auszeichnung der Dritten Polnischen Republik und war die zweithöchste… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Orden Polonia Restituta — KrzyzKomandOrderuOdrPolski1918.jpg Versión actual de la Cruz de Comandante Polonia Restituta Otorgada por República de Polonia Tipo cinco clases Elegibilidad Todos los ciudad …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ordre Polonia Restituta — Version actuelle de la croix de Commandeur L Ordre Polonia Restituta (en polonais Order Odrodzenia Polski, en français Ordre de la Renaissance de la Pologne) est l une des plus hautes décorations polonaises. Cette décoration peut être conférée… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland — Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej The Grand Cross of Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Awarded by …   Wikipedia

  • Order of the White Eagle (Poland) — Order of the White Eagle Awarded by Republic of Poland Type …   Wikipedia

  • Order of the Cross of Independence — Order Krzyża Niepodległości Awarded by …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”