During the May 3 national holiday at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, President Andrzej Duda awarded the Order of the White Eagle to Stanisław Mieczysław Gebhardt, a Home Army veteran, a survivor of German concentration camps, an economist, a politician, and an emigration activist.
Stanisław Mieczysław Gebhardt was born on July 13, 1928, in Poznań and grew up in Kraków. Between 1941 and 1943 he served as a scout with the Gray Ranks and joined the Home Army in 1943. In 1944 he was arrested by the Gestapo, sent to Gross-Rosen, and later transferred to Mauthausen. After liberation from KL Mauthausen, he returned to Poland and completed his higher education at an accelerated pace. He then crossed the so-called “green border” to Italy, eventually settling in Great Britain. In 1953 he graduated from the Polish University College in London, and in 1954 completed courses in business management at the City of London College and in political and social sciences at the Sorbonne. He was stripped of Polish citizenship by the communist authorities of the Polish People’s Republic.
From 1954 to 1985 he held roles within the exile Labor Party, helping to establish and participate in numerous Polish social and cultural organizations in exile, including the Union of Polish Students, the Young Union of the Federal Union of Europe, the Association of Former Home Army Soldiers, Macierz Szkolna, the Group Merkuriusz, the Council of Poland in Italy, and the Polish Club in Rome. He collaborated with Robert Schuman and returned to Poland after the fall of communism. From 1990 to 1994 he played a leadership role in the reactivated Labor Party, serving as vice-chairman. Between 1995 and 1998 he was vice president of the Polish Reconstruction Movement. In June 2020 he became chair of the Program Board of the Institute of Heritage of National Thought, joining a lineage that includes Roman Dmowski and Ignacy Jan Paderewski.
The Order of the White Eagle stands as Poland’s highest order. Established in 1705 and reactivated in 1921, it recognizes outstanding civil and military services to the Republic of Poland in both peace and war. It is awarded to exceptional Poles and to prominent foreign figures who have contributed to Poland’s welfare.
Profile of Joanna Maria Wnuk-Nazarowa
On the occasion of the May 3 national holiday, President Andrzej Duda awarded the Order of the White Eagle to Joanna Maria Wnuk-Nazarowa, a composer, conductor, and teacher. The ceremony took place at the Royal Castle in Warsaw on a midweek day.
Joanna Wnuk was born on May 28, 1949, in Gdynia and has lived in Kraków since childhood. She studied at the State Music High School, focusing on piano theory while also pursuing violin and oboe. Her training continued at the Academy of Music in Cracow, where she earned a degree in conducting and composition in 1974 under Professor Krzysztof Penderecki. She completed conducting master classes with Professor Hans Swarowsky in Austria (1971–72). Since 1974 she has taught at the Academy of Music in Cracow and worked in the Department of Music Analysis and Interpretation.
Her work spans theater music and music for television. In 1991 she won a competition for general director of the State Philharmonic in Kraków and later served as Minister of Culture and Art from 1997 to 1999, following a recommendation by the Freedom Union.
From 2000 to 2018 Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa led NOSPR as general and artistic director, steering one of Upper Silesia’s most important cultural institutions. She helped launch numerous projects that showcased Polish composers and connected Katowice to a broader cultural landscape. In 2000 she became general and program director of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, contributing to landmark initiatives such as Górecki’s Marathon, Train to Kilar’s Music, Musical Sea Travels, Kilar’s Day, and Górecki–Penderecki collaborations, as well as the Polish contemporary music biennial premieres festival.
Her contributions earned many honors, including the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Gold Cross of Merit, and the Gloria Artis medals, among others. She has also received numerous cultural and pedagogical recognitions and serves on various honorary committees supporting Polish music on the global stage.
In 2021 Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa composed her first opera, Wanda, inspired by the Cyprian Year of Kamil Norwid. The full staging premiered on April 1, 2023, at the Krakow Opera, marking a significant milestone in her creative journey.
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