In 2025, Poland will honor several cultural and historical figures as national patrons, as declared by the Sejm and Senate. The 2025 commemorations aim to celebrate significant contributions to Polish heritage of the following people: Rev. Józef Tischner, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, Władysław Reymont, Wojciech Has, Stefan Żeromski, Antoni Słonimski, Olga Boznańska, Kazimierz Sosnkowski, Franciszek Duszeńko, the first kings of Poland and the heroes of Katyn, Kharkiv, and Miednoje.
The Polish Senate and Sejm passed resolutions with detailed justifications for the selection of each of the people and events that will be honored in 2025.
The 2025 patrons, Rev. Prof. Józef Tischner, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, Władysław Reymont, and Wojciech Jerzy Has, were chosen for their enduring legacy as stated in the resolutions of the Senate of the Republic of Poland.
“Rev. Prof. Józef Tischner, as an outstanding figure of Polish philosophy and spirituality, built bridges between various environments and intellectual trends throughout his life. His work and legacy retain their value in religious and secular contexts, and his philosophy of man and solidarity remains inspiring in many contemporary debates. The Senate of the Republic of Poland, taking into account the outstanding achievements of one of the most important Polish philosophers, clergy, and intellectuals, decides to establish 2025 as the Year of Rev. Józef Tischner on the 25th anniversary of his death,” reads the justification.
July 9, 2025, will mark the 80th anniversary of the death of one of the greatest Polish poets, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska (1891-1945). Her legacy includes approximately 500 poems, 20 theater plays, and a dozen or so radio plays.”She is not a forgotten poet. Her poems have been performed as songs by, among others, Ewa Demarczyk, Anna German, Irena Santor, Czesław Niemen, Halina Kunicka, Krystyna Janda, Maryla Rodowicz, Marek Grechuta, Anna Maria Jopek, Grzegorz Turnau, Kayah, Natalia Kukulska. Her dramas remain a source of inspiration for new generations of theater directors,” we read in the justification of the Senate resolution.
2025 will mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Władysław Reymont, a Nobel Prize in Literature winner, which the Swedish Academy awarded him on November 13, 1924, for the novel “Chłopi” (“The Peasants”). Reymont gained popularity thanks to the novels “Ziemia Obiecana” (“Promised Land”) and “Komediantka” (“A Comedian”).” “Tygodnik Ilustrowany” began publishing the novel “Chłopi” in 1902, and in 1904 it was published in book form.”The universal, timeless content of “Chłopi” resulted in the novel being translated into 29 languages, and its film adaptations and various stage productions have also been created” – this is a fragment of the justification given by the Senate for declaring 2025 the Year of Władysław Stanisław Reymont.
The reason for declaring 2025 the year of Wojciech Jerzy Has is the hundredth anniversary of the birth of this outstanding director and screenwriter, the creator of such films as “Pożegnania” (“Farewells”),”Lalka” (“The Doll”) and “Sanatorium pod klepsydrą” (“The Hourglass Sanatorium”).”Has drew from the canon of European cultural heritage and filled his films with rich metaphors. He was one of the giants of world modernism, but at the same time he created distinctively Polish films, always engaging in dialogue with native mythology, complexes, and political narratives” – we read in the justification of the choice.
The members of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland decided that the patrons of 2025 were Stefan Żeromski, Antoni Słonimski, Olga Boznańska, Gen. Kazimierz Sosnkowski, Franciszek Duszeńko, the first kings of Poland and the heroes of Katyn, Kharkiv and Miednoje.
The occasion to declare 2025 the year of Stefan Żeromski is the hundredth anniversary of the death of the author of “Popioły” (“The Ashes”).In the words of the members of the parliament, “He was an artist convinced of the important function of literature because he believed in the special mission of the writer and his responsibility for shaping the fate of the nation and the Fatherland.” And: “Żeromski’s rich literary output was accompanied by equally intensive, long-term independence and patriotic activity, and social work,” the MPs indicated in the justification of the resolution.
The occasion for celebrating Antoni Słonimski is the 130th anniversary of the outstanding poet, writer, translator and publicist’s birth.”In his public activity, he opposed political violence,” and as president of the Association of Polish Writers, he used his position to fight for the economic rights of artists and defended freedom of speech.In 1964, Słonimski submitted the so-called Letter 34 to the Polish People’s Republic authorities, a protest of the literary community against censorship. As a result, a ban on his publications and foreign travel was issued.
One of the 2025 patrons is the painter Olga Boznańska. This artist will be honored on the 160th anniversary of her birth and the 85th anniversary of her death.
“Her career is an example of one of the most outstanding Polish artistic successes on the international stage,” the MPs explained, emphasizing that the artist’s works are exhibited in the most important Polish museums and recognized globally.
Another 2025 patron is Kazimierz Sosnkowski. “The Sejm of the Republic of Poland, on the 140th anniversary of the birth of a man who is a symbol of the persistent fight for independence, an outstanding organizer of the Polish Army, and a steadfast advocate of the Polish cause in the international arena, establishes the year 2025 as the Year of General Kazimierz Sosnkowski” – informs the resolution. Kazimierz Sosnkowski was one of Józef Piłsudski’s closest associates; during the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1920, he became one of the leading commanders who contributed to the Polish victory.The members of parliament described Sosnkowski as “an excellent organizer of the Polish Army and an unwavering advocate of the Polish cause in the international arena.” They recalled that in 1944, he criticized the Western Allies for insufficient support for Poland’s fight and accused them of putting Poland into the Soviet sphere of influence.
The occasion for declaring 2025 the year of Franciszek Duszeńko (1925-2008) is the hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of the most outstanding Polish sculptors, whose life is a testament to courage and resilience. During World War II, he was a soldier in the Home Army. Arrested in Lviv in 1944, he survived the German concentration camps of Gross-Rosen, Oranienburg, and Sachsenhausen.”The experience of war had an impact on the young artist’s life. After the war, he settled in Gdańsk, where he remained active for the rest of his life. Between 1952 and 1962, he participated in the reconstruction of the city ruined during the war,” we read in the justification. Duszeńko was the creator of the large-scale monuments to the Victims of the Extermination Camp in Treblinka (with Adam Haupt) and to the Defenders of the Coast on Westerplatte (with A. Haupt and Henryk Kitowski).
In addition to some outstanding people, the Polish Sejm also recognized events of national significance to be celebrated in 2025.
In the resolution on the Millennium Year of the Coronation of the First Two Kings, it was emphasized that in 1025, in the cathedral in Gniezno, the royal crown was bestowed first – shortly before his death – on Bolesław the Brave, and then on his son, Mieszko II Lambert.”The commemoration of the accession to the throne of Bolesław the Brave and Mieszko II Lambert is a remembrance of all those who focused on the idea of the emerging Polish state, devoted time, energy, and sometimes even sacrificed their lives so that today we would be part of the proud group of European countries with a centuries-old tradition of statehood.
“The lower house also unanimously adopted a resolution declaring 2025 the Year of Polish Heroes from Katyn, Kharkiv, Mednoye, Bykivnia, and other places. “By declaring 2025 the Year of Polish Heroes from Katyn, Kharkiv, Mednoye, Bykivnia, and other places, the Sejm recalls them as living figures representing free Poland – a sovereign, proud state,” it explained.”The crime of genocide, which was committed in the spring of 1940, is an unprecedented murder in history against representatives of the Polish intelligentsia and state elites. The lie that the Germans committed this crime was the foundation of the Polish People’s Republic and the installation of Moscow’s authorities on Polish soil. The truth about this crime inspired Poles’ aspirations for freedom and is the foundation of a free Poland,” we read.
Alicja Karlic
Source: PAP
Photos: Wikipedia
