This year’s ”Custodian of National Memory” awards ceremony is held in exceptional circumstances. For the first time, we are hosting you at the ”PGE Narodowy” National Stadium which, for these three April days, has been transformed into a place combining the past and the future.

I am glad that it is during the Congress of National Remembrance that we come together to honour the people who are dedicated to passing on historical knowledge to the next generation. The desire for solidarity and freedom are values inherent in our DNA – it is these values that have cemented Polish society in the 20th century and are still its building blocks today. Our rich history allows us to learn from the experiences of our ancestors. Hearing our national anthem and seeing the white and red flags, we feel great joy and pride. The identity of a nation is shaped by its culture, language and customs, but also by its, sometimes turbulent, history.

The winners of the ”Custodian of National Memory” prize can only be those who have responded to its call. Those who restore the dignity of the forgotten, sustain the spirit of the nation, care for artefacts, seek answers to burning questions and tirelessly fight for the truth. They are the wardens and guides in a world that all too rarely looks back. I wholeheartedly thank all those involved in popularising the history of Poland and Poles, but I would especially like to express my gratitude to the winners of the ”Custodian of National Memory” prize – you are our beacon and our conscience. With your life, you set an example of faithfulness to ideals. Let this ceremony be our thanks, an expression of our appreciation and an encouragement to take further action to promote Polish history.

Karol Nawrocki, Ph.D.

Laureates of the ”Custodian of National Memory” Prize in 2023.

Arkadiusz Gołębiewski

Author and producer of documentary films. He was one of the first Polish audiovisual creators to take up the subject of Poles rescuing Jews, the struggles of the Polish independence underground against the communist regime imposed on Poland, or the repression of the ”Solidarity” movement. His filmography includes titles such as: ”Rozbity kamień” [Shattered Stone], ”Sny stracone czy odzyskane” [Dreams lost or regained], ”Życie za Życie” [Life For Life], ”Generał Gryf. Robiłem dobrą robotę” [General Gryf. I was doing a good job] and ”Inka. Zachowałam się jak trzeba” [Inka. I behaved as I should have]. He has always understood his work as a service to his homeland. In 2008, Arkadiusz Gołębiewski organised the first edition of the Unruly Unbreakable Cursed (NNW) International Film Festival – a meeting place for people who refer to Poland’s post-war history in their work. Over the years, the event has established itself as an international cultural event, integrating the film, theatre and music communities. Arkadiusz Gołębiewski is also a film chronicler of archaeological works conducted in the ”Ł” section of the Powązki Cemetery, the so-called ”Łączka” [Meadow]. Between 2012 and 2017, IPN staff and volunteers discovered there the remains of soldiers of the anti-communist independence underground who had been executed during the Stalinist period. In his films, Arkadiusz Gołębiewski tells the stories of the murdered heroes and their families.

Jan Sikorski

Mitered Prelate, Priest of the Archdiocese of Warsaw, doctor of theology and first chief chaplain of the Prison Priesthood of Poland. At the end of 1981, Rev. Sikorski was delegated by Primate Józef Glemp to serve among the internees. In the Białołęka detention centre, he celebrated mass, heard confessions and lifted spirits. Thanks to his work in the prison, conversions, baptisms, confirmations and even weddings took place. For the prisoners, he was an invaluable aid in their struggle for dignity and a sense of unity. He organised monthly services even after they had left the detention centres. He participated in several of the Masses for the Homeland, celebrated by Rev. Jerzy Popiełuszko. These were ”two hours of a free Poland”. By then, Rev. Jan Sikorski appreciated Rev. Popiełuszko’s influence on social and religious life in such difficult times. He jokingly referred to him as the ”Little Pope”, expressing appreciation for his charisma, but also for his modesty. After the martyrdom of Rev. Jerzy Popiełuszko, it was Rev. Sikorski who continued to celebrate masses for Poland in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district. In 1989, he became the chief chaplain of the Polish Prison Service. He is the co-founder of the Prison Brotherhood, a group dedicated to the religious and material support of prisoners and their families. The group also assists ex-penitentiaries in their return to normal life.

”Zgrupowanie Radosław”. A Historical Group Association

An association dedicated to commemorating and popularizing of Polish history between 1939–1963, particularly the history of the Second World War and the people associated with the Polish Underground State and post-war independence organisations. The Association’s members were brought together by a passion for historical reenactment and a desire to learn about their country’s history. One of the organisation’s most important statutory objectives is – in addition to research activities and historical education – patriotic and civic formation. The group is constantly working with veterans from different combatant and insurgent backgrounds. It organises many history lessons, meetings with witnesses of history, reenactment shows, educational games and exhibitions. It also devotedly performs flag-bearer duty at patriotic ceremonies. Thanks to the efforts of ”Zgrupowanie Radosław”, the Warsaw Uprising Memorial Museum was established in 2018. The facility itself opened in 2020. Every year, with the support of the Institute of National Remembrance, the Association organises the ”Katyn March of Shadows”, a tribute to the nearly 22,000 Poles murdered by the Soviets in 1940 in Katyn and other execution sites in the East.

Polish Falcons of America

A Polish-American organisation with more than 130 years of tradition. It was founded in 1887 when Poland was still under the yoke of the invaders. Since its inception, its members have upheld native traditions, organised Polish language lessons and celebrated patriotic events. American Falconry also supported compatriots in the home country. Their aid proved invaluable, especially during the First and Second World Wars. Through the efforts of the organisation, the country received various kinds of support: financial, material and military, expressed in the slogan: ”Hail the Motherland – claw the enemy”. PFA members formed the Blue Army in France under the command of Gen. Józef Haller, in whose ranks they fought on the fronts of the First World War and took part in the Polish-Bolshevik War. PFA-affiliated women, co-members of the Polish White Cross, also contributed to the actions towards the rebirth of Poland. Today, the PFA, together with the Polish Falcons Heritage Foundation, remains a form of fraternal self-help for the Polish diaspora. It organises sports camps, visual arts workshops, lectures and meetings. In this way, Americans of Polish origin learn about and cultivate native traditions, history and customs. In addition, the PFA offers financial assistance programmes: scholarships, pensions and insurance for its members. In 2019, the PFA donated its archive to the Institute of National Remembrance. The materials include photographs, audio and video recordings, medals, banners, and decorations. Thanks to this extensive collection, we can learn not only about the history of the organisation but also about the history of the entire Polish-American community and its prominent representatives.

Stanisław Maria Jankowski (1945–2022)

Historian, researcher, publicist, author of countless articles and books on the Second World War, the author of award-winning radio plays and documentaries. He was one of the founders of the Independent Historical Committee for the Investigation of the Katyn Massacre (NKHBZK) and the Katyn Institute in Poland. Co-creator of numerous exhibitions devoted to the Katyn Massacre and the history of the Home Army, which have been displayed, among others, in New York, London, Paris, Boston and Florence. For many years, Stanisław Maria Jankowski prepared and edited texts for the ”Katyn Bulletin”. He was the author of numerous scientific papers, co-author of the book ”Literaci a sprawa katyńska” [Writers and the Katyn Case], and curator of an exhibition prepared for the Institute of National Remembrance on the 1940 anti-Soviet uprising in Chortkiv. He was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for his contribution to disseminating the truth about the Katyn Massacre.Throughout his life, he amassed a huge private archive, full of unique documents and notations. Not only did it provide a source basis for his works, but it also served many researchers and historians who often approached him for materials. As a historical consultant, he worked, among others, on the film ”Katyn” directed by Andrzej Wajda. Stanisław Maria Jankowski was not only a fighter for the truth – both during the communist era and in free Poland – but also a good and extremely helpful person.

mk, source: IPN