To mark the 30th anniversary of the founding of Solidarity, a pivotal social movement, and wishing to thank all international supporters who aided Poland in its struggle for freedom and democracy, the European Solidarity Centre established the Medal of Gratitude.
The victory of Solidarity would have been much harder without the help of many people of good will from around the world. In the 1980s, they organised selfless committees to assist Solidarity and the democratic opposition in Poland. Charitable aid, medical supplies, printing and radio equipment, as well as public gestures of support, reached Poland from all corners of the world.
The Medal is awarded to foreigners and, in exceptional cases, to Polish citizens who lived abroad in the 1980s. You can nominate candidates for the Medal of Gratitude using the nomination form. The Medal Committee decides to award the distinction based on the rules set out in the regulations.
To date, the Medal of Gratitude has been awarded to 755 people (including 76 posthumously) from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the USA.
The Medal of Gratitude Committee comprises:
- Lech Wałęsa
- Bogdan Borusewicz
- Jerzy Borowczak
- Zbigniew Bujak
- Mirosław Chojecki
- Władysław Frasyniuk
- Tadeusz Jedynak (1949–2017)
- Stefan Jurczak (1938–2012)
- Bogdan Lis
- Andrzej Milczanowski
- Janusz Pałubicki
- Jan Rulewski
- Grażyna Staniszewska
- Danuta Winiarska-Kuroń