Polish state awards for cultural workers

In March, a festive ceremony took place at the Polish Embassy in Bern. Andrzej Dera, State Secretary in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, honoured dedicated activists who have been working for years to promote a good image of Poland in the Swiss Confederation with state decorations.

Knight's Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland were awarded to:

• Jan Konopka - expert on Kościuszko and Paderewski, researcher of Polish history, author of numerous publications on Kościuszko
• Dionizy Simson - engineer and inventor, the first President of the Foundation. J. M. Bocheński

Golden Crosses of Merit were awarded to:

• Andrzej Ksyk - organiser of large transports of humanitarian aid that came to Poland in the 1980s
• Gertrud Lauener - Quaestor of the Kosciuszko Society in Solothurn for over forty years (from 1979 to 2021) actively promoting Polish-Swiss cultural relations

The Silver Cross of Merit was awarded to Teresa Ackermann - the Custodian of the Kosciuszko Museum in Solothurn, who has been associated with the institution for twenty years and is the organiser of many events.

The laudation of each awarded activist briefly reflected the personality and work of the awarded person.