The ceremony of the 5th edition of the Guardian of Remembrance award took place at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The gala was attended by, among others, Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister Paweł Szefernaker, representatives of state bodies, government, cultural, scientific and artistic institutions.

The nominees and winners of the 2017 Guardian of Remembrance Award are people who make sure that our history goes beyond the framework of textbooks and academic papers. For the fifth time, the weekly "Do Rzeczy" will honour people and institutions that take special care to renew, preserve or restore the memory of important events from Poland's past.

Guests gathered at the gala were officially welcomed by Michał M. Lisiecki, president of PMPG Polskie Media: - Welcoming you to today's Guardian of the Memory ceremony, I would like to greet you with thanks. Thanks to each of you who, quoting the words of President Ryszard Kaczorowski: "Wear the white and red with dignity and high" - caring for Polish good, Polish traditions and Polish identity.

A letter to the participants of the Guardian of Memory gala was also sent by the President of Poland Andrzej Duda. He thanked the organizers, and above all the nominees and winners. "You make up an elite group of patriots" - the president pointed out in his letter.

The editor-in-chief of the weekly "Do Rzeczy", Paweł Lisicki, inaugurating the gala said: - I have had the pleasure of dealing with Polish history for many years. Editing a weekly like "Do Rzeczy" is a very pleasant task. And it is also very pleasant to observe historical disputes, because Poles not only worship and erect monuments, but also quarrel terribly. But why do we quarrel about it? Because it is terribly important for us. These arguments are expressed both in our monthly and weekly magazine, as well as during meetings of the chapter of the Guardian of Memory Award. After 5 years since we have been presenting our award, I have a dream that our understanding of history will also reach the outside world.

Winners of the 2017 Guardian of Memory Award in the category of MECENAS:
PGNiG Foundation
and Maciej Radziwill

In his laudation in honor of Maciej Radziwill, editor Lukasz Warzecha said: - For years, our Laureate has been collecting mementos of his family's past, which at the same time is our common past, the past of the First Republic, so it belongs to all of us for whom the history of our First Republic is important. This also proves how special and unique the Laureate is: there are not many people who, by saving family memorabilia, save to such a large extent the material evidence of the history of the First Republic, its greatness, grandeur and also - which is extremely important today - diversity.

Winner of the 2017 Guardian of Memory Award in the INSTITUTION category:
Association "Ponary Family"

- There is a group of Poles who have been fighting for years to keep the memory of Ponary alive. These people regularly go to the crime scene, publish books, do research. They pray and light lamps on nameless graves. This is the Association "Ponary Family", which groups descendants of our compatriots murdered near Vilnius. They are children of the murdered. Children who miss their lost parents," said Piotr Zychowicz, the deputy editor-in-chief of the weekly "Do Rzeczy", in his laudation in honour of the Association.

Winner of the 2017 Guardian of Memory Award in the category of CREATIVE:
Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz

The laudation in honor of Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz was delivered by Piotr Gociek, editor: "Without memory there would be no present and no future," the poet explained. "If it were not for memory, we would have no language with which to communicate with the world, to recognize the world - and so we would have no world." "Without memory there would be neither any present nor any future." Such words could come only from the lips of a true Guardian of Memory. I present to you this poet, this guardian. I present to you the whole world. This world is called Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz, the winner of the 2017 Guardian of Remembrance Award in the "Creator" category.

Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński spoke at the end of the gala:

Plato said that ideas are more important than matter. And in this unusual place, which reminds us of the good times of the old Republic of Poland, where the Sejmys were held... it can be said that ideas are created by people, and people are the most important.

Honorary patron of the Guardian of Memory 2017 gala was the Speaker of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, Marek Kuchciński. The event was co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the National Cultural Center and the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Sponsors - strategic partners of the Guardians of Memory 2017 project are PKN Orlen and Energa. The main partner -Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo. Polish Security Printing Works is a patron of the event. Other partners of the Guard of Memory 2017 are Lotto, PZU, Poczta Polska, Gaz System and the Princes Lubomirski Foundation.

text: DoRzeczy.pl

Photo: Pawel Kula