There is now a Zbigniew Brzeziński Garden Square in Krakow

During the first post-holiday session of the Krakow City Council, the councilors adopted a resolution giving the name of Zbigniew Brzezinski to the garden square located on ul Pilsudskiego. This form of commemorating the Honorary Citizen of the City of Krakow and counselor to several American presidents, was requested by Senator Bogdan Klich, who together with the Mayor of the City of Krakow, Jacek Majchrowski and Deputy Chairman of the City Council of Krakow, Sławomir Pietrzyk, unveiled a plaque with the name of the square on October 15.

 

In the resolution of the City Council of Krakow, which on November 7, 2001 ranked Professor Zbigniew Brzeziński among the Honorary Citizens of the City, we read:

Professor Zbigniew Brzeziński is an American who has never stopped being a Pole. For a figure of such stature it has never been a dilemma to balance both Polish and American patriotism. His activity - both academic and political - has always been characterized not only by a global vision of international problems, but also by a deep concern for the fate of Poland and its people. In 1980-1981 he tried to prevent the intervention of the Warsaw Pact troops in Poland. Ten years later, Professor Brzeziński was an ardent advocate of Poland's accession to NATO.

Zbigniew Brzeziński was a politician, publicist and political scientist born on March 28, 1928 in Warsaw. He attended McGill University in Montreal and Harvard, where he later became professor. He also taught at Columbia University in New York, served as President Jimmy Carter's National Security Advisor, he was an outstanding expert on international issues, author of numerous publications, articles and books, member of numerous scientific societies, with honorary doctorates of Georgetown University, Williams College, Fordham University, College of the Holly Cross, Alliance College, Jagiellonian University, Warsaw University, Catholic University of Lublin and Vilnius University.

Honours: Order of the White Eagle, Order of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas, Ukrainian Order of Merit, Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Presidential Medal of Freedom and many other distinctions.

The current pandemic made it impossible for many distinguished guests invited to participate in the ceremony, among them Andrzej Gołaś, former Mayor of the City of Krakow and Stanisław Handzlik, former Chairman of the Krakow City Council, who witnessed Professor Brzeziński being awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Krakow.

We are all the more pleased that the ceremony was personally attended by Mr. Jerzy Koźmiński, Poland's former Ambassador to Washington and a long-time friend of Zbigniew Brzeziński. Zbigniew Brzezinski' family also received the information about the event with much appreciation, but for obvious reasons they could not come to Poland to attend it. However, they delivered a cordial letter signed by professor's wife Emilie Benes Brzezinski, sons Ian and Mark, and daughter Mika Brzezinski, which you can read here.

See photos from the event: OTOFOTOKRONIKA MIASTA KRAKOWA