Police officers wounded in the attack in Kraków received the Officer’s Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta from the hands of President Karol Nawrocki, Bartosz Grodecki, head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), announced Monday on X.
Grodecki earlier said that President Nawrocki had decided to award the orders to Senior Patrol Officers Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, who, at the risk of their lives, detained the attacker in Kraków on Saturday.
According to the head of the National Security Bureau, the president honored the officers for outstanding service in ensuring order and security, as well as exceptional dedication and courage.
The information indicates that the president has already visited both officers in hospitals in Kraków. One is at Narutowicz Hospital, the other at John Paul II Hospital. The officers suffered serious injuries in an exchange of fire with the attacker. On Sunday, both woke from comas.
At the request of both officers, a video conference was arranged so they could speak with each other. “I think we should leave the content to those who took part in that meeting. The patrol partners were very interested in what was happening with each other,” Dr. Hubert Hymczak, head of the Clinical Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care at Narutowicz Hospital, told PAP on Monday.
“The heroic conduct of the officers, who stopped the attacker at the risk of their own lives, inspires admiration and deserves the highest praise,” Grodecki stressed.
The head of the BBN thanked both officers for their decisive intervention and readiness to defend others. He also wished them a speedy recovery.
Senior Patrol Officer Jakub Kulik, 24, is from Bielsko-Biała. Before joining the police, he served in the 18th Bielsko Airborne Battalion. He recently ended his military service and joined the police. He currently works in the intelligence-patrol unit of the First Precinct in Kraków, which covers the Old Town. Kulik is also a member of the volunteer fire department (OSP) in Leszczyny, where he became a volunteer firefighter about 10 years ago. He has a wife and a child.
Senior Patrol Officer Artur Morański, 27, is from the village of Powroźnik in the Muszyna commune (Małopolskie Voivodeship). He has served in the police since 2024, first at the Seventh Precinct in Nowa Huta, and since June at the First Precinct in Kraków. Morański played soccer for five years on a local team in Powroźnik. For many years he was also a lector at the local church. He is married.
The Order of Polonia Restituta was established in 1921. It is awarded for outstanding service to the state and society. It is granted in particular for outstanding achievements in public activity undertaken for the benefit of the country, for special contributions to strengthening the country’s sovereignty and defense, developing the national economy, and public service, for outstanding scientific, literary and artistic work, and for outstanding contributions to developing cooperation between Poland and other states and nations.
The order is divided into five classes: Class I, Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta; Class II, Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta; Class III, Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta; Class IV, Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta; and Class V, Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. (PAP)
