”They were the ones who kept the insignia of the Republic of Poland alive in the dark times of communist captivity. Together with other activists in exile, they were the depositaries of the memory and continuity of the Polish state, as well as the guardians of hope” emphasised the Prime Minister.

Return from exile to the homeland

The remains of the first three presidents in exile - Władysław Raczkiewicz, August Zaleski and Stanisław Ostrowski - returned to the country. The Prime Minister welcomed the presidents home and expressed his joy at the fact that they were buried in their homeland.

“There, fate left our greatest sons and daughters after World War II. It was they who tried to preserve the memory, testify to the truth and hopes of the Polish nation to regain freedom”, the Head of the Polish Government pointed out.

Continuity of power

From the attack of Germany and the USSR on Poland in September 1939, through the whole of World War II and the times of the Polish People's Republic, up until 1990 - thanks to the Presidents of the Republic of Poland in Exile, the constitutional continuity of the country's authorities was preserved. It is over 50 years of caring for Polish identity, tradition and culture. It is also a constant hope for Polish women and men who stayed in the People's Republic of Poland that their homeland will regain its freedom and independence.

The existence of a government and presidents in exile was the scourge of the communist authorities. This drew attention to the fact that Poland, despite its existence on the map, was not the Commonwealth that Poles fought for in the 19th and 20th centuries. Unfortunately, the communists made sure that the presidents in exile lived in oblivion.

Fathers of Polish statehood

The mission of presidents and governments in exile ended with the first free elections in Poland. In 1990, the last Pesident in Exile, Ryszard Kaczorowski, handed over the presidential insignia to Lech Wałęsa. He was the first Polish president to be elected in general elections after World War II.

The Prime Minister emphasised the important role of presidents in exile: ”You are the ones to whom we owe so much. You are the fathers of Polish statehood. Each of you considered an independent Republic of Poland to be the overriding goal. Your road, the path of your life, had this one basic goal: to make Poland free, sovereign, great, strong and prosperous”.

Mission: Free Poland

Despite the very important role played by presidents in exile, their history is currently not well known. According to research from August 2022, only every tenth Pole can correctly determine how many presidents were in exile.

The "Mission: Free Poland" campaign is supposed to counteract this. Its aim is to disseminate knowledge about the Presidents and Governments of the Republic of Poland in Exile. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with the campaign page.