Julian Kulski (5 December 1892 in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

– 18 August 1976 in Warsaw) was a Polish

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, best known for being

Mayor of Warsaw The city mayor of Warsaw, or more literally the ''city president of Warsaw'' (the official title in Polish is ''"prezydent miasta stołecznego Warszawy"'', literal translation ''"president of the capital city of Warsaw"'') is the head of the exec ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. During the pre-war period he was a Vice President of Warsaw (1935-1939) under

Stefan Starzyński Stefan Bronisław Starzyński (19 August 1893 – between 21 and 23 December 1939) was a Poles, Polish politician, statesman, economist, military officer and Mayor of Warsaw before and during Siege of Warsaw (1939), the Siege of 1939. Earl ...

, with whom he actively led a defense of the city during the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

. He was named by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

occupation authorities the President after Starzyński was arrested. Kulski accepted this post on the advice of the

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

and the

Polish Government in Exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...

and during his tenure actively worked with them against the occupation forces, always remaining loyal to Poland. Before he became a part of the Warsaw municipal government, he served in the

Polish Legions in World War I The Polish Legions ( pl, Legiony Polskie) was a name of the Polish military force (the first active Polish army in generations) established in August 1914 in Galicia soon after World War I erupted between the opposing alliances of the Triple Ente ...

(1914-1917) and the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stret ...

(1919-1921). He was also a commander of the People's Militia in Warsaw (1918-1919) and a longtime high-ranking employee of the

Ministry of Treasury A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Ec ...

. Because of his accomplishment during the war, Kulski remained widely recognized. His son, Julian Eugeniusz Kulski (1929–2021), was a member of the Polish underground during the war from ages 12 to 15. He published a book and a video about his experiences called ''Legacy of the White Eagle'' in 2006. He moved to the US and became a prominent architect.

References

Short official biography

External links

The younger Kulski's book and DVD

interview with his son Julian E. Kulski {{DEFAULTSORT:Kulski, Julian 1892 births 1976 deaths Polish resistance members of World War II Politicians from Warsaw Mayors of Warsaw Polish legionnaires (World War I) Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta Burials at Powązki Cemetery