The Western Cross (''Krzyż Zachodni'') is a Polish decoration established on 7 April 2017.
The concept of the Cross was presented by senator
Jan Żaryn
Jan Krzysztof Żaryn (born 13 March 1958) is a Polish historian, professor and politician, who was a Senator in the Senate of Poland from 2015 to 2019.
Born in Warsaw into a family of ''inteligencja'', Żaryn studied history at the University o ...
, and designed by
Robert Szydlik and
Tadeusz Jeziorowski.
It is awarded by the
President of Poland on recommendation of the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, who might be advised by e.g. the head of the
Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression
The Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression ( pl, Urząd do Spraw Kombatantów i Osób Represjonowanych) in the main institution in the Government of Poland to deal with the issues of Polish veterans of struggles for independence and vict ...
,
the director of the
Pilecki Institute
The Pilecki Institute ( pl, Instytut Pileckiego) is a Polish government institution in care of preserving the memory, documenting and researching the historical experiences of Polish citizens and increasing awareness regarding totalitarianism in th ...
as a token of commemoration and gratitude to foreigners who provided aid and assistance to Polish citizens persecuted by
Nazi and
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
regimes between 1939 and 1989 in places not included by the
Eastern Cross.
Design
On the obsverse it is inscribed "PRO AUXILIO POLONIS DATO" (''For aid given to Poles'').
References
{{Authority control
Orders, decorations, and medals of Poland
Awards established in 2017