Lech Wałęsa is a Polish statesman, former dissident, politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. He has received multiple awards and honors from national governments, universities, and other non-governmental organisations including the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize.
Wałęsa served as President of Poland from 1990 to 1995 and became the first democratically elected president of Poland since 1926 as well as the first-ever Polish president elected by popular vote. He was the leader of the Solidarity movement and led a successful pro-democratic effort, which in 1989 ended Communist rule in Poland and ushered in the end of the Cold War.
He was named the Time Person of the Year (1981) and one of Time's 100 most important people of the 20th century (1999). He has received over forty honorary degrees, including from Harvard University and Columbia University, as well as dozens of the highest state orders, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, and the French Grand Cross of Legion of Honour. In 1989, Wałęsa was the first foreign non-head of state to address the Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress. The Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport has borne his name since 2004.
Honors
Apart from his 1983 Nobel Peace Prize, Wałęsa has received many other international distinctions and awards. He has been named "Man of the Year" by Time Magazine (1981), The Financial Times (1980) and The Observer (1980). He was the first recipient of the Liberty Medal, on 4 July 1989 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and that same year received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.Maureen Dowd, Bush Gives Walesa Medal of Freedom, New York Times, November 14, 1989, p. A21. He is the third foreigner and the first non-head-of-state to have addressed a joint session of the United States Congress (15 November 1989).A History of Foreign Leaders and Dignitaries Who Have Addressed the U.S. Congress, The Office of the Clerk
On 8 February 2002, Wałęsa represented Europe, carrying the Olympic flag at the opening ceremonies of the XIX Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, in company with Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Africa), John Glenn (the Americas), Kazuyoshi Funaki (Asia), Cathy Freeman (Oceania), Jean-Michel Cousteau (Environment), Jean-Claude Killy (Sport), and Steven Spielberg (Culture).Carter B. Horsley, Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games: The Greatest Television Program Ever?Jean-Michel Cousteau (biography), Winter Park Institute, Rollins College Two years later, on 10 May 2004, Gdańsk International Airport was officially renamed Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport to commemorate a famous Gdańsk citizen, and his signature was incorporated into the airport's logo. Prezydent Lech Wałęsa patronem Portu Lotniczego Gdańsk (President Lech Wałęsa – patron of Gdańsk Airport), 10 maja 2004 r., Gdańsk Airport Website
A month later, in June 2004, Wałęsa represented Poland at the state funeral of Ronald Reagan.Fast Facts: Who's Who at Reagan Funeral, Fox News, Friday, June 11, 2004 On 11 October 2006, Wałęsa was keynote speaker at the launch of "International Human Solidarity Day," proclaimed in 2005 by the United Nations General Assembly. In January 2007 Wałęsa spoke at a Taiwan event, "Towards a Global Forum on New Democracies," in support of peace and democracy, along with other prominent world leaders and Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian.
On 25 April 2007, Wałęsa represented the Polish government at the funeral of Boris Yeltsin, former president of the Russian Federation.FACTBOX: Dignitaries attending funeral of Boris Yeltsin, Reuters, Tue Apr 24, 2007 On 23 October 2009, he spoke at a conference in Gdansk of presidents of all European senates, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the first free parliamentary elections in a former communist country – the 1989 elections to the Polish Senate.
On 6 September 2011, Wałęsa rejected Lithuania's Order of Vytautas the Great as a result of constant discrimination on the part of the Lithuanian government towards its Polish minority.http://tvp.info/informacje/polska/walesa-odmawia-litwinom-z-powodu-polonii/5214828 (in Polish)
Orders Ribbon bar Award or decoration Country Date Place Note Ref Knight Grand Cross of Order of Leopold I One of the three Belgian national honorary Knight Orders. Highest Order of Belgium. Order of the Southern Cross Brazil's highest order of merit. Grand Cross of the Order of the Merit Chilean order of merit. Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion The highest order of the Czech Republic. Knight of the Order of the Elephant The highest order of Denmark. Grand Cross, Special Class of Order of Christopher Columbus Order of the Dominican Republic, established in 1937. Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana Kadriorg Instituted in 1995 to honour the independence of the Estonian state. Distinguished Member of the European Order of Merit Strasbourg The highest class of this honour. Awarded to individuals recognised for their significant contributions to European integration or for promoting and defending the values established in the European Union treaties. Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland One of three highest state orders of Finland, established in 1919 by Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honour Highest decoration of France. Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Berlin Highest honour of West Germany (and modern Germany). Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Rome The highest ranking honour of the Italian Republic. Grand Order of Mugunghwa December 9, 1994The highest ranking honour of South Korea. Star of Lithuania's Millennium In recognition for his merits Lithuania. This order was founded in 2007 on the occasion of the thousandth anniversary of the first known written remark about Lithuania. Order of the Netherlands Lion 1st Class Second-highest order of the Netherlands, founded by the first King of the Netherlands, William I. Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav Highest Norwegian order of chivalry. Grand Cordon of the Royal and Hashemite Order of the PearlDynastic order of the Royal house of Sulu instituted by Sultan Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram and awarded at the 41st International Polonaise Ball. Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (ex officio) One of Poland's highest orders. Knight of Order of the White Eagle (ex officio) Poland's highest decoration awarded to both civilians and the military for their merits. Grand Collar of Order of Liberty A Portuguese honorific civil order that distinguishes relevant services to the cause of democracy and freedom, in the defense of the values of civilization and human dignification. Grand Collar of Order of Prince Henry Portuguese National Order of Knighthood. Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Saint Michael of the Wing Miami The oldest Portuguese order of knighthood, awarded by Prince Dom Miguel Duke of Viseu at the 38th International Polonaise Ball 2010. Order of Saint James of the Sword Portuguese order of chivalry, founded in 1171. Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Crown Romanian Royal Family 21 November 2014 Elisabeta Palace, Bucharest Second highest ranking Romanian dynastic order of knighthood, granted and personally awarded by King Michael I of Romania for Lech’s unparalleled contribution to the fall of communism in Europe. Grand Cross of Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic Hungarian national order. Order of Francisco de Miranda 1st Class Republic of Venezuela Conferred by the Republic of Venezuela in memory of Francisco de Miranda. Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim Swedish Royal order of chivalry, established by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748. Wałęsa received also his own Coat of arms. First Class of the Order of the State of Republic of Turkey The highest national order awarded by President of Turkey. Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath British order of chivalry. Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 2nd Class Presidential Medal of Freedom Washington The highest civilian award in the U.S. Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay February 23, 1995MontevideoMedal awarded by the Uruguayan authorities to foreign personalities Knight with the Collar of the Order of Pius IX A Papal Order of Knighthood founded on 17 June 1847 by Pope Pius IX. Medal of Pope Pius XII
Awards