Order of the Builders of People's Poland ( pl, Order Budowniczych Polski Ludowej) was the highestORDER BUDOWNICZYCH POLSKI LUDOWEJ

Encyklopedia Internautica Encyklopedia Internautica (Polish: "Encyclopedia Internautica") is a Polish Internet encyclopedia based on the ''Popularna Encyklopedia Powszechna'' (Popular Universal Encyclopedia) or Pinnex. It is freely accessible on the pages of Interia, Pola ...

, retrieved on 20 November 2008Budowniczych Polski Ludowej, Order
, Encyklopedia PWN, retrieved on 20 November 2008 civil decoration of Poland in the times of the People's Republic of Poland.

History

The order was established by the

Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...

on 2 July 1949 for "awarding unique achievements in the task of building People's Poland". It was designed by Michał Bylina and Wojciech Jastrzębski. Unofficially, it replaced Poland's highest pre-war order, the Order of the White Eagle (the Order of the White Eagle was never officially disestablished, but it was not awarded in People's Poland). The order was awarded by the

president of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Pola ...

until the office was abolished in 1952; from then it was awarded by the

Polish Council of State The Council of State of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Rada Państwa) was introduced by the Small Constitution of 1947 as an organ of executive power. The Council of State consisted of the President of the Republic of Poland as chairman, the Marsha ...

. It had only one class. A person decorated with the order had the title of a ''Builder of People's Poland'' (''Budowniczy Polski Ludowej''). The order was awarded to many leaders of workship, notable party members (including military personnel) and others. The Order was last awarded in June 27th,1993. Up to that time, about 310 individuals were awarded the Order, and 10 institutions (ex. Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy) and territorial units (cities and administrative entities -

voivodeship A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval ...

s, for instance). During the times of the People's Republic, 7 recipients had their orders revoked. It was officially disestablished 2 years after the People's Republic was replaced by the Third Republic

Eligibility criteria

The order could be awarded to Polish individuals, enterprises, and institutions that performed exceptional deeds in the fields of: * national economy, in particular through inventions, improving work organizations, and work inspiration and efficiency (see

udarnik An udarnik ( rus, уда́рник, p=ʊˈdarnʲɪk; English plural udarniks or udarniki), also known in English as a shock worker or strike worker (collectively known as shock brigades or a shock labour team) was a highly productive worker in th ...

) * education, science, culture and art * national defense * health and sport * public service

Description

The Order has a golden rosette, 53 mm in diameter. The rosette has eight petals enameled with white (inner) and red (outer). Petals are separated by gold rays. In the center is a white-encircled blue medallion, which depicts a gold male figure carrying a hammer and a

red banner Red Banner (russian: Красное знамя) was a symbol of revolutionary struggle used late Russian Empire, in Soviet Russia, and in the USSR and the background of the Soviet state flag and other similar flags. Military units, ins ...

. The reverse has a red enameled medallion with, in gold, the letters PRL, standing for ''Polska

Rzeczpospolita () is the official name of Poland and a traditional name for some of its predecessor states. It is a compound of "thing, matter" and "common", a calque of Latin ''rés pública'' ( "thing" + "public, common"), i.e. ''republic'', in Engli ...

Ludowa'' - People's Republic of Poland (orders awarded before the state's name changed in 1952 have the letters RP for ''Rzeczpospolita Polska''). The ribbon is 40 mm wide and is red-white-red with blue edges.

References

{{reflist

External links

The People's Republic of Poland: Order of Builders of People's Poland
Awards established in 1949 Awards disestablished in 1992 Polish People's Republic Civil awards and decorations of Poland