The Virtus et Fraternitas Medal (Polish name: ''Medal Virtus et Fraternitas'';

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "Courage and Brotherhood") is a Polish

state decoration A state decoration is an object, such as a medal or the insignia of an Order (distinction), order, that is awarded by a sovereign state to honor the recipient. The term includes civil awards and decorations, as well as military awards and decorat ...

established on 9 November 2017. It is awarded by the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

on recommendation of the director of the Pilecki Institute as a token of commemoration and gratitude to those who provided aid and assistance to Polish citizens against Soviet and Nazi Germany

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

as well as other crimes motivated by

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

committed between 1917–1990. It is also bestowed to honor individuals who voluntarily keep alive the memory of those who did not survive the war or the forced deportations, and found their graves abroad. The medal has been conceptually compared to

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

's Righteous Among the Nations Awards.

Design

The medal is round and silver. On the obsverse it is inscribed "VIRTUS ET FRATERNITATIS" (''virtue and brotherhood''). In the center of the medal carved stylized image of the White Eagle. The cross is 36 mm in diameter. The Virtus et Fraternitas Medal is suspended from a purple ribbon, 36 mm wide. Symmetrically arranged along the edges of the ribbon are gold stripes each 4 mm wide, both 4 mm from the edge.

Recipients

The medal was awarded for the first time on 19 June 2019. Among the awarded were: * Tassybay Abdikarimov * Oleksandra Vaseyko * Chaim Eiss * Zinaida Giergiel * Anatolij Giergiel *

Władysław Konopczyński Władysław Konopczyński (26 November 1880 – 12 July 1952) was a leading Polish historian''Encyklopedia Polski'', p. 305. and publisher of primary-source materials.''Encyklopedia powszechna PWN'', vol. 2, p. 539. Life Władysław Konopczyń ...

* Juliusz Kühl *

Aleksander Ładoś Aleksander Wacław Ładoś lɛ'ksandɛr 'wadoɕ(27 December 1891 – 29 December 1963) was a Polish politician and diplomat, who 1940–45 headed the Legation of Poland to Switzerland. Ładoś was a member and de facto leader of the Ładoś ...

* Władysława Nagórka * Antoni Nagórka * Konstanty Rokicki * Stefan Ryniewicz * Adolf Henryk Silberschein *

Lóránd Utassy Lóránd Utassy de Uljak (18 April 1897, Budapest – 3 June 1974, Budapest) was a Hungarian general. Utassy graduated from the Ludovica Academy. He took part in the World War I in the units of artillery. Between 1921 and 1928 he served at ...

The second awarding of medals took place on June 2, 2021 at the

Presidential Palace in Warsaw The Presidential Palace () is the official residence of the Polish head of state and president alongside the Belweder Palace, located in Warsaw, Poland. Originally constructed in 1643 as an aristocratic mansion, it was rebuilt and remodelled sev ...

. They were given to the following persons: * Maria Bazeluk * Petro Bazeluk * Ecaterina Caradja * Petro Hrudzewycz * Jenő Etter * Anna Jelínková * Jan Jelínek * Jozef Lach * Žofia Lachová The third award ceremony of medals took place on June 15, 2022 at the Belweder Palace in Warsaw. They were given to the following persons: * Raymond Voegeli * Marie Gorius * Eugène Gorius * Rosalie Fogel * Jeanine Humbert * Léon Humbert * Hélène Pionstka *

Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Lab ...

Janet Fraser Janet Fraser (formerly Kemp, née Munro; 31 January 1883 – 7 March 1945) was a New Zealand community leader and the wife of Peter Fraser, who was the 24th Prime Minister of New Zealand (1940–1949) during and after the Second World War. ...

Aristides de Sousa Mendes Aristides de Sousa Mendes do Amaral e Abranches (; July 19, 1885 – April 3, 1954) was a Portuguese diplomat who is recognized in Portugal as a national hero for his actions during World War II. As the Portuguese consul-general in the French ...

* César de Sousa Mendes *

Pedro Correia Marques Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...

* Ján Klinovský *

Julien Bryan Julien Hequembourg Bryan (23 May 1899 in Titusville, Pennsylvania – 20 October 1974) was an American photographer, filmmaker, and documentarian who documented the daily life in Poland, Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany between 1935 and 1939, in t ...

* Paul Super * Elna Gistedt-Kiltynowicz * Kateryna Bojmistruk * Fedor Bojmistruk * Mykhailo Susla * Józsefné Margit Károlyi * Edith Weiss * Erzsébet Szapáry *

Antal Szapáry Antal may refer to: * Andal, 8th-century poet saint of South India * Antal (given name) * Antal (surname) * 6717 Antal, a minor planet See also * Andal (disambiguation) * Atal (disambiguation) Atal or Attal is a Pashto language word which mean ...

On 20 December 2022 were decorated: * Ilona Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka * Trofim Danieluk * Zinaida Samczuk * Hanna Skakalska (1905–1987) * Hanna Skakalska (1887–1966) * Musij Skakalski On 6 July 2023 were decorated: * Semen Biliczuk * Ustyna Kowtoniuk * Sawa Kowtoniuk * Paraskewa Padlewska * Lubow Parfeniuk * Anton Parfeniuk * Piotr Parfeniuk * Oksana Karpiuk * Jewhenia Bondaruk * Prokop Bondaruk * Anastasija Koreń * Mykoła Koreń * Sofia Kyc * Pawło Kyc * Herasym Łukiańczuk * Wołodymyr Kryżuk On 17 December 2024 were decorated: * Martha Gammer * Rudolf Anton Haunschmied * Etela Lacušová * Oto Ludvig * Berta Ludvigová * Helena Vargová * Ferdinánd Leó Miklósi * Walborg Svensson Bernacka * Alfred Iversen * Aud Valla

Design

Recipients

See also

References

See also