- Time Period: Post-WW2 Period
- Year of Institution: 3 July 1981
- Country: Poland
The Warsaw Uprising Cross (or Warszawski Krzyż Powstańczy in Polish) was a military decoration from Poland established by law on July 3, 1981 in order to honor the participants of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.
The decoration was awarded to persons who took an active part in the Warsaw Uprising. In particular:
- Soldiers of all the formations that fought in the Uprising.
- Members of the Military Women’s Service, of the Health Care services of the Uprising and other auxiliary insurrectionist services.
- Other persons who were somehow directly involved in the uprising.
The cross was awarded to Polish citizens as well as persons who, although they held non Polish citizenship at the time, also fought on the Polish side in the Uprising. The Cross could also have been awarded to foreigners if they took part in the Uprising or contributed to the fighting in some major way. Usually, the awards were made on the anniversary of the uprising or on the Victory Day (May 9) (anniversary of Nazi capitulation).
The first Warsaw Uprising Crosses were awarded on 1 August 1981 to 100 former soldiers of the Uprising, among others Gen. Jan Mazurkiewicz (Radosław) – commander of the Home Army, Gen. Franciszek Kamiński – commander of the Bataliony Chłopskie, Col. Maria Wittek – commander of Military Women’s Service, as well as Mieczysław Fogg and Lesław Bartelski.
On 16 October 1992, a law was passed which ended the awarding of the medal on 8 May 1999. The Cross could be awarded post posthumously.
The Warsaw Uprising Cross Design
The badge of the Warsaw Uprising Cross is a silver-plated and oxidized isosceles straight cross measuring 42 by 42 mm.
On the obverse of the cross, in the middle, there is an enameled white and red band, on the background of which there is a symbol of Fighting Poland – a stylized anchor with the letter P, and on the horizontal arms the date 1 August – 1944.
On the reverse, on the horizontal arms, there is the inscription “POWSTAŃCOM WARSZAWY” and a laurel wreath in the center of the cross.
The ribbon of the award is 40 mm wide, in the center a white and red strip (national colors), 12 mm wide, on the sides on a navy blue background 14 mm wide, two black stripes (the colors of the ribbon refer to the colors of the Order of Virtuti Militari ribbon).
The Warsaw Uprising Cross was worn on the left side of the breast, in the order of the Greater Poland Uprising Cross , since 1992 it has been worn in the order of the current state decorations .
The badge was designed by the sculptor and medalist Edward Gorol .
