Visit of the President of the Republic of Poland and the Diplomatic Corps to the Katyn Museum
On 13 April 2026, the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Katyn Massacre, the Katyn Museum in Warsaw hosted an official visit by the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, together with members of the Diplomatic Corps. The ceremony had both a state and international character, bringing together representatives of public authorities, foreign missions, and the Polish Armed Forces.
The President was welcomed by Prof. Bogusław Pacek, Director of the Polish Army Museum, and Sebastian Karwat, Director of the Katyn Museum.
In his address, the President emphasised the particular significance of the Katyn massacre as both a symbol of the mass execution of approximately 22,000 Polish citizens carried out by the Soviet Union and of the decades-long campaign of disinformation that shaped political realities in post-war Poland and across Central and Eastern Europe. He underlined that the crime was premeditated and targeted at Poland’s elites—military officers, members of the intelligentsia, and representatives of various professional and social groups who formed the foundation of the nation’s future statehood. He stressed that remembrance of Katyn has not only a historical dimension but also a contemporary one, serving as a warning and as an important element in shaping the historical awareness of future generations. The President also noted that while the post-war international order enabled the development of parts of Europe, it was accompanied by the long-term subjugation of countries in the region, including Poland, where the communist system was sustained in part by the falsification of the truth about this crime.
Referring to a well-known poem by Zbigniew Herbert, the President remarked that the “powerful voice of silenced choirs” resounded through the buttons left at the burial sites of the victims of the Katyn massacre.
Following the Roll Call of Remembrance, President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, together with the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Guideo Filipazzi — Dean of the Diplomatic Corps — laid wreaths at the Katyn Epitaph.
The strong presence of representatives of the international community underscored the universal dimension of remembrance of the victims of the Katyn massacre, highlighting its importance as part of Europe’s and the world’s shared historical heritage.
Ambassadors accredited to Poland were also given a guided tour of the Katyn Museum, where they were introduced by Director Sebastian Karwat to the history of the Soviet war crime committed against Polish prisoners of war and inmates of NKVD internal prisons.
