Andrzej Wawrzyniak facts for kids
Andrzej Michał Wawrzyniak (born December 3, 1931 – died November 8, 2020) was a Polish sailor, a diplomat, and a great expert and collector of art from Asia. He founded the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw and was its director for life.
In Indonesia, a country he loved and worked closely with, people knew him as “Andrzej Nusantara Wawrzyniak.”
Life and Adventures
Andrzej Wawrzyniak was born in Warsaw in 1931. When he was just sixteen, he started sailing on a big training ship called “Dar Pomorza.” He sailed on twelve different ships, starting as a deck boy and working his way up to become an officer in the Polish Merchant Marine.
While sailing, he also studied a lot! He went to schools for diplomacy, economics, and social sciences in Warsaw and Sopot. In 1956, he joined the Polish diplomatic service. This meant he worked for his country in other parts of the world. By 1973, he became a high-ranking diplomat called a Minister Plenipotentiary.
Andrzej Wawrzyniak spent over 25 years living and working in Asia. During this time, he collected many amazing objects from different countries.
- From 1956 to 1960, he worked in Vietnam with a group that helped keep peace.
- From 1961 to 1965, and again from 1967 to 1971, he worked at the Polish Embassy in Indonesia. He helped with cultural exchange and was even in charge of the embassy for a while.
- From 1973 to 1974, he led a Polish team in Laos, again helping with peace efforts.
- From 1977 to 1981, he was in charge of the Polish Embassy in Nepal.
- He also helped as a United Nations observer for elections in Namibia (1989) and East Timor (1999).
- From 1990 to 1993, he led the Polish Embassy in Afghanistan.
- Later, he worked for the OSCE in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996).
- He was also the Honorary Consul General for Sri Lanka in Poland from 1997 to 2003. This meant he represented Sri Lanka in Poland as a volunteer.
Amazing Art Collection
His time in Indonesia, which lasted almost nine years in the 1960s, had a huge impact on him. He loved the country and its culture. When he returned to Poland, he gave his entire collection of over 3,000 objects to the Polish government.
A famous professor, Stanisław Lorentz, said that Andrzej Wawrzyniak's Indonesian collection was "one of the largest private Indonesian collections." He even said it was bigger than some famous Dutch collections!
Because of this incredible gift, the Nusantara Archipelago Museum was started in Warsaw in 1973. "Nusantara" is an old name for the Indonesian archipelago.
The museum grew and added more objects from other parts of Asia. So, in 1976, it changed its name to the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw. Andrzej Wawrzyniak became its director and chief curator for his entire life. Today, the museum has more than 20,000 objects from Asia, Australia, and Oceania!
Awards and Recognition
Andrzej Wawrzyniak was a respected expert on Asian cultures. He belonged to many Polish and international groups that studied these regions.
He received many awards from Poland and other countries for his work:
- He received the Millennium of Poland Decoration (1966) and the Golden Merit for his social work (1967).
- He was honored with the Chevalier's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1967), which is a very important Polish award. He later received higher levels of this order, including Officer's Cross (1985), Commander's Cross (1995), and Commander's Cross with Star (2003).
- He was recognized for preserving national memory (1971) and for his work in foreign service (1978).
- He received medals from Vietnam (1976, 1995) and Laos (1997) for his efforts in promoting friendship and cooperation.
- He was also honored by Indonesia (1990, 1998), Afghanistan (1991), and Mongolia (1997, 2003) for his work in sharing their cultures.
- He received awards for supporting Polish expeditions to the Himalayas (1981) and for his dedication to Warsaw (1982, 1987, 2001).
- In 2003, he received the Jerzy Dunin-Brokowski Honorary Prize, which is a special award for collectors.
See also
- List of Poles
