Karol Nawrocki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karol Nawrocki
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Nawrocki in the Oval Office, 2025
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| President-elect of Poland | |
| Assuming office 6 August 2025 |
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| Prime Minister | Donald Tusk |
| Succeeding | Andrzej Duda |
| President of the Institute of National Remembrance | |
| Assumed office 23 July 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Jarosław Szarek |
| Director of the Museum of the Second World War | |
| In office 19 October 2017 – 23 July 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Paweł Machcewicz |
| Succeeded by | Grzegorz Berendt |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Karol Tadeusz Nawrocki
3 March 1983 Gdańsk, Poland |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Marta Nawrocka |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Gdańsk Gdańsk University of Technology |
| Occupation | |
| Awards |   |
Karol Tadeusz Nawrocki (born 3 March 1983) is a Polish historian and politician. He is the president-elect of Poland, meaning he will soon become the country's leader. Since 2021, he has been the head of the Institute of National Remembrance, an important organization in Poland. Before that, he was the director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk from 2017 to 2021.
After winning the country's presidential elections, Nawrocki is set to become Poland's next president on 6 August. His historical research often focuses on topics like people who resisted communism in Poland and the history of sports.
On 24 November 2024, Nawrocki was announced as an independent candidate for the 2025 Polish presidential election, with support from the Law and Justice (PiS) party.
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Who is Karol Nawrocki?
Karol Nawrocki is a Polish historian and politician. He was born on March 3, 1983, in Gdańsk, Poland. He is known for his work as a historian and for leading important cultural and historical institutions in Poland. He is married to Marta Nawrocka and they have three children.
What is his background in history?
Nawrocki studied history at the University of Gdańsk, where he earned his PhD in 2013. He also completed postgraduate studies in strategy, program, and project management at the Gdańsk University of Technology in 2023.
He worked at the Institute of National Remembrance from 2009 to 2017, where he led the Public Education Office in Gdańsk. From 2017 to 2021, he was the director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk. In 2021, he returned to the Institute of National Remembrance, first as deputy president and then as its head, after being chosen by the Sejm (Poland's parliament) and approved by the Senate of Poland.
Nawrocki has written or co-written several books and many articles about history, including topics like resistance against communism and the history of sports. He even used a special pen name, "Tadeusz Batyr," to write a book about a gangster in communist Poland.
How did he become President-elect?
His 2025 Presidential Campaign
On 24 November 2024, Karol Nawrocki was announced as an independent candidate for the President of the Republic of Poland in the 2025 Polish presidential election. He received support from the Law and Justice party.
In the first round of the election on 18 May 2025, Nawrocki came in second with 29.1% of the votes. This meant he would go to a second round, called a runoff, against Civic Platform candidate Rafał Trzaskowski on 1 June.
During his campaign, on 2 May 2025, Nawrocki met with former US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
On 22 May 2025, Nawrocki also met with Sławomir Mentzen, another candidate who placed third in the first round. They discussed possible agreements that could lead to Mentzen supporting Nawrocki. Mentzen presented a list of eight points that a candidate should agree to, and Nawrocki signed them. These points included commitments to:
- Not introduce new taxes or increase existing ones.
- Not introduce the Euro currency in Poland.
- Not restrict freedom of speech, while following the constitution.
- Not send soldiers to Ukrainian territory.
- Not allow Ukrainian accession to NATO.
- Not restrict access to arms for private citizens.
- Not transfer additional powers to European Union institutions.
- Not sign European Union treaties that would weaken Poland.
Other former candidates, Marek Jakubiak and Marek Woch, also supported Nawrocki for the second round.
On 1 June 2025, Karol Nawrocki won the second round of the election, beating Trzaskowski by a very small margin.
What are his political ideas?
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Karol Nawrocki is considered an independent politician, but he has conservative views. He describes himself as a "representative of the broadly defined patriotic camp" and emphasizes that he has never belonged to a political party. He sees himself as a "civic candidate" who wants to end political disagreements in Poland. He has said he is ready to support any Polish government that works to remember historical events, especially those related to Polish victims in Volhynia.
His campaign's platform has been described as "patriotic, pro-Christian, pro-NATO and favorable to president Donald Trump".
What are his social views?
Nawrocki supports maintaining close ties between the Catholic Church in Poland and the Polish government. He emphasizes his commitment to Polish patriotism, Christian values, and national independence. He has also stated the need to protect traditional social values and strongly opposes removing crosses from state buildings.
He holds strong anti-communist views and has criticized the Polish education system. He was involved in removing several monuments related to the Red Army in Poland. He considers "cursed soldiers" (Polish anti-communist resistance fighters) to be national heroes and has praised the Law and Justice party for creating a national remembrance day in their honor.
What are his economic views?
On economic matters, Nawrocki strongly supports investments in armaments (military equipment) and social programs. He has promised to remove the tax on overtime labor and focus on large economic projects. He strongly supports the Central Communication Port project and has praised historical Polish industrial plans like the Central Industrial Region and the Stocznia Gdynia shipyard. He is also interested in other large investments like the Vistula Spit canal and the Świnoujście LNG terminal, and wants to pursue similar projects.
He supports welfare programs and is against Poland adopting the Euro as its currency. He believes there is a lack of good transport in Poland and has promised to develop rail infrastructure in less developed areas.
Nawrocki has suggested an additional tax for people who own three or more apartments, but with an exception for families with children.
He disagreed with the Tusk government's decision to cut healthcare contributions for businesses and stated that he would oppose any attempts to reduce healthcare funding.
Nawrocki also signed a list of 11 promises, including:
- Not raising the retirement age.
- Upholding worker protections.
- Defending minimum wages.
- Keeping the ban on Sunday business activity.
- Promoting economic patriotism (supporting Polish businesses).
- Increasing funding for public health services and agriculture.
Because of these promises, he was supported by Poland's Solidarity trade union.
He supports additional taxes on "digital giants operating online and targeting Polish users" and wants to expand social housing.
Nawrocki believes Poland needs to achieve "full energy sovereignty," meaning it should be able to produce all its own energy. He supports nuclear energy, calling it "the most secure and stable one." He has also criticized the European Green Deal, saying that while he supports environmental protection, he is against "climate madness at the expense of Polish homes, workers and entrepreneurs." Nawrocki also thinks Poland needs to ensure its food security and respect "the sovereignty of the Polish countryside," which he describes as "the mainstay of Polish culture, traditions and social values." He wants to introduce new policies to fight "unfair competition" in the Polish economy.
What are his foreign policy views?
Nawrocki is against the idea of the federalisation of the European Union (where EU countries would become more like one big country). He stresses the importance of keeping Poland's national identity within the European Union, stating that "Poland does not need a centralized state populated by EU citizens of Polish origin."
He has previously spoken out against attempts to downplay the 1943–1945 massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia (a historical tragedy) for the sake of improving Polish-Ukrainian relations. Nawrocki is against Ukraine joining NATO or the European Union until Ukraine acknowledges responsibility for the historical events in Volhynia.
He demands World War II reparations from Germany to Poland, stating that these are needed for Germany to show peaceful intentions towards Poland. He also strongly opposes the Russian Federation.
Awards and Recognition
Poland
Bronze Cross of Merit (4 November 2016)
Silver Cross of Merit (19 October 2021)
See also
In Spanish: Karol Nawrocki para niños
