Music, patriotic symbolism and a performance bringing together rap and Polish folk traditions formed the cultural backdrop to celebrations marking the first anniversary of Karol Nawrocki’s presidency in Warsaw.
The commemorative event was held in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace, a day after the first anniversary of Nawrocki taking the oath of office on 6 August 2025. The ceremony combined a review of the president’s first year in office with an artistic programme designed around themes of national identity, history and attachment to Poland. Nawrocki formally became Poland’s president on 6 August last year.
A specially constructed stage in the Presidential Palace courtyard hosted one of the most distinctive parts of the celebrations. Polish rapper Leszek Kaźmierczak, better known by his stage name Eldo, appeared alongside children from the folk ensemble Zagórzańska Siła.
Together they performed “Nie pytaj o nią” (“Don’t Ask About Her”), one of Eldo’s best-known songs centred on the idea of Poland as the object of a difficult but enduring emotional attachment. The piece draws inspiration from “Nie pytaj o Polskę” (“Don’t Ask About Poland”), the celebrated song written and performed by Grzegorz Ciechowski, one of the most influential figures in Polish popular music of the late 20th century.
The choice created an unusual meeting between contemporary Polish hip-hop, the musical legacy of the 1980s and traditional folk culture. The presence of the young performers from Zagórzańska Siła added another layer to the performance, placing modern urban music alongside a form of regional culture traditionally associated with the preservation of Polish customs and collective memory.
The folk ensemble also performed Poland’s national anthem during the ceremony.
The artistic programme preceded Nawrocki’s principal address, in which the president reviewed the first 12 months of his five-year term and set out some of his priorities for the years ahead.
Among his main announcements was a planned presidential development strategy, which he said would be formally presented within the next few months. According to Nawrocki, 17 presidential councils involving around 700 experts have been contributing to the project.
The president said he hoped the document would become a point of reference during Poland’s next parliamentary election campaign and provide a basis for dialogue between the presidency and political forces seeking to form a future government.
Nawrocki also used the anniversary to emphasise what he described as a more active model of the presidency. He said that during his first year he had put forward 22 legislative initiatives, averaging approximately two proposals a month, and argued that the head of state should not restrict himself to signing, vetoing or reviewing legislation passed by parliament.
He also presented figures concerning his use of presidential powers, saying that after decisions due to be completed on Friday his record would stand at 259 bills signed and 41 vetoed.
Foreign and security policy featured prominently in his assessment of the year. Nawrocki discussed Poland’s relations with the United States, prospects for a greater permanent American military presence in Poland, NATO security and continued support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia.
Yet the anniversary was framed not only as a political account of the presidency but also as a ceremonial occasion. By placing a collaboration between a prominent rapper and a children’s folk group immediately before the presidential address, the organisers gave the event a deliberately cultural dimension.
The combination of Eldo’s contemporary interpretation of patriotism, Ciechowski’s enduring musical legacy and the traditional elements represented by Zagórzańska Siła reflected a broader theme running through the anniversary: presenting Polish national identity as something expressed through several generations and different forms of culture.
Nawrocki began his five-year presidential term after taking the oath before Poland’s National Assembly on 6 August 2025. His first anniversary celebrations therefore marked the completion of one-fifth of his constitutional term and the beginning of another four years at the Presidential Palace.
Photo: X Marek Borawski KPRB
Tomasz Modrzejewski
