Karol Nawrocki, the President-in-Office of the Institute of National Memory, was at the centre of public attention after announcing his candidacy for the office of president of the Republic of Poland. A historian and cultural manager, who has been active in public activities in the area of national memory for years, has a real chance to take the highest position in the country. In the second circular of the 2025 presidential election, he faced Rafał Trzaskowski,
Karol Nawrocki Born in 1983 in Gdańsk, he is 42 years old. He graduated from the University of Gdańsk, where he graduated in history. In 2013, he obtained a PhD in humanities in history. The subject of the doctoral dissertation was the anti-communist opposition activity in the Polish People's Republic. Already during his studies, he was curious in the past of the latest and the subject of social opposition to folk power.
Presidential election. Who's Charles Nawrocki?
Karol Nawrocki's wife is 3 years younger than Marta Nawrocka. The couple have 3 children: Daniel, Anthony, and Catherine. The oldest Daniel is not the biological kid of a candidate supported by PiS, he is the first kid of Marty Nawrocka.
Nawrocki besides has sister Nina.
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His passion is boxing, but he besides played football. In his youth, he represented the teams of Ex Siedlce and KKS Gedania, then, as a teenager, he fought in the colors of the RKS Shipyard team. In 2004, he won the first place for her in the Polish Junior Cup Competition in the 91 kg. In 2010 he founded the section of combat sports Ex Siedlce Gdańsk.
Career as a presidential candidate
Since the beginning of his professional career, Nawrocki has been active with National Memorial InstituteWhere he worked as a historian. His investigation interests focus on the past of Poland in the 20th century, with peculiar emphasis on the period of the Polish People's Republic, democratic opposition and the activities of the safety apparatus. He published, among others, on crime in the Polish People's Republic and repression of society. His works appeared in both technological periodicals and popular scholarly publications.
From 2017 to 2021, the presidential candidate served as Director of the planet War II Museum in Gdańsk. During this time the facility underwent organizational and program changes. As a director, he emphasized showing the Polish historical position in the context of the global conflict. He was responsible, among others, for the improvement of educational offer, as well as modernization of the main exhibitionThat's what caused the controversy. Its authors filed a suit for violation of their copyright.
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He dismissed 26 of the 28 demands of the erstwhile directors of the museum, including 16 of the 17 requests for changes and additions made to the main exhibition by a legal court judgment. Only 1 included: removal from the main exhibition of the IPN production movie "Invincible".
In July 2021 he was appointed to the post President of IPN. He took over after Jarosław Szark. As President, he directs the Institute's activities in the field of research, archiving and prosecution of communist and Nazi crimes. Under his leadership, the IPN intensified educational and media activities, developing its presence in digital space and organising events commemorating the most crucial moments from the past of Poland in the 20th century.
Start in presidential election and campaign
Karol Nawrocki was officially declared a candidate for president of the Republic of Poland 24 November 2024. during the convention in the Kraków hall "Sokół". His candidacy is presented as civic and nonpartisan, but was supported by the Law and Justice.
In order to be full active in Nawrocki's election campaign, he announced that from 15 January to 18 May 2025 he was on leave of absence from the position of president of the IPN. During this time he visited more than 260 counties and presented his programme "Plan 21", comprising 21 postulates divided into 4 areas:
- prosperity
- normal country
- safety
- Development
SEE: Last moments for crucial formalities. It's about voting in the second circular of presidential elections.
In the first circular of the presidential election held on 18 May 2025, Karol Nawrocki obtained 29.7% of votes, which ensured his participation in the second circular in which he would face Rafał Trzaskowski.
Karol Nawrocki - controversy
In addition to the aforementioned exhibition of the planet War II Museum loudly, the electoral run featured publications in nationwide media indicating Nawrocki's contacts with people from the criminal world, among others, pseudo-kitizen environments. The candidate for president replied that as a historian he dealt with the rehabilitation of criminals, among others, conducting classes in prisons, and as an athlete met people punished, e.g. in boxing halls, so he explained, among others, cognition with Big Bu.
He declared that he had been subjected 3 times to a verification procedure for seeking access to classified information and as a consequence obtained the highest degree of access - to the level of classified information. The quality of service on this issue is the subject of a political debate.
SEE: "Electoral Night: Poland Chooses. Presidential Election 2025" in Polsata and Polsat Group channels
In April 2025, during the presidential debate, Nawrocki stated that he owned 1 apartment. Later it turned out that he besides had a second apartment, a 28-metre-old Gdańsk studio, which he was expected to get in 2017, and in which until 2024 he was expected to live an 80-year-old disabled man, its erstwhile owner, presently residing in a welfare home.
Onet.pl released an article on 26 May 2025 quoting anonymous accounts of witnesses and acquaintances of Karol Nawrocki, who in 2007 worked at the Grand Hotel in Sopot as a bodyguard. According to the report, Nawrocki was expected to be doing a pimping for hotel guests. The PiS candidate brought a civilian trial to the portal in this case.
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