Death and state funeral of Lech Kaczyński and Maria Kaczyńska
Encyclopedia
Lech Kaczyński
, the fourth President of the Republic of Poland, died on 10 April 2010, after a Polish Air Force
Tu-154 crashed
outside of Smolensk
, Russia
, killing all 96 aboard. His wife, economist and First Lady
Maria Kaczyńska
, was also among those killed.
After the death of Kaczyński was announced, a week of mourning was declared by the acting President of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski, spanning 11 April to 18 April with a state funeral
for the couple held on 18 April. Several countries observed a day of national mourning on the date of the funeral. The couple was buried together in a crypt in the Wawel Cathedral
, Kraków
, afterwards.
Tupolev Tu-154
M aircraft crashed landed near Smolensk
, Russia
, killing all 96 passengers and crew. Those killed include Kaczyński, and his wife; the chief of the Polish General Staff and other senior Polish military
officers; the president of the National Bank of Poland
; Poland's deputy foreign minister; Polish government
officials; age 12
of the Polish parliament, including vice-speakers; senior members of the Polish clergy
; and relatives of victims of the Katyn massacre
. They were en route from Warsaw
to attend an event to mark the 70th anniversary
of the Katyn massacre. The site of the massacre is approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) west of Smolensk.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. According to preliminary reports, the pilot attempted to land at Smolensk Airbase in fog
which reduced visibility to about 500 metres (1,640.4 ft),
The plane was too low as it approached the runway, striking trees in the fog, turning around and falling to the ground 200 metres (656.2 ft) from the airfield in a wooded area, where it broke into pieces.
Polish parliamentary speaker Bronisław Komorowski immediately became Acting President of Poland in law.
At least 96 countries, 13 international organizations and several other entities expressed their reaction on behalf of the incident. An official mourning was proclaimed in 18 countries other than Poland.
versus Republic of Ireland
in Ukraine
, were postponed. Concerts were cancelled, streets emptied.
. A small ceremony took place there then the coffin was given a military escort to the Presidential Palace, Warsaw
. Tens of thousands of Poles lined the streets of Warsaw to witness the occasion. The palace's entrance gate was laid with candles, crucifix
es, flowers and the flag of Poland. A public viewing then took place and Kaczyński lay in state
from 13 April when his wife arrived home.
On 12 April, Russia had a day of mourning, with flags being flown at half mast and no advertising allowed in the media. Ukraine also marked a day of national mourning on this date. The European Union
had a day of mourning on 12 April, and a minute of silence was observed at NATO headquarters in Brussels
. Neighbouring Lithuania had a three-day period of national mourning.
On 16 April, Poland announced it was "the family's will" not to delay the state funeral after the air travel disruption
around Europe in the aftermath
of the eruption
of Eyjafjallajökull
in Iceland
.
complete with black ribbons and the names of the those who died in the crash were read out from a white stage decorated with a giant cross and photographs of the dead. The crowds bowed their heads.
which Kaczyński favoured. The coffins were then flown from Warsaw to Kraków.
The funeral ceremony began at 14:00 (12:00 UTC) with a Mass
held at Kraków's St Mary's Basilica
, with thousands of mourners in attendance. Cardinal
Stanisław Dziwisz, Archbishop of Kraków, presided over the ceremony and addressed Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
personally: "The sympathy and help we have received from [our] Russian brothers has breathed new life into a hope for closer relations and reconciliation between our two Slavic nations."
After the funeral the Kaczynski and his wife were buried at Wawel Cathedral
, amidst controversy.
of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland. Poland closed its airspace on 16 April, along with many neighbouring countries, preventing many leaders from making the plane trips to attend.
President of the United States Barack Obama
cancelled his planned attendance, speaking of his regret in a statement that blamed "the volcanic ash that is disrupting air travel over Europe". German Chancellor Angela Merkel
was stranded somewhere between Lisbon
and northern Italy, so Germany was represented by President
Horst Köhler
and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
, who travelled to Poland in a helicopter. The Prince of Wales
from the United Kingdom also cancelled his visit due to the air travel conditions. President of Ireland Mary McAleese
announced she was to attend but was later forced to change her mind due to the spread of the volcanic ash plume. Spanish King Juan Carlos I, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
and South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan
both confirmed they were unable to attend. Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper
, along with members of the opposition parties, also cancelled their planned attendance due to the air travel disruptions in Europe. Governor-General of Australia
Quentin Bryce
attempted to travel to the funeral but found herself delayed in the United Arab Emirates
on the day it was due to take place. Malta's ambassador to Poland was stuck in Istanbul on his way and missed the funeral of the Polish President on Sunday.
President of Israel
Shimon Peres
could not to attend as the funeral clashed with the state ceremony for Yom Hazikaron
(Israel's memorial day); despite this, Peres released a statement in which he referred to the Polish President as a "righteous gentile
" and a man who was a friend to Israel and the Jewish people. Many government members in Israel expressed their sorrows over the death of the Polish President, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Two dozen Central and East European leaders and President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev were the main dignitaries to join the hundreds of thousands of Poles. Many planned alternative travel arrangements over land. President of Slovenia Danilo Türk
drove around 850 kilometres during April 16. President of Romania Traian Băsescu
flew by helicopter to the northwest of his country before driving on through Hungary and Slovakia. Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip
drove for 18 hours for 1,300 kilometres. President of the Czech Republic Václav Klaus
used car and train to travel the required 525 kilometres. President of Slovakia Ivan Gašparovič
drove 300 kilometres from Bratislava
. President of Hungary László Sólyom
and his Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai
drove from Budapest
. Former President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko
and his wife set out by road from Budapest.
Representatives from Morocco
flew into Krakow in a Cessna
on 17 April ahead of the funeral.
}||President Fatmir Sejdiu
|-
|
Latvia||President Valdis Zatlers
with wife
|-
|
Lithuania||President Dalia Grybauskaitė
|-
|
Moldova||Acting President Mihai Ghimpu
|-
|
Morocco||Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi
|-
|
Romania||President Traian Băsescu
|-
|
Russia||President Dmitry Medvedev
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov
|-
|
Slovakia||President Ivan Gašparovič
First Lady Silvia Gašparovičová
Prime Minister Robert Fico
Chairman of the National Council Pavol Paška
|-
|
Slovenia||President Danilo Türk
|-
|
Ukraine||President Viktor Yanukovych
former President Viktor Yushchenko
former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostyantyn Hryshchenko
|}
was fired. Screens broadcast the events to the masses who shouted on the streets: "Lech Kaczyński! We thank you!"
Lech Kaczyński and Maria Kaczyńska were buried together in a sarcophagus
, placed in the antechamber
to Józef Piłsudski's crypt
in the Wawel Cathedral
, Kraków
on 18 April 2010; Kaczyński's family revealed this decision on 13 April. This decision was considered controversial by some who felt his achievements were not in the same league as others buried at Wawel causing objections.
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
, the fourth President of the Republic of Poland, died on 10 April 2010, after a Polish Air Force
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
Tu-154 crashed
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
The 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 April 2010, when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board...
outside of Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, killing all 96 aboard. His wife, economist and First Lady
First Lady of Poland
First Lady of the Republic of Poland is a title of the wife of the President of the Republic of Poland .The First Lady is currently Anna Komorowska....
Maria Kaczyńska
Maria Kaczynska
Maria Kaczyńska was the First Lady of Poland from 2005-10 as the wife of Lech Kaczyński, late President of Poland.-Early and personal life:Born as Maria Helena Mackiewicz in Machowo to Lidia and Czesław Mackiewicz. Her father fought in the Vilnius Armia Krajowa , while an uncle fought in the...
, was also among those killed.
After the death of Kaczyński was announced, a week of mourning was declared by the acting President of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski, spanning 11 April to 18 April with a state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
for the couple held on 18 April. Several countries observed a day of national mourning on the date of the funeral. The couple was buried together in a crypt in the Wawel Cathedral
Wawel Cathedral
The Wawel Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Stanisław and Vaclav, is a church located on Wawel Hill in Kraków–Poland's national sanctuary. It has a 1,000-year history and was the traditional coronation site of Polish monarchs. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kraków...
, Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, afterwards.
Death
On 10 April 2010, a Polish Air ForcePolish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
Tupolev Tu-154
Tupolev Tu-154
The Tupolev Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid 1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. As the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and Russian airlines for several decades, it serviced over a sixth of the world's landmass and carried half of all passengers flown...
M aircraft crashed landed near Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, killing all 96 passengers and crew. Those killed include Kaczyński, and his wife; the chief of the Polish General Staff and other senior Polish military
Polish Armed Forces
Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej are the national defense forces of Poland...
officers; the president of the National Bank of Poland
National Bank of Poland
Narodowy Bank Polski is the central bank of Poland. It controls the issuing of Poland's currency, the złoty. The Bank is headquartered in Warsaw, and has branches in every major Polish town...
; Poland's deputy foreign minister; Polish government
Politics of Poland
The politics of Poland take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government of a multi-party system and the President is the head of state....
officials; age 12
of the Polish parliament, including vice-speakers; senior members of the Polish clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
; and relatives of victims of the Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
. They were en route from Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
to attend an event to mark the 70th anniversary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
of the Katyn massacre. The site of the massacre is approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) west of Smolensk.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. According to preliminary reports, the pilot attempted to land at Smolensk Airbase in fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
which reduced visibility to about 500 metres (1,640.4 ft),
The plane was too low as it approached the runway, striking trees in the fog, turning around and falling to the ground 200 metres (656.2 ft) from the airfield in a wooded area, where it broke into pieces.
Polish parliamentary speaker Bronisław Komorowski immediately became Acting President of Poland in law.
Declarations and tributes
The international response to Kaczyński's death and the deaths of the other people on board saw countries and many other entities express sorrow and condolences to the people of Poland.At least 96 countries, 13 international organizations and several other entities expressed their reaction on behalf of the incident. An official mourning was proclaimed in 18 countries other than Poland.
Period of mourning
A week of national mourning was declared in Poland. Poles around the world mourned Kaczyński and set up shrines in the week that followed. Many wept openly. Flags flew at half mast in Poland. Sports fixtures, including women's U-17 UEFA Championship elite qualifying phase game PolandPoland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
versus Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, were postponed. Concerts were cancelled, streets emptied.
11–13 April 2010 (repatriation, lying in state)
A two-minute silence was held on 11 April 2010. Tens of thousands of Poles held a vigil in Warsaw. Kaczyński's coffin was flown to Warsaw that afternoon where his daughter, the Acting President, and the Prime Minister were among the dignitaries to greet it at the airport. The coffin was draped in the flag of PolandFlag of Poland
The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colors are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colors. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms in the middle of the white stripe is legally reserved...
. A small ceremony took place there then the coffin was given a military escort to the Presidential Palace, Warsaw
Presidential Palace, Warsaw
The Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, is the elegant classicist latest version of a building that has stood on the Krakowskie Przedmieście site since 1643. Over the years, it has been rebuilt and remodeled many times...
. Tens of thousands of Poles lined the streets of Warsaw to witness the occasion. The palace's entrance gate was laid with candles, crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
es, flowers and the flag of Poland. A public viewing then took place and Kaczyński lay in state
Lying in state
Lying in state is a term used to describe the tradition in which a coffin is placed on view to allow the public at large to pay their respects to the deceased. It traditionally takes place in the principal government building of a country or city...
from 13 April when his wife arrived home.
On 12 April, Russia had a day of mourning, with flags being flown at half mast and no advertising allowed in the media. Ukraine also marked a day of national mourning on this date. The European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
had a day of mourning on 12 April, and a minute of silence was observed at NATO headquarters in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. Neighbouring Lithuania had a three-day period of national mourning.
14–16 April 2010
On 15 April, a day of national mourning was declared in Canada and Serbia.On 16 April, Poland announced it was "the family's will" not to delay the state funeral after the air travel disruption
Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption
In response to concerns that volcanic ash ejected during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland would damage aircraft engines, the controlled airspace of many European countries was closed to instrument flight rules traffic, resulting in the largest air-traffic shut-down since World War II...
around Europe in the aftermath
Aftermath of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption
The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano on 14 April 2010 affected the economic, political and cultural activities in Europe and across the world....
of the eruption
2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull
The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull were volcanic events at Eyjafjöll in Iceland which, although relatively small for volcanic eruptions, caused enormous disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe over an initial period of six days in April 2010. Additional localised disruption...
of Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of . The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently in...
in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
17 April 2010 (commemoration ceremony)
A public noon commemoration ceremony in Warsaw's Piłsudski Square was attended by more than 100,000 people on 17 April 2010. Sirens sounded and bells tolled around the country. A three-gun salute was fired. People waved the flag of PolandFlag of Poland
The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colors are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colors. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms in the middle of the white stripe is legally reserved...
complete with black ribbons and the names of the those who died in the crash were read out from a white stage decorated with a giant cross and photographs of the dead. The crowds bowed their heads.
18 April 2010 (funeral)
This was declared a day of national mourning in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.Ceremony
The couple's coffins were driven at a slow pace through the streets of Warsaw, passing Warsaw's city hall and a museum dedicated to the 1944 Warsaw UprisingWarsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
which Kaczyński favoured. The coffins were then flown from Warsaw to Kraków.
The funeral ceremony began at 14:00 (12:00 UTC) with a Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
held at Kraków's St Mary's Basilica
St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków
St. Mary's Basilica , is a Brick Gothic church re-built in the 14th century , adjacent to the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland...
, with thousands of mourners in attendance. Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Stanisław Dziwisz, Archbishop of Kraków, presided over the ceremony and addressed Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
personally: "The sympathy and help we have received from [our] Russian brothers has breathed new life into a hope for closer relations and reconciliation between our two Slavic nations."
After the funeral the Kaczynski and his wife were buried at Wawel Cathedral
Wawel Cathedral
The Wawel Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Stanisław and Vaclav, is a church located on Wawel Hill in Kraków–Poland's national sanctuary. It has a 1,000-year history and was the traditional coronation site of Polish monarchs. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kraków...
, amidst controversy.
Dignitaries
Several leaders and monarchs were unable to attend due to the air travel disruption around Europe in the aftermath of the eruptionAir travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption
In response to concerns that volcanic ash ejected during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland would damage aircraft engines, the controlled airspace of many European countries was closed to instrument flight rules traffic, resulting in the largest air-traffic shut-down since World War II...
of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland. Poland closed its airspace on 16 April, along with many neighbouring countries, preventing many leaders from making the plane trips to attend.
President of the United States Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
cancelled his planned attendance, speaking of his regret in a statement that blamed "the volcanic ash that is disrupting air travel over Europe". German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
was stranded somewhere between Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and northern Italy, so Germany was represented by President
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the CDU and the CSU, and the liberal FDP, Köhler was elected to his first five-year term by the Federal Assembly on...
and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions...
, who travelled to Poland in a helicopter. The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
from the United Kingdom also cancelled his visit due to the air travel conditions. President of Ireland Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
announced she was to attend but was later forced to change her mind due to the spread of the volcanic ash plume. Spanish King Juan Carlos I, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
and South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan
Chung Un-Chan
Chung Un-chan was the Prime Minister of South Korea . He was a professor of Seoul National University from 1978 to 2009, serving as the president of the university from July 2002 to July 2006 until he was designated to the Prime Minister. He acquired his Ph.D...
both confirmed they were unable to attend. Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, along with members of the opposition parties, also cancelled their planned attendance due to the air travel disruptions in Europe. Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
Quentin Bryce
Quentin Bryce
Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland....
attempted to travel to the funeral but found herself delayed in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
on the day it was due to take place. Malta's ambassador to Poland was stuck in Istanbul on his way and missed the funeral of the Polish President on Sunday.
President of Israel
President of Israel
The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...
Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
could not to attend as the funeral clashed with the state ceremony for Yom Hazikaron
Yom Hazikaron
Yom Hazikaron is Israel's official Memorial Day. In 2011, Israel honored the memory of soldiers killed in the line of duty and the civilian casualties too.-Observance:...
(Israel's memorial day); despite this, Peres released a statement in which he referred to the Polish President as a "righteous gentile
Righteous gentile
Righteous gentile may refer to:* Ger toshav, "stranger-foreigner", Aramaic and Hebrew term for a resident alien in a Jewish state.* Righteous among the Nations, an honorific bestowed by the State of Israel to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazis...
" and a man who was a friend to Israel and the Jewish people. Many government members in Israel expressed their sorrows over the death of the Polish President, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Two dozen Central and East European leaders and President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev were the main dignitaries to join the hundreds of thousands of Poles. Many planned alternative travel arrangements over land. President of Slovenia Danilo Türk
Danilo Türk
- Early life :Türk was born in a lower middle class family in Maribor, Slovenia . His father died when he was a child. He attended the prestigious II. Gymnasium High school in Maribor. In 1971 he enrolled to the University of Ljubljana where he studied law...
drove around 850 kilometres during April 16. President of Romania Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
flew by helicopter to the northwest of his country before driving on through Hungary and Slovakia. Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip
Andrus Ansip
Andrus Ansip is the current Prime Minister of Estonia, and chairman of the market liberal Estonian Reform Party .-Early life and career:...
drove for 18 hours for 1,300 kilometres. President of the Czech Republic Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
used car and train to travel the required 525 kilometres. President of Slovakia Ivan Gašparovič
Ivan Gašparovic
Ivan Gašparovič is a Slovak politician and law professor who has been the President of Slovakia since 15 June 2004. He is also the first Slovak president to be re-elected.-Biography:...
drove 300 kilometres from Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
. President of Hungary László Sólyom
László Sólyom
László Sólyom is a Hungarian political figure, lawyer, and librarian who was President of Hungary from 2005 to 2010. Previously he was President of the Constitutional Court of Hungary from 1990 to 1998....
and his Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai
Gordon Bajnai
György Gordon Bajnai was the seventh Prime Minister of Hungary from 2009 to 2010. In March 2009, following Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's announced resignation, Bajnai was nominated by the ruling MSZP party to become Hungary's next prime minister...
drove from Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. Former President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
and his wife set out by road from Budapest.
Representatives from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
flew into Krakow in a Cessna
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
on 17 April ahead of the funeral.
Attending dignitaries
| Country | |
|---|---|
 Armenia |
Chairman of parliament Hovik Abrahamyan Hovik Abrahamyan Hovik A. Abrahamyan is the current speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia.-Personal life:Hovik Abrahamyan was born on 24 January 1958 in Mkhchyan village, Ararat Marz of Armenia... |
 Azerbaijan |
Prime Minister Artur Rasizadə |
 Belarus |
Chairman of the Senate Barys Batura |
 Czech Republic |
President Václav Klaus Václav Klaus Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of... First Lady Livia Klausová Livia Klausová Livia Klausová née Mištinová is a Czech economist and the First Lady of the Czech Republic since 2003. An alumna of the University of Economics, Prague, she married fellow economist Václav Klaus in 1968. The couple have two sons, Václav and Jan , and five grandchildren... Prime Minister Jan Fischer Jan Fischer (politician) Jan Fischer was Prime Minister of the caretaker government of Czech Republic in 2009−2010. A lifelong statistician, he was previously the president of the Czech Statistical Office since April 2003.- Personal life and education :... Prague Archbishop Dominik Duka Dominik Duka Dominik Jaroslav Duka O.P. Dominik Jaroslav Duka O.P. Dominik Jaroslav Duka O.P. (born 26 April 1943, Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia (now Hradec Králové, Czech Republic) is the 36th Archbishop of Prague since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 13 February 2010. He had previously served as... |
 Estonia |
Prime Minister Andrus Ansip Andrus Ansip Andrus Ansip is the current Prime Minister of Estonia, and chairman of the market liberal Estonian Reform Party .-Early life and career:... |
 Georgia (country) |
President Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil Saakashvili is a Georgian politician, the third and current President of Georgia and leader of the United National Movement Party.Involved in the national politics since 1995, Saakashvili became president on 25 January 2004 after President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned in a November 2003... First Lady Sandra Roelofs Sandra Roelofs Sandra Elisabeth Roelofs is a Dutch linguist and the First Lady of Georgia since 2004, when her husband Mikheil Saakashvili assumed the presidency.-Biography:... |
 Germany |
President Horst Köhler Horst Köhler Horst Köhler is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the CDU and the CSU, and the liberal FDP, Köhler was elected to his first five-year term by the Federal Assembly on... with wife Eva Köhler Eva Köhler ' is the wife of the former German President Horst Köhler and First Lady of Germany from 2004 to 2010.... , Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle Guido Westerwelle Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions... |
 Hungary |
President László Sólyom László Sólyom László Sólyom is a Hungarian political figure, lawyer, and librarian who was President of Hungary from 2005 to 2010. Previously he was President of the Constitutional Court of Hungary from 1990 to 1998.... Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai Gordon Bajnai György Gordon Bajnai was the seventh Prime Minister of Hungary from 2009 to 2010. In March 2009, following Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's announced resignation, Bajnai was nominated by the ruling MSZP party to become Hungary's next prime minister... former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán Viktor Orbán Viktor Orbán is a Hungarian populist and conservative politician and current Prime Minister of Hungary... |
Fatmir Sejdiu
Fatmir Sejdiu is a politician from Kosovo. He was the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo and was the first President of the Republic of Kosovo.-Early life and education:...
|-
|
Latvia||President Valdis ZatlersValdis Zatlers
Valdis Zatlers is a Latvian politician and former physician who served as the seventh president of Latvia from 2007 to 2011. He won the Latvian presidential election of 31 May 2007...
with wife
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Lithuania||President Dalia GrybauskaitėDalia Grybauskaitė
Dalia Grybauskaitė is the current President of Lithuania, inaugurated on 12 July 2009. She had previously been Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Finance Minister, and European Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budget...
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Moldova||Acting President Mihai GhimpuMihai Ghimpu
Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu Mihai Ghimpu (born 19 November 1951, Coloniţa, Moldova, is a Moldovan politician. He was Speaker of Parliament from 28 August 2009 to 30 December 2010 and Acting President from 11 September 2009 until 28 December 2010.-Family:...
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Morocco||Prime Minister Abbas El FassiAbbas El Fassi
Abbas El Fassi was the Prime Minister of Morocco from 19 September 2007 to 29 November 2011. El Fassi, a member of the Istiqlal Party, replaced independent Driss Jettou.El Fassi was born in Berkane, Morocco on September 18, 1940...
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Romania||President Traian BăsescuTraian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
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Russia||President Dmitry MedvedevDmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov
Sergey Lavrov
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov is the Foreign Minister of Russia. Prior to that, Lavrov was a Soviet diplomat and Russia's ambassador to the United Nations from 1994 to 2004. Lavrov speaks Russian, English, French and Sinhala....
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Slovakia||President Ivan GašparovičIvan Gašparovic
Ivan Gašparovič is a Slovak politician and law professor who has been the President of Slovakia since 15 June 2004. He is also the first Slovak president to be re-elected.-Biography:...
First Lady Silvia Gašparovičová
Silvia Gašparovicová
Silvia Gašparovičová née Beníková is the current first lady of Slovakia, wife of Ivan Gašparovič.Gašparovičová attended the Slovak Technical University from 1960 until 1965 where she studied civil engineering and also from 1971 to 1973 she studied economical law at Comenius University...
Prime Minister Robert Fico
Robert Fico
Robert Fico served as the Prime Minister of Slovakia from July 4, 2006 to July 8, 2010.He is the leader of the left-wing party Direction – Social Democracy . The party won the parliamentary elections in 2006, receiving approximately 30 percent of the cast votes...
Chairman of the National Council Pavol Paška
Pavol Paška
Pavol Paška is a Slovak politician and was the 20th Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic .-Education and professional career:...
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Slovenia||President Danilo TürkDanilo Türk
- Early life :Türk was born in a lower middle class family in Maribor, Slovenia . His father died when he was a child. He attended the prestigious II. Gymnasium High school in Maribor. In 1971 he enrolled to the University of Ljubljana where he studied law...
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Ukraine||President Viktor YanukovychViktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a Ukrainian politician who has been the President of Ukraine since February 2010.Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002...
former President Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostyantyn Hryshchenko
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Burial
After the ceremony the coffins of Lech and Maria were taken in a procession through Kraków. They then moved to Wawel's castle and cathedral where a 21-gun salute21-gun salute
Gun salutes are the firing of cannons or firearms as a military or naval honor.The custom stems from naval tradition, where a warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent...
was fired. Screens broadcast the events to the masses who shouted on the streets: "Lech Kaczyński! We thank you!"
Lech Kaczyński and Maria Kaczyńska were buried together in a sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
, placed in the antechamber
Antechamber
An antechamber is a smaller room or vestibule serving as an entryway into a larger one. The word is formed of the Latin ante camera, meaning "room before"....
to Józef Piłsudski's crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
in the Wawel Cathedral
Wawel Cathedral
The Wawel Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Stanisław and Vaclav, is a church located on Wawel Hill in Kraków–Poland's national sanctuary. It has a 1,000-year history and was the traditional coronation site of Polish monarchs. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kraków...
, Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
on 18 April 2010; Kaczyński's family revealed this decision on 13 April. This decision was considered controversial by some who felt his achievements were not in the same league as others buried at Wawel causing objections.