Sunday, February 12, 2012

Bronisław Komorowski

Bronisław Maria Komorowski (born 4 June 1952) is the President of Poland. As Marshal of the Sejm (Speaker of Parliament), Komorowski exercised powers and duties of head of state following the death of President Lech Kaczyński in a plane crash on 10 April 2010. Komorowski was the governing Civic Platform party's candidate in the resulting 2010 presidential election, which he won in the second round of voting on 4 July 2010. He was sworn in as fulltime President on 6 August 2010. Komorowski is thus the second person to serve on two occasions as the Polish head of state since 1918 after Maciej Rataj. Rataj, however, was twice Acting President, while Komorowski first acted as President, and then became elected President.

Komorowski was the Minister of Defence from 2000 to 2001.

Youth
Bronisław Maria Komorowski was born in Oborniki Śląskie. Komorowski is the son of Count Zygmunt Leon Komorowski (1925–1992) and Jadwiga Komorowska (née Szalkowska) (1921–).

The Komorowski family, which held the Korczak coat of arms, owned land in the Żywiec region of southern Poland, as well as properties in northern Lithuania in Aukštaitija, the ancestral home of Bronisław Komorowski's paternal branch. Its residence was in Kavoliškis manor (Rokiškis district). The family received the title of count from Matthias Corvinus, a 15th century King of Hungary. The title was later confirmed by the Austrian emperor.

From 1957 to 1959 he lived in Józefów near Otwock. From 1959 to 1966 he also attended elementary school in Pruszków. In 1966 he transferred to Warsaw and graduated from Cyprian Kamil Norwid High School no. 24.

For many years he was affiliated with the Scout Movement. He belonged to the 75th Mazovian Scout Team in Pruszków. During his studies he was a Scout instructor in 208 WDHiZ "Parasol" Battalion in Mokotów. He met his future wife through Scouting.

In 1977 he finished his studies in history at the University of Warsaw. From 1977 to 1980 was an editor at the journal "Słowo Powszechne."

Family
He has been married to Anna Dembowska since 1977. He has five children: Zofia Aleksandra (b. 1979), Tadeusz Jan (b. 1981), Maria Anna (b. 1983), Piotr Zygmunt (b. 1986) and Elżbieta Jadwiga (b. 1989).

He is a descendent of Polish nobility. He is distantly related to Princess Mathilde of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant, via her mother Anna Countess d'Udekem d'Acoz born Countess Komorowska.

from : www.wikipedia.org