On the 23rd of April the members of PRESTIGE CLUB met in Hotel Prezydent in Krynica Zdrój with the invited guests from the circle of Brotherhood of the Bronze Knights. The honoured guests were gen. prof. Mieczysław Bieniek, the former NATO Deputy Strategic Commander, and Marian Skrzypiec, the Honorary Consul of Indonesia in Poland.

The war in Ukraine was the main topic on the agenda of the meeting. Gen. M. Bieniek gave a lecture on international politics and the current state of the military action in Ukraine and discussed the policy of the West towards the Russian aggressor as well as the current policy of Poland towards its brotherly neighbouring country.

The lecture was followed by a discussion on aid for Ukrainian refugees in Poland, which resulted in the adoption of a joint declaration concerning the establishment, within the club’s activities, of a “hub” that would coordinate support for struggling Ukraine and concerning the reconstruction of the country after the end of the war.

After dinner, the participants of the meeting moved to the hotel club, where the topics presented during the debate could be discussed in a less formal tone.

On the 26th of June A.D. 2021 members of the Prestige Club and invited guests met in the Royal Castle in Niepołomice near Kraków, called the ‘Second Wawel.’

The Gothic castle from the mid-14th century, rebuilt in the Renaissance style, is located in the centre of Niepołomice. The castle, built on the orders of King Casimir the Great, was used for defensive purposes, and for hunting expeditions to the nearby Niepołomice Forest. The history of the royal castle abounds in events of national importance. In the days of King Władysław Jagiełło, it was here that the Crown and nobility gathered to deliberate on state issues. Queen Bona Sforza liked to spend time here.

The castle, which for centuries was the residence of Polish kings and the most distinguished noble families, is now open to visitors and tourists. The club took advantage of this opportunity, and the castle’s magical atmosphere brought the readers of Prestiż Magazine who is who closer to the history of Poland.

In keeping with club tradition, Gen. Prof. Mieczysław Bieniek gave another lecture, this time on security in the modern world. The lecture was followed by a lively discussion.

New club members talked about their professional and social activities.

We also benefited from an invitation by club member Jerzy Motyka to actively participate in a golf course in Ochmanów near Kraków, of which he is a co-owner, and to obtain a so-called green card.

We also visited an exhibition in the Castle Museum. It was a meeting with history, architecture, nature and art, as well as with legends connected with the visits of Polish kings.

An evening dinner at the castle restaurant provided an opportunity for informal conversations and to discuss the programme of the autumn meeting of club members in Krynica Zdrój.

The autumn meeting A.D.2020 of PRESTIGE CLUB members took place                        on 26th September in the Paszkowka Palace near Crakow. The guest of honour was H.E. Siti Nugraha Mauludiah, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Poland.

During the meeting, the Honorary Consul of Indonesia to Poland Marian Skrzypiec briefly presented the history of Indonesian-Polish relations and current mutual relations between Poland and Indonesia.

The Director of the Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences from Wrocław, Prof. Andrzej Gamian, PhD, DSc, gave an interesting lecture related to the work of Polish scientists on the drug and antiviral vaccine for COVID – 19, while businessman Albert Smektalski from Poznań presented the topic “Time to invest in innovations” in a concise lecture.

Dr. Bronisław Orawiec, a representative of the Polish community from Chicago, presented his next book from the series „Góralskie posiady doktora Orawca” (roughly translated as “Dr. Orawiec’s highlander visits”).

After the official part and discussion regarding the speakers’ statements, the owner of the Palace, Jan Oleksy, showed the guests around the historic interiors of the building and the surrounding park. Tasty dishes from the Palace’s kitchen served personally by the host as well as team-building talks completed this special evening.

Each December is an opportunity to summarize the club’s activities, but also an unusual, magical month that fits into the tradition of Christmas. The atmosphere and climate of events from two thousand years ago, Christmas Eve and mutual wishes complement the symbolism of Christmas Eve supper.

This time we met at the Prezydent Hotel in Krynica Zdrój.

The socialising event was filled with lectures. Associate Professor Brygida Grzeganek-Więcek, PhD, DSc discussed “Multidimensionality of managerial roles in contemporary world” and Grzegorz Ludera outlined “Primary medical concepts – to treat or heal?” in the context of traditional Indian medical science “Ayurveda”. Nota bene these lectures will be published in No. 40/2020 of the magazine PRESTIŻ who is who.

The official part was followed by the Old Polish Christmas Eve in the hotel restaurant, and the evening meeting in the VIP room and the hotel club crowned the agenda.

A cyclical autumn meeting of PRESTIGE CLUB members was held at the “Zbrojownia” Restaurant in Crakow. Guests from Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Canada and the USA came to the meeting. The guest of honour was duke Adam Andrew von Rhedey, a descendant of the Hungarian royal family of Aba with a thousand-year tradition.

The agenda of the meeting included several topics, the leading of which was duke Rhedey’s speech related to the creation of a modern elite in the world, emphasizing the role and importance of aristocracy in this endeavour.

PhD Ewa Piacentile from Padua, a prominent Polish community activist, presented in a short elaboration the achievements of Polish science and Polish business in the world.

Mr Robert Galara discussed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in terms of its significance for the 4th partition of Poland.

The panels were joined by the participants of the meeting, including Prof. Maria Sierpińska, Prof. Janusz Skalski, Gen. Mieczysław Bieniek and aristocrats –  duke Krzysztof Radziwiłł and count Marcin Zamoyski.

Mrs Agnieszka Michalczyk, the coordinator of the “Debutant Ball” who was present at the meeting, invited the club members to the next “Ball” at the Wilanów Palace, and the editorial staff of the Magazine PRESTIGE whoiswho proposed to Mrs Ewa Rogozińska, an acclaimed expert in international communication and ethics in business, cooperation related to club activities.

After dinner, some club members went to the palace in Paszkówka, the Club’s headquarters, for a socialising event over a glass of wine with guests from Hungary and Slovakia.

On Saturday, June 15th, PRESTIGE CLUB members met in the Castle in Grodziec Śląski at the next meeting. Michał Bożek, a businessman, patron of culture and art, owner and host of the Castle welcomed guests in accordance with the old Polish custom of bread and salt, especially Gen. Mieczysław Bieńek, Prof. Mariusz Załucki and the custodian of the Castle Dr. Jacek Proszyk, whose lectures became key points in the agenda of the meeting.

Gen. Mieczysław Bieniek presented the book of his co-authorship entitled “The Airborne Troops”, and described the purpose of its creation, emphasizing not only the military “nature” of this scientific study, but also some of its popularising aspects relating to history, purpose, participation, and the role of this type of troops in combat operations. The book with the author’s dedication could be obtained during the meeting. During his lecture entitled “Challenges of Civil Law; can a computer replace a judge?”,

Prof. Mariusz Załucki introduced the members of the club with an interesting concept, which may soon appear in the digital reality of civil law.

The custodian of the Castle, Dr. Jacek Proszyk, discussed the medieval trade route connected with the transport of salt from the Wieliczka mine through Moravia to the Czech Republic, whose road led, among others, through fortresses of such castles as the Castle in Grodziec Śląski. The custodian also gave the Castle owner an original coin, a denarius from the times of the first Piasts dynasty, to enrich the valuable collection of the Castle.

Before dinner, the host Michał Bożek showed the guests around the accessible part of the Castle, telling them about the mysterious and unknown history of this historical site. Club members and guests received the latest issue number 39/2019 of the PRESTIŻ magazine whoiswho.

The dinner consisting of dishes from the Castle kitchen added splendour to the meeting while socialising conversations and questions concerning the discussed topics completed the agenda of the meeting.

We invited two prominent personalities to the “Zbrojownia” restaurant in Cracow for the PRESTIGE CLUB meeting with readers of the PRESTIGE magazine who is who. Professor of medical sciences, Mr Skalski, introduced us to the world of modern medicine, and Robert Galara, a businessman and history fan drew listeners to the history of Cieszyn Silesia.

December occupies a special place in the Club Agenda, as it is the month in which year-long club activities are discussed, as well as plans for the next year. It is also a festive time during which the Christmas Eve is the main event, so the Beskid Mountain Band greeted the participants with the Christmas carol, introducing a Christmas atmosphere.

The owner of the Castle, Michał Bożek, welcomed guests with the old Polish custom – he shared bread and salt. The castle is undergoing renovation works, so the meeting took place in its ground-floor part.

During the meeting, new Club members presented their professional achievements and plans related to club activities like cooperation with the PRESTIŻ Magazyn who is who as the authors of essays and articles. The latest issue of the magazine was also handed to them.