Adolf Bniński
Encyclopedia
Adolf Bniński was a Polish agricultural, conservative and royalist activist. He was Voivode of Poznań from 1923-1928 and a member of the Senate of Poland
in the Second Polish Republic
. In the aftermath of the German invasion of Poland he was the Government Delegate for Poland for the Polish territories annexed by Nazi Germany. He was arrested by the Germans in July 1941 and killed in 1942.
. He studied agriculture at the Jagiellonian University
, as well as at the German universities in Munich
and Halle
. He inheritied significant agricultural lands, and he was a notable agricultural activist in Greater Poland
.
In 1918 he became a functionary of the reborn Polish state
, first as a commissair for the Łódź region in 1918, then from 1919 to 1920 as a starost of the Środa County
and from 1923 to 1928 he was the voivode of Poznań.
In the political arena, Bniński supported conservative and pro-monarchy views. In the Polish presidential election, 1926, he was the presidential candidate of the National Populist Union
(Związek Ludowo-Narodowy), but he lost to Ignacy Mościcki
. In 1935, despite his opposition to the sanacja
regime, he joined the senate of Poland
, and was a senator until 1938.
After the German invasion of Poland he joined the Polish Underground State. In July 1940 he was chosen to be the Government Delegate for Poland for the Polish territories annexed by Nazi Germany although he did not receive the official nomination from general Władysław Sikorski until December 3. Bniński was arrested by then Germans in July 1941, for refusing to express support for a joint Polish-German anti-Soviet
declaration. He was imprisoned in Poznań
and tortured and executed on the night of 7 to 8 July 1942. The exact circumstances of the disposal of his body are unknown; according to Zbigniew Mieczkowski he could have even been fed to wild animals (lion
s).
It was not until 10 October 1942 that Nazi Germany
's Foreign Ministry retroactively issued a death penalty for Bniński.
His position as Delegate was taken by Leon Mikołajczyk.
In 1995 he was posthumously awarded the Order of the White Eagle.
Senate of Poland
The Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the 'Sejm'. The history of the Polish Senate is rich in tradition and stretches back over 500 years, it was one of the first constituent bodies of a bicameral parliament in Europe and existed without hiatus until the...
in the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. In the aftermath of the German invasion of Poland he was the Government Delegate for Poland for the Polish territories annexed by Nazi Germany. He was arrested by the Germans in July 1941 and killed in 1942.
Biography
Adolf Bniński was born on August 21, 1884 in KosowoKosowo, Gostyn County
Kosowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Gostyń, within Gostyń County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately west of Gostyń and south of the regional capital Poznań....
. He studied agriculture at the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
, as well as at the German universities in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
. He inheritied significant agricultural lands, and he was a notable agricultural activist in Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
.
In 1918 he became a functionary of the reborn Polish state
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, first as a commissair for the Łódź region in 1918, then from 1919 to 1920 as a starost of the Środa County
Sroda Wielkopolska County
Środa Wielkopolska County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Greater Poland Voivodeship, west-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998...
and from 1923 to 1928 he was the voivode of Poznań.
In the political arena, Bniński supported conservative and pro-monarchy views. In the Polish presidential election, 1926, he was the presidential candidate of the National Populist Union
National Populist Union
Związek Ludowo-Narodowy was a Polish political party of the National Democracy political camp, which functioned in the Second Polish Republic. It gathered right-wing politicians with conservative and nationalist opinions....
(Związek Ludowo-Narodowy), but he lost to Ignacy Mościcki
Ignacy Moscicki
Ignacy Mościcki was a Polish chemist, politician, and President of Poland . He was the longest-serving President of Poland .-Life:...
. In 1935, despite his opposition to the sanacja
Sanacja
Sanation was a Polish political movement that came to power after Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 Coup d'État. Sanation took its name from his watchword—the moral "sanation" of the Polish body politic...
regime, he joined the senate of Poland
Senate of Poland
The Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the 'Sejm'. The history of the Polish Senate is rich in tradition and stretches back over 500 years, it was one of the first constituent bodies of a bicameral parliament in Europe and existed without hiatus until the...
, and was a senator until 1938.
After the German invasion of Poland he joined the Polish Underground State. In July 1940 he was chosen to be the Government Delegate for Poland for the Polish territories annexed by Nazi Germany although he did not receive the official nomination from general Władysław Sikorski until December 3. Bniński was arrested by then Germans in July 1941, for refusing to express support for a joint Polish-German anti-Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
declaration. He was imprisoned in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
and tortured and executed on the night of 7 to 8 July 1942. The exact circumstances of the disposal of his body are unknown; according to Zbigniew Mieczkowski he could have even been fed to wild animals (lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s).
It was not until 10 October 1942 that Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's Foreign Ministry retroactively issued a death penalty for Bniński.
His position as Delegate was taken by Leon Mikołajczyk.
In 1995 he was posthumously awarded the Order of the White Eagle.
Further reading
- E. Makowski, Adolf Bniński (1884-1942), [in:] Wojewoda Adolf hr. Bniński 1884-1942, red. S. Dworacki, Poznań 1997
- Krzysztof Komorowski, Konspiracja pomorska 1939-1947, Gdańsk 1993