Confederation of the Polish Nobility

Confederation of the Polish Nobility
The logo of the confederation
Abbreviation	CPN (Polish: ZSzP)
Formation	2006-02-16
Legal status	Association
Headquarters	Warsaw, Poland
Location	ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 13 lok. 151, Warsaw, Poland
Coordinates	52°01′31″N 19°12′14″E / 52.025278°N 19.203889°E / 52.025278; 19.203889Coordinates: 52°01′31″N 19°12′14″E / 52.025278°N 19.203889°E / 52.025278; 19.203889
Region served	Poland
Membership	private persons, families
Official languages	Polish, English
President	Henryk Grocholski
Main organ	The Main Board
Website	CPN

The Confederation of the Polish Nobility (CPN) (Polish: Związek Szlachty Polskiej, ZSzP) – sociocultural organization, registered in 1995 in Gdańsk. The Confederation aims at integrating the nobility of the once Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, at taking care of monuments of culture of the Nobles, popularizing the history and traditions of the Polish Nobility and promoting the ethos of chivalry.

Basic information

The Confederation is legally recognized, the statute was affirmed by the Regional Court Gdańsk-Północ on 16 February 2006. The current Confederation headquarters is located in the capital city of Warsaw, Poland.

To become a Member of the Confederation one has to be of noble origin in the male line, therefore the son or daughter of a male Noble.

Regional representatives of the Confederation play an important role in the organization. Currently CPN has its permanent representatives in Ciechanów, Łomża, Olsztyn, Ostrów Mazowiecka, Płock, Przemyśl, Szczecin; abroad in Lithuania, Canada, in Germany, in Sweden and in the United Kingdom.

The Confederation cooperates with other such organizations in the country and abroad such as: the Institute Saint Georges pour la Noblesse from France, the Institute Fernando el Catolico from Saragossa in Spain, the Russian Noble Assembly from Moscow, the Confederation of the Belarusian Nobility from Minsk, and many others. In Poland, CPN cooperates with independent family organizations, supporting and promoting their activities. CPN continuously cooperates with the Polish branch of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, with the foundation Pomoc Maltańska, with the Polish Landed Gentry Society and with the Polish Heraldic Society, of which some of the members are genealogy experts for the Confederation.

The Confederation doesn't grant titles of nobility or titles of aristocracy and it doesn't cooperate with organizations which it considers to be usurpatory, pseudo-aristocratic, pseudo-monarchistic or pseudo-military orders.

The Confederation's magazine, Verbum Nobile, first publication was in 1992 and is still being published up to this day. The magazine's Registration No. in Press Registry: 296, ISSN: 1230-4573. To date, (August 2010) there have been 15 issued publications, including 2 double volume publications. This magazine is focused on the broader themes of the nobility – the tradition, culture, history (including heraldry and genealogy), as well as current affairs and its contents deemed important to the members and supporters of the organization.

Presidents of the Confederation of the Polish Nobility

The originator of the Confederation and the first president in 1995–1999, was Ireneusz Stanisław Osiński. His successor, Wacław Podbereski served in 1999–2004. After him, in 2004–2008 the co-founder Marcin Michał Wiszowaty was elected to that office by the General Assembly of the Confederation. Henryk Grocholski was elected the President of the fourth term for the period 2008–2013.

Local chapters

The Confederation has its local branches in the following cities: Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Chełm, Chojnice, Gdańsk, Kraków, Warszawa, Wrocław.

Major initiatives and achievements

• since 1995 the organization of a series of lectures, symposia and scientific sessions on the history, traditions and culture of the nobles in Poland;
• support of local cultural initiatives, for example, in 2009 the chapter of CPN in Białystok founded a special award in the category of soloists in the X International Moniuszko Competition "Evening Song" in Białystok;
• contacts with Poles abroad (including the donation of books and copies of the magazine Verbum Nobile to the Polish community – individuals and organizations that have asked for such support);
• the delegation of the Confederation participates in the celebration of national holidays (for example, representatives of the Confederation on Polish Independence Day placing bouquets at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier).

External links

• Coats of Arms of member families of the Confederation of the Polish Nobility [1]
• Polish Nobility Coat of Arms (Polish: Herbarz Szlachty Polskiej) coin series issued by the Polish Mint in collaboration with the Confederation of the Polish Nobility [2] [3]

Sources

• The Official Website of the Confederation of the Polish Nobility
• National Court Register registration number 0000102686
• Lenczewski, T. (2010) Szlachta polska po 1918 r. – aspekt prawny i organizacje, „Pro Fide Rege et Lege” 45/2003, pages 16–21.[4]