Since the beginning of 2026, a new custom established by Karol Nawrocki has been in force in Poland: every Saturday, the white-and-red flag flying over the Presidential Palace is replaced. As announced by Paweł Szefernaker, the Head of the President’s Cabinet, the first ceremonial handover of the flags will take place on May 2, Flag Day, and the flags will be presented to students from 16 uniformed schools.
A Unique Custom Established by the President
The new custom introduced by President Karol Nawrocki has been in effect since January this year—every Saturday, the flag flying over the Presidential Palace is changed. Paweł Szefernaker, the Head of the President’s Cabinet, shared a video online in which he stated that the first flags will be handed over by the President on May 2, the Flag Day of the Republic of Poland, to students from 16 uniformed schools across the country.
“This flag is a witness to the most important decisions of the state. In the lives of states and nations, symbols are extremely important. For us, Poles, one of the most important is the white-and-red flag. It is a sign of community, history, and responsibility. That is why, starting this year, President Karol Nawrocki has initiated a new custom. Every Saturday, the flag flying over the Presidential Palace in Warsaw is replaced. The one that flew during the past week will be passed on to local communities throughout Poland. Each of these flags has its own story. It flew over the Presidential Palace during meetings, decisions, and visits by guests. One could jokingly say that each of them has seen quite a lot. Now it will become part of local history,” the politician said.
He recalled that “Poland is made up of thousands of places and people who form our community—President Karol Nawrocki evaluates every ruling and every decision through the prism of its impact on the everyday lives of ordinary Poles and local communities across the country.”
That is also why this new custom of handing over flags was introduced. The first flags will be presented by the President on May 2, Flag Day, to students from 16 uniformed schools throughout Poland. Every Saturday at 11:45 a.m., a solemn military ceremony of changing and folding the national flag begins in front of the Presidential Palace. “We invite everyone to take part in the ceremony,” he concluded.