Highest Distinction for Poet Szymborska

Poland's highest state distinction, the Order of the White Eagle, was officially awarded to poet Wislawa Szymborska at a ceremony in the historic Wawel castle in Krakow. The Order was presented to Szymborska by the Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, who also handed out distinctions to several other Polish cultural figures such as filmmaker Agnieszka Holland.

The 87-year-old Szymborska has published over two hundred poems in her career and received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1996.

Previous recipients include Polish individuals such as Pope John Paul II and Lech Walesa, as well as international figures such as reigning Queen Elizabeth II.

The Order is also Poland's oldest distinction having been created by Augustus II the Strong in 1705.