Maciej Szymański Doctor of Philosophy
Poland Ambassador to Bulgaria
Incumbent
Assumed office April 2019
Appointed by	Andrzej Duda
President	Rumen Radev
Preceded by	Krzysztof Krajewski
Director General of the Foreign Service
In office February 2018 – October 2018
Appointed by	Jacek Czaputowicz
Preceded by	Andrzej Jasionowski
Succeeded by	Andrzej Papierz
Poland Ambassador to Croatia
In office January 2013 – July 2017
Appointed by	Bronisław Komorowski
President	Ivo Josipović Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
Preceded by	Wiesław Tarka
Succeeded by	Andrzej Jasionowski
Poland Ambassador to Serbia
In office 2005–2009
Appointed by	Aleksander Kwaśniewski
President	Svetozar Marović Boris Tadić
Preceded by	Tadeusz Diem
Succeeded by	Andrzej Jasionowski
Poland Ambassador to Slovenia
In office 1998–2002
Appointed by	Aleksander Kwaśniewski
President	Milan Kučan
Preceded by	Jan Tombiński
Succeeded by	Janusz Jesionek
Personal details
Born	(1957-01-25) 25 January 1957 Milicz
Nationality	Polish
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Silesia in Katowice
Profession	Diplomat, philologist
Awards

Maciej Grzegorz Szymański (born 25 January 1957, Milicz)^[1] is a Polish slavist and diplomat, an ambassador to Slovenia (1998–2002), Serbia (2005–2009), Croatia (2013–2017), and Bulgaria (since 2019).

Life

Szymański grew up in Międzyrzec Podlaski, and finished high school in Wrocław. In 1981, he graduated from Yugoslav studies at the University of Silesia in Katowice,^[2] specialising in Macedonian and Serbo-Croatian languages.^[3]

In 1982, he began his professional career at the Ossolineum library in Wrocław. Between 1984 and 1992, he worked as a scientist at the Slavic Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He obtained his Ph.D. thesis on Slavic linguistics there.^[4]

In 1992, Szymański joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He began as a head of the unit at the Consular Department. In 1995, he became deputy director there. In 1998, he was director of the Department of Central and South-Eastern Europe. That year he was nominated ambassador to Slovenia, next year being accredited also to newly formed embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2002, he returned to the Consular Department, as a head of unit, and then as a director. Between 2005 and 2009, he was ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, and since 2006, after the dissolution, to Serbia. Back at the Ministry, he was serving as a director of the Department for Cooperation with Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad.^[1]

In January 2013, Szymański started his mission as an ambassador to Croatia, ending his term in July 2017.^[5] Next, for a year, he has been director of the Diplomatic Academy.^[6] From February to October 2018, he was the Director General of the Foreign Service.^[7] In April 2019, he was nominated ambassador to Bulgaria.^[8]

Szymański is married, with four children.^[9] In his free time, he photographs nature, birds mostly. His works have been publishing in books, atlases, and magazines, including National Geographic.^[10][11]

Honours

• Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Poland, 2011^[12]
• Knight of the Order of Duke Branimir, Croatia, 2017^[13]

References