Wisła Kraków returns to 1911 crest

Wisła Kraków said on June 1 that it had permanently changed its official crest to a version based on the club’s 1911 emblem, ending nearly three decades of using a modernized badge. The Polish club said the mark will become its official symbol across the first team, academy, communications, marketing, merchandise and partner projects. The announcement came in a statement on the club’s official platform and alongside a published brand book detailing the new identity. Jarosław Królewski, the club’s president, said the move was meant to connect Wisła’s past with its future. ### What exactly changed in the badge? Wisła Kraków said the new official crest restores a form based on the club’s oldest symbols, with the prototype first used in 1911. The club described the decision as a permanent change to its crest rather than a one-season anniversary mark. The brand book says the contemporary logo was built on the historic 1911 crest and that the 2026 version is “not a reconstruction but a reinterpretation.” It identifies the core elements as a heraldic shield, the “WISŁA” wordmark, the five-pointed White Star and the date “1906,” the year the club traces its origins to. (wislakrakow.com) ### Why did the club make the switch now? The June 1 statement said the decision followed months of analysis and an “exceptionally positive” reception to the anniversary crest created for Wisła’s 120th year. (wislakrakow.com) The club said fan and community reaction showed a strong desire to emphasize Wisła Kraków’s heritage and historical identity. (brand.wislakrakow.com) Jarosław Królewski said the return to the historic crest was a “conscious decision” that joins the past with the future. He said Wisła wanted to build a modern club based on values that had defined it from the beginning: tradition, ambition, courage and attachment to its roots. ### How far back does the symbol go? (wislakrakow.com) Wisła Kraków’s own history page says the club’s origins date to 1906 and that the White Star became the defining symbol of the club in its early years. The page says red shirts first carried a blue star, later replaced by a single white star. The brand book says one of the defining moments in the redesign was a dialogue with the first crest from 1911, with the white star on a red field returning in almost its original proportion and geometry. (wislakrakow.com) That framing lets the club present the 2026 crest as a modernized form of an older emblem rather than a wholly new badge. ### Is this the same as the 120th-anniversary crest? The club said no. (wislakrakow.com) Wisła Kraków stated that the anniversary crest will remain in force until the end of 2026, but that the rollout of the new identity has already begun. The distinction matters because the anniversary emblem was introduced for the club’s 120th year, while the June 1 announcement sets out a permanent identity system. (brand.wislakrakow.com) The brand book presents the 2026 crest as the primary mark going forward, with rules for its use across digital, print and matchday settings. ### Where will supporters start seeing it? (wislakrakow.com) Wisła Kraków said the historic crest will appear gradually on kits, club materials, licensed products, communication channels and spaces linked to the club’s operations. The statement says the rollout starts immediately, even though the anniversary crest remains active through December 2026. (wislaportal.pl) The club’s official site was already directing readers on June 1 to the brand platform for more detail on the change. That platform includes visual specifications and usage rules for the crest and related identity elements. December 2026 is the next concrete milestone in the process. Until then, Wisła Kraków said it will phase the restored 1911-based crest into team, academy, commercial and media use while the jubilee badge remains in place. (wislakrakow.com) (wislakrakow.com)