Penderecki's grandfather, Robert Berger, was a highly talented painter and director of the local bank at the time of Penderecki's birth; Robert's father Johann moved to Dębica from Breslau (now Wrocław) in the mid-19th century.
O avó de Penderecki, Robert Berger, foi un talentoso pintor e director do banco local no tempo no que naceu Penderecki; o pai de Robert, Johann, trasladouse a Dębica dende Breslau (actual Wrocław) a mediados do século XIX.