INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

Witold Błachowiak from Aleksandrów Kujawski and Stanisława Smolińska from Dolne Morgi (Świecie County), who recently celebrated their 100th birthdays, were among those honored with the Marshal’s Medal Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis. The medals were presented by Vice-Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Aneta Jędrzejewska and Regional Councilor Tadeusz Pogoda.

On Thursday, January 2, Vice-Marshal Aneta Jędrzejewska visited Witold Błachowiak in Aleksandrów Kujawski to present him with the medal and wish him good health and happiness in the years ahead. Witold Błachowiak was born on January 1, 1925, in Czołpin (Radziejów County) and attended elementary school in nearby Bodzanów. He was one of six children of Rozalia and Piotr Błachowiak, who ran a family farm. During World War II, the farm was seized by the Germans, and Witold was forced to work for the occupiers.

After the war, Witold married Kazimiera Kwiatkowska, and the couple raised four sons. For 40 years, he worked as a stoker at a Ministry of Internal Affairs sanatorium in Ciechocinek. Gardening was his passion, and he devoted much of his time to it.

On Wednesday, January 8, Regional Councilor Tadeusz Pogoda visited Stanisława Smolińska in Dolne Morgi (Nowe Municipality, Świecie County). Born on December 24, 1924, in Białoborze (Busko County, Świętokrzyskie Province), Stanisława grew up on her family’s farm and attended school in the area. She had two brothers and four sisters. During World War II, she was forcibly sent to work in the depths of the German Reich but managed to escape from a transport train near Częstochowa by jumping out of a window.

After the war, she, her mother, and some siblings (one sister stayed behind in their hometown) moved to Pomerania, settling near Nowe. There she met her husband, also named Stanisław, and they married in the mid-1950s. The couple had three children—two daughters and a son. After several years in the Lower Silesian region near Legnica, they returned to Dolne Morgi, where they ran a farm. Stanisława enjoyed reading, participating in women’s circle meetings, and attending rosary group gatherings. She now has six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Since 2018, the Regional Self-Government has been honoring residents of the region who reach 100 years of age. To date, over 400 individuals have received the Unitas Durat Medal. Families of residents turning 100 or older are encouraged to contact the government at 56 62 18 344 or via email at stulatkowie@kujawsko-pomorskie.pl.

Beata Krzemińska
Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office

January 10, 2025