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

He was active in the agricultural branch of Solidarność, printed and distributed an underground newspaper, and was interned and surveilled by the security services. He died on the night of February 7-8, 1984. Today (February 7), on the forty-first anniversary of his tragic death, we pay tribute to Piotr Bartoszcze. During the ceremony in Inowrocław, the regional self-government was represented by the President of the Regional Parliament, Elżbieta Piniewska, and a member of the Regional Executive Board, Dariusz Kurzawa.

“He had a significant impact on shaping the identity of the modern Polish farmer—an identity based on fidelity to traditional values passed down through generations of rural inhabitants. An identity in which the love for one’s homeland and family home is intertwined with the hardships of daily work, and above all, a great longing for freedom,” emphasized Marshal Piotr Całbecki.

Today’s commemoration began with the laying of flowers at the monument marking the site of Piotr Bartoszcze’s death in Radłówek and the lighting of candles at the graves of Piotr, Roman, and Michał Bartoszcze at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. In the late morning, a Holy Mass was held at St. Joseph the Betrothed Church in Inowrocław. After the service, those gathered laid flowers at the monument to Piotr Bartoszcze, unveiled last year in front of the Inowrocław Municipal Office.

Piotr Bartoszcze was born on April 14, 1950, in Jaroszewice (Lublin County). In 1964, the Bartoszcze family moved to the Kujawy region, settling in Sławęcin near Inowrocław. Piotr Bartoszcze, along with his father Michał and brother Roman, became involved in the Solidarność movement after the signing of the August Agreements in 1980. They joined the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarność Chłopska” and later NSZZ Solidarność of Individual Farmers. All three participated in the farmers’ strike in Bydgoszcz in March 1981. After the imposition of martial law, the entire family went into hiding, but in September 1982, they were arrested and imprisoned in Włocławek. They were released after two months and resumed their opposition activities.

As a dissident, Bartoszcze printed and distributed the underground newspaper of agricultural Solidarność, Żywią i Bronią (“They Nourish and Defend”). He died on the night of February 7-8, 1984. A neighbor noticed a crashed vehicle in the Smyrnia Canal. Bartoszcze’s body was found on February 9, 1984, in a drainage well near the location of the car accident. His funeral, held on February 12, 1984, was attended by 2,500 people.

The investigation conducted at the time by the militia was discontinued. According to the prosecution, Piotr Bartoszcze died as a result of an accident. Investigators concluded that after colliding with another vehicle, he fled the scene and fell into the drainage well while under the influence of alcohol. The prosecution’s findings were questioned from the start by his family and the opposition. A later investigation launched in the Third Polish Republic was also closed. A third investigation, conducted by the investigative division of the Institute of National Remembrance, determined that Piotr Bartoszcze’s death was politically motivated, but the perpetrators were never identified.

Beata Krzemińska
Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office

February 7, 2025