Sołtysiada – it had to be a success! | Województwo Kujawsko-Pomorskie

Village leaders from our region, local government officials, representatives of the government administration and representatives of the National Association of Village Leaders were guests of Marshal Piotr Całbecki at the first Village Leaders’ Festival of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodship – a grand event dedicated to rural leaders, people who are most familiar with the problems and needs of local communities and are important partners of the marshal’s administration in the implementation of territorial policy.

“We learn from you what a local government official should be like and who a public official should be, how to carry out the mission entrusted to us by the voters. You represent something that is extremely valuable – you are closest to the people who have given you a mandate of trust, you are with them and for them 24 hours a day. I look at you and I wish it were a mirror so that I could see myself that way. You are the salt of the earth because you know that being elected village administrator is a commitment – a real and serious one. Thank you for your dedicated service, said Marshal Piotr Całbecki as he opened the event, which took place at the Ethnographic Museum in Toruń.

The host of the province presented awards to the winners of the regional stage of the ‘Village Fund – Best Initiative’ competition. First place went to the village of Rychława in the Świecie County for the project ‘The Village of Rychława Welcomes Kociewie’.

Among the guests of Sołtysiada were, among others, Podkarpackie Province Governor Teresa Kubas-Hula, President of the National Association of Village Leaders Ireneusz Niewiarowski and member of the Opole regional board Robert Węgrzyn. The regional government of Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodship was also represented by Marek Wojtkowski, member of the regional board, and Przemysław Sznajdrowski, vice-chairman of the regional council.

There are 2,304 village leaders in Kujawsko-Pomorskie. The regional government considers them important partners who, among other things, support the marshal’s administration in implementing territorial policy. In December 2024, the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Council of Village Leaders, appointed by the regional government, was established. This 120-member body, created on the basis of recommendations from commune heads, acts as an advisory body to the regional marshal on issues related to rural development.

Beata Krzemińska

spokesperson for the Marshal’s Office

24 June 2025

Last update: 25 June 2025