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

May is the month in which we commemorate each year the birth of the farmers’ “Solidarity” movement. On Tuesday (May 12), trade union activists, local government representatives, and residents took part in the regional celebrations marking the forty-fifth anniversary of the registration of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers (NSZZ RI) “Solidarity.” The ceremonies in Łubianka and Bierzgłowo were attended by Marshal Piotr Całbecki and his wife, Dagna Całbecka.

“The registration of the farmers’ ‘Solidarity’ movement in May 1981, nine months after the signing of the August Agreements, demonstrated that the communist authorities of the time feared the unity of farmers, who were the guardians of cultural identity and freedom. We won that freedom together with the workers’ ‘Solidarity’ movement in June 1989, and it was a joint achievement of rural and urban communities who fought for it until the very end—despite martial law, repression, and humiliation,” emphasized Marshal Piotr Całbecki.

The regional celebrations of the forty-fifth anniversary of the registration of NSZZ RI “Solidarity” began with the laying of flowers and lighting of candles at places in Toruń important to the rural independence movement: at the plaque commemorating trade union activists located at the RI “Solidarity” Square, in the Memorial Park for the Victims of the Pomeranian Crime at the monument dedicated to villagers murdered in 1939, and at the plaque mounted on the façade of the Marshal’s Office commemorating peasant defenders of Polish land, faith, and heritage.

During the ceremonies in Toruń, the regional self-government was represented by Marek Smoczyk, Secretary of the Region.

The next part of the celebrations took place in Łubianka. There, at the Church of Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, the Bishop of the Diocese of Toruń, Arkadiusz Okroj, presided over a Holy Mass celebrated for the people of “Solidarity.”

After the Eucharist, a gathering of participants in the farmers’ strikes, anti-communist opposition activists, trade union organizations, and local government representatives was held at the Organist Museum in Bierzgłowo. The ceremony provided an opportunity to honor individuals particularly distinguished in service to the farming community and the activities of NSZZ RI “Solidarity.” Participants also attended a commemorative artistic performance accompanied by the Slavic Folk Orchestra ensemble.

Among those attending the celebrations were Vice Governor Michał Koniuch, pre-August democratic opposition activist and Deputy Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland of the 8th term Jan Wyrowiński, President of the Association “Solidarni – Wieś Pamięta” Michał Leszczyc-Grabianka, NSZZ “Solidarity” activist and participant in the events of the Bydgoszcz March 1981 Jan Rulewski, and Wojciech Mojzesowicz, trade union activist, former Minister of Agriculture, and member of parliament for several terms.

The Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers “Solidarity” was registered on May 12, 1981, after many years of efforts and thanks to the determination of Polish farmers. It was the first peasant trade union organization in post-war Poland independent of the communist authorities. It played a key role in the political transformation of our country.

Beata Krzemińska
Press Spokesperson for the Marshal’s Office

May 12, 2026