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

One of the largest investments in the history of the Regional Mental Health Hospital in Świecie has been completed – a more than PLN 35 million expansion that has transformed the 19th-century complex into a modern therapeutic center based on art therapy and contact with nature. The official opening was attended by Marshal Piotr Całbecki, MP Iwona Karolewska, Vice-President of the Regional Parliament Przemysław Sznajdrowski, and Regional Councillors Katarzyna Stranz-Kaja, Anna Niewiadomska, Ewa Kozanecka, and Tadeusz Pogoda.

“I would like to thank Director Dariusz Rutkowski, as well as the doctors, nurses, therapists, and all members of the staff for showing, with such dedication and commitment, how institutions of this kind should be transformed and how modern therapeutic standards should be implemented,” said Marshal Piotr Całbecki in his opening remarks. “I am convinced that this is one of the most modern therapy centers in Europe, especially in the fields of occupational therapy and art therapy. Contact with nature, creative work, artistic activities – all of this plays a huge role in recovery. I have seen many works created by patients and know how much talent and potential they possess […] We are giving these individuals a chance for development and a dignified life. This is the essence of inclusivity: inclusion rather than exclusion, openness rather than isolation. The modern world presents many challenges, including in the field of mental health, which is why institutions like this are not only valuable, but essential. We can be proud of this place – of what is being created here and the value it brings to patients and the wider community.”

“The building you see behind me may not be enormous or monumental in scale, but I can assure you that extremely important things will happen here,” emphasized Dariusz Rutkowski, Director of the Regional Mental Health Hospital in Świecie. “This is where patients will pour their thoughts and emotions onto canvas and paper, where they will create and develop their artistic sensitivity, but also rest in a natural environment. Around the building we have created a unique green space that, even during the dormant winter season, will encourage relaxation, recreation, and physical activity. I know that conditions in many psychiatric hospitals in Poland vary greatly, but I must stress that the development of every institution depends heavily on the support of its governing body and regional authorities. Here, that support is real and consistent, for which I am deeply grateful. Today we are opening the most modern – and architecturally the most beautiful – occupational therapy workshops in Europe.”

The new therapeutic space was designed to provide multidimensional support for patients. Covering more than 250 square meters, it includes art therapy studios, horticultural workshops, greenhouses, and a winter garden dedicated to horticultural therapy – a form of occupational therapy based on gardening. Nearly one hectare of surrounding green areas has also been revitalized. This part of the investment, worth PLN 16 million (with more than PLN 11 million financed through the European Funds for Kujawy and Pomorze programme), was carried out by the Prof-Bud consortium from Świecie.

The completed investment also included a comprehensive redevelopment of previously unused or purely technical pavilions within the historic hospital complex. In their place, a modern therapeutic and medical facility has been created, including a day psychiatric ward and a community care unit. The new, functionally designed space includes outpatient clinics, doctors’ offices, relaxation and therapy rooms, a dental surgery, and an entire wing dedicated to medical education.

On the top floor of the building, a modern art gallery titled “It Spilled Out of Me” has been established. “The name refers to emotions that do not fit within conventional boundaries and instead find expression through creativity. We want the works created here not to remain hidden away in drawers, but to be presented to a wider audience. This is the first initiative of its kind in Poland – an art gallery operating within a mental health hospital,” explained Director Dariusz Rutkowski.

This part of the investment was carried out by Husaria Development from Gdańsk. Its total value amounted to PLN 19 million, of which more than PLN 16 million came from the European Funds for Kujawy and Pomorze 2021-2027 programme.

In 2024, the hospital’s children’s ward also underwent a major renovation. After modernization, it became a child-friendly space featuring relaxation rooms, therapy and music rooms, educational facilities, modern equipment, and warm interior design.

The hospital in Świecie treats patients with mental health disorders and addictions. The facility has 480 beds across 16 inpatient wards. It also operates an addiction treatment clinic for dependencies on psychoactive substances, including opiates (heroin, morphine, methadone, fentanyl, codeine, tramadol), amphetamines, designer drugs, sleeping pills, and other psychostimulants. The clinic provides psychotherapy for addicted individuals, co-dependent persons, and family members.

The hospital’s comprehensive modernization programme – carried out systematically over many years and covering all pavilions, the kitchen, hospital utility networks, administrative and technical buildings, energy modernization, as well as purchases of equipment and furnishings – was financed through regional programmes from previous EU funding perspectives and the regional “Medical Centennial Package,” a marshal-led programme aimed at modernizing all regional healthcare institutions.

To mark the hospital’s 170th anniversary last year, a poetry collection titled “Polyphonic Voices” was published, featuring poems written by patients and staff members.

Beata Krzemińska
Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office

18 May 2026