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

What is the recipe for longevity? When asked about it, Mrs Genowefa Artka from Rusinowo (in the Ripin County) could answer: a pinch of persistence, love of the land and a big heart for her loved ones. On her 100^th birthday (8 July), the jubilarian received congratulations, flowers and the Marshal’s Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis medal from Marek Wojtkowski, a member of the Regional Executive Board.

 

“May the kindness which you bestow on others return strengthened by the care, cordiality and attention of your loved ones. May each day bring you joy, love and support”, said Marshal Piotr Całbecki in his greetings.

 

Genowefa Artka is a woman of extraordinary strength, diligence and dedication – to her family and to the land. She was born on 8 July 1925 in Sarnów (Rypin county). She grew up in a farming family and her parents, Wiesława and Konstanty, instilled in her a love of the land and an ethos of hard work. She grew up with three siblings.

 

Her youth was marked by the Second World War. During the occupation, like many of her peers, she was forced to work on a German farm. Although conditions were difficult, she was treated well, and was mainly involved in housework. The landlady was forced to return deep into Germany after “liberation” and tried to convince Genowefa to go with her. For the young Genowefa Flaszkowska (her maiden name), the decision was clear: she chose what was closest to her heart: her family and her native land. There are decisions in life that define everything. Genowefa did not want to leave a place and people with whom she was deeply connected. She stayed.

 

In 1950, she married Jan Artka from Liciszewo (Toruń County). Their life together led through Sarnowo and the village of Bógzapłać (in the Lipno County). More than half a century ago, they settled permanently in Rusinowo in the Rypin County. It was here that she and her husband ran a farm for years, which they later passed on to their daughters.

 

Mrs Genowefa was a housewife in her own right. She raised two daughters and today enjoys the presence of a granddaughter, a grandson and three great-grandchildren. Her life was filled with work – she cooked, baked delicious poppy seed cakes, sewed and knitted.  “There had to be “zacierki” in the mornings, and sometimes we would go to Rypin for ice cream,” recalls her daughter, Wanda, with a smile.

 

Genowefa’s passion was her garden, which she filled to the brim with flowers: asters, lion’s maw, tall roses and hemlocks. She also grew vegetables and her pantry was always full of preserves.

 

Throughout her life she has been and is a person of deep faith, and daily prayer gives her strength. Today she moves around in a wheelchair, but still has a cheerful spirit and enjoys the sight of her beloved flowers.

 

The regional self-government has been honouring the region’s centenarians since 2018. Families of the region’s residents who are about to turn one hundred years old, as well as those who are older, are encouraged to contact us at 56 62 18 344 and at the following email address: stulatkowie@kujawsko-pomorskie.pl.

 

Beata Krzemińska

Press spokesperson for the Marshal’s Office

 

July 9, 2025