Bydgoszcz March ’81 – We Will Not Forget!
45 years ago, the courage and determination of peasant activists from Kujawy and Pomorze gave rise to the events of the Bydgoszcz March and led to the creation of the farmers’ Solidarity – the first independent rural organization in our country after World War II. The regional self-government is a co-organizer of the ceremonies commemorating the heroes of those events. The program includes, among others, a ceremonial session of the Regional Parliament at the Regional Office in Bydgoszcz.
“We must remember the heroes to whom we owe today’s freedom, democratic liberties, and the fact that we live in a country with open borders as part of the great family of European nations. The noble attitude of those women and men in those difficult times required courage, and sometimes even heroism. Many paid a high price in their lives, and some did not live to see a free Poland. By bowing our heads to them today, we show that we have learned the lessons of history and are drawing conclusions from them,” says Marshal Piotr Całbecki.
The regional commemorations will take place on March 16 and 19 in Bydgoszcz. On Monday (March 16), a ceremony is planned at the plaque commemorating the farmers’ strike. A ceremonial session of the Regional Parliament and a ceremony at the obelisk of the Bydgoszcz March 1981 will take place on Thursday (March 19).
Invitation and program
In addition to the regional self-government, the organizers include the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivode, the municipal government of Bydgoszcz, regional structures of the Solidarity trade union, and the local branch of the Institute of National Remembrance.
Beata Krzemińska
Spokesperson for the Marshal’s Office
March 13, 2026