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

Two Bydgoszcz women who survived the turmoil of war and made history with their courage and steadfastness celebrated their 100th birthdays. Leokadia Kostrzewska, a Home Army liaison officer nicknamed ‘Sarna’, risked her life to deliver reports and hid her underground activities for many years after the war. Janina Kasak, deported to forced labour in Germany, found love there. Deputy Marshall Zbigniew Ostrowski met with the award winners to honour them with the Marshal’s Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis medal and extend his best wishes.

– You cannot build a future without knowing who we are and where we come from. And our roots are the stories of our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. We would like to thank the oldest residents of Kujawsko-Pomorskie for the experience they have passed on to us and for their contribution to our present day,’ says Marshall Piotr Całbecki.

Leokadia Kostrzewska, née Matwiejczyk, was born on 20 February 1925 in Rakowicze in Podlasie. She spent her childhood on the family estate, surrounded by tradition and respect for history. At the age of 18, adopting the pseudonym ‘Sarna’, she joined the Union for Armed Struggle – Home Army, where she served as a liaison officer. She served in the Women’s Military Service until July 1944.

After the war, fearing repression, she did not admit to her underground activities for many years. It was only in the 1990s that she applied for verification as a Home Army veteran. Other members of the Home Army testified to her wartime past. She spent most of her life in Bydgoszcz, where she worked at the Kobra shoe factory. She raised three children. Today, despite the passing years, she remains a person full of warmth and energy. Leokadia Kostrzewska, was honoured with the highest provincial decoration, the gold Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis medal.

Janina Kasak was born on 16 March 1925 in Łódź. At the age of 17, she was deported to forced labour in Germany, where she spent four years working in Schleswig-Holstein. It was there, under difficult conditions, that she met her future husband, Jozef Kasak. Their love survived the turmoil of war – they had a civil wedding in December 1944 and a church wedding in February 1945.

After the war, Janina moved to Bydgoszcz, where she and her family started a new life. Janina and Józef lived to see two sons, eight grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Despite the hardships of her early years, she always found joy in the everyday moments. Her life was centred on her work at home, and her passion became crosswords and cross-outs, which gave her respite from her daily worries.

The regional government has been honouring centenarians in the region since 2018, with over four hundred and fifty people having received the Unitas Durat medal to date. 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

Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office

20 March 2025.