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

Movement, fresh air and job satisfaction are the recipe for longevity for Radosława Łapkiewicz from Rypin, who celebrated her 100th birthday. This unusual jubilee was also celebrated by the Vice-Marshal of the Voivodeship Aneta Jędrzejewska and the Voivodeship Councillor Paweł Zgórzyński, who visited the doyenne, presenting her with the Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis medal.

– Much health, cheerfulness, strength and perseverance. May each new day bring you joy, smiles and the gratitude of your loved ones for your care and beautiful life. Two hundred years! – wished the Vice-Marshal Aneta Jędrzejewska.

Radosława Łapkiewicz was born on 24 March 1925 in Rakowo near Rypin, one of the six children of Bronisława and Ignacy Błażejewski. She recalls her childhood as carefree, but the outbreak of the Second World War brutally interrupted her youth. In 1940, she was deported for forced labour to East Prussia, where she stayed for the entire occupation, working for a German farmer.

After the war, she returned to Poland and married Adam Łapkiewicz, the owner of an orchard farm in Rypin. In 1949 their first son was born and two years later their second son. Unfortunately, in 1952 Adam was killed in a motorbike accident, leaving Radoslawa with two young children. Despite the difficulties, she determinedly developed the farm, the running of which became her passion.

She has six grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. A very family-oriented person, she always valued time spent with her loved ones. She also enjoyed travelling, and one trip she recalls with fondness was to Italy and the papal general audience in St Peter’s Square, from which she brought back a souvenir photo and a rosary.

– When I took over the farm, she continued to help me – tending the garden, cooking. Her black pudding with potato dumplings was the best in the world. Today, she enjoys spending time with the press and the radio. Although her hearing is impaired, she still keeps up to date,’ says Radosława’s son Kazimierz.

The mayor of Rypin, Paweł Grzybowski, among others, also visited Mrs Radosława with warm wishes.

The regional government has been honouring centenarians of the region since 2018, with more than 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.

Press Office of the Marshal’s Office

25 March 2025.