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

They have lived through a century of profound change, remarkable experiences and history that today survives largely through stories and memories. What unites them is not only their recollection of difficult wartime years, but above all their strength of character, diligence, devotion to family and ability to find joy in everyday life. These remarkable women, all aged one hundred or more, have been awarded the Marshal’s Medal Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis.

Mrs Lucyna Łukasiak was born on 28 May 1926 in Ruszków, near Konin. She spent her childhood in Tomisławice, near Radziejów, where she grew up with two sisters and two brothers in the family of Feliksa and Antoni Pruski. Her youth coincided with the difficult years of the Second World War. At the age of fourteen, she was assigned to forced labour in Ruszków, where for four years she cared for farm animals. After the war, she returned to the family farm and began attending secondary school in Sompolno, where she met her future husband, Karol Łukasiak. Together they raised four daughters. Mrs Łukasiak devoted many years to managing the household before working as manager of a furniture shop in Sompolno and later in lingerie and tailoring services after moving to Bydgoszcz. Her great passions included sewing, embroidery and dressmaking. Today, she is the grandmother of seven grandchildren, great-grandmother of nine great-grandchildren and great-great-grandmother of one great-great-granddaughter. Family remains the most important value in her life, which stands as a testament to hard work, perseverance and devotion to loved ones. The medal was presented to Mrs Łukasiak by Regional Councillor Katarzyna Stranz-Kaja.

Among the recipients was also 102-year-old Jadwiga Reding. She was born on 5 June 1924 in Lidzbark Welski and spent her childhood and youth in Kurzętnik near Nowe Miasto Lubawskie. She grew up in the large family of Anna and Wojciech Grzybowski. The outbreak of the Second World War interrupted her education. During the occupation, she worked for a German family, helping to care for children. After the war, she completed secondary education in banking and spent her entire professional career working in the banking sector. Together with her husband, Roman Reding, she raised two children, a daughter and a son. Following her husband’s death, she moved to Chełmno, where she now lives under the care of her daughter Anna and her family. Mrs Reding is the grandmother of six grandchildren and great-grandmother of one great-grandson. Throughout her life she cultivated interests in sewing, embroidery and handicrafts. Her family emphasizes her kindness, vitality, cheerful disposition and deep commitment to family life.

Another centenarian celebrating her 100th birthday is Alfreda Korga, born on 4 March 1926 in Peresołowice near Hrubieszów in the Lubelskie region. She came from a large family headed by Helena and Leon. Her childhood was marked by the hardships of the Second World War, which brought an end to her formal education. At the age of fifteen, she was injured during an attack by Ukrainian armed groups. The war claimed the lives of her mother, brother and brother-in-law, and her memories of those years are shaped by danger and the constant need to flee attacks. After the war, she married Stanisław Korga in 1951, and together they ran a farm in Peresołowice. They raised three children – two sons and a daughter. Today, Mrs Korga is the grandmother of eight grandchildren and great-grandmother of eleven great-grandchildren. In her younger years, she loved sewing and tending her garden and vegetable plot. She is remembered as a caring, determined woman deeply devoted to her family. For the past year, she has been living in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region under the loving care of her relatives.

Gertruda Wyrzykowska also joined the ranks of centenarians, celebrating her 100th birthday on 8 May 2026. She spent her life in Mrocza, where she built a family home and surrounded her loved ones with care and warmth. At the age of twenty-six, she married and, together with her husband, created a loving family. She is the mother of two children and has lived to see grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who are her greatest source of joy and pride. She is known for her cheerful spirit, kindness and attachment to family traditions. Her centenary became an occasion for a special family gathering and an opportunity to express gratitude for the wealth of experience and values she has passed on to successive generations. Mrs Wyrzykowska received the Marshal’s Medal from Dariusz Kurzawa, Member of the Regional Board.

The regional self-government has been honouring centenarian residents since 2018. To date, more than five hundred people have received the Unitas Durat Medal. Families of residents who are approaching their 100th birthday, as well as those already over one hundred years old, are encouraged to contact the Marshal’s Office by telephone at +48 56 62 18 344 or by email at stulatkowie@kujawsko-pomorskie.pl.

Beata Krzemińska
Press Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office

June 3, 2026