The Stories of Mrs Cecylia and Mrs Barbara
Both women grew up in the shadow of the Second World War, worked hard from a young age, and devoted their lives to caring for their families. Cecylia Wudniak from Będzitowo in Inowrocław County is renowned among her relatives for her culinary talents. Barbara Malinowska, from Aleksandrów Kujawski, was admired in her younger years for her skills in sewing and knitting, as well as her love of music and singing. Both women have been awarded the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region’s Medal, Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis. They recently met with Elżbieta Piniewska, President of the Regional Parliament, and Marek Wojtkowski, Member of the Regional Executive Board.
Cecylia Wudniak was born in Dziadowice, near Kalisz in the Wielkopolskie Region, where she grew up in the family of Stanisława and Franciszek Lewandowski. During the German occupation, at the age of thirteen, she worked for a German farming family, helping to run the household and prepare meals.
After the war, she moved to the area around Będzitowo in Inowrocław County, where she met her future husband, Edmund. They married in 1947 and raised eleven children together. Mrs Wudniak is now the proud grandmother of 22 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and 9 great-great-grandchildren. Today she is cared for by her daughter Ewa and her large extended family, who cherish her for her warmth, kindness, and exceptional cooking skills.
Barbara Malinowska was born on 6 November 1926 in Chrusty, near Służewo in Aleksandrów County, to Marcjanna and Czesław Adamkiewicz. Her youth coincided with the war years, during which she worked as a teenager on a German estate.
She met her future husband, Jan, at a local dance, where her talent for playing the accordion and singing first caught his attention. After the war, they married and settled in Aleksandrów Kujawski. Thanks to her sewing and knitting skills, she established her own business, and her sweaters, dresses, and other handmade products were highly sought after.
Together with her husband, she also performed in a folk singing group based at the local cultural centre. The couple raised two children and Mrs Malinowska is now the grandmother of four grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.
We encourage the families of residents of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region who are approaching their 100th birthday, as well as those who are already over one hundred years old, to contact us by telephone at +48 56 62 18 344 or by email at stulatkowie@kujawsko-pomorskie.pl.
Interesting Facts About Centenarians in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region
- The regional government has been honouring centenarian residents of the region since 2018.
- More than 590 people have received the Unitas Durat Medal to date.
- Among the recipients were twin sisters from the Lubraniec Municipality, who celebrated their 100th birthday together. They Inherited Their Longevity from Their Mother
- Some of the honourees fought for the freedom of Poland, including Colonel Urszula Tauer, whose 105th birthday was recently celebrated.
More stories are available in the Peers of Independent Poland section.
Press Office of the Marshal’s Office
10 November 2026
