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

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 movement—the first independent rural organization in Poland after World War II. The regional government is a co-organizer of the commemorations in Bydgoszcz honoring the  heroes of those events. Yesterday (March 16), a ceremony was held at the plaque commemorating the farmers’ strike, attended by member of the regional board Dariusz Kurzawa, as well as members of parliament, local government officials, and representatives of the central administration. On Thursday (March 19), a ceremonial session of the regional assembly will take place at the Voivodeship Office in Bydgoszcz and will be streamed online at www.devkujawsko2.pollyart.eu.

“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 European family of nations. The noble attitude of those women and men in those difficult times required courage—and sometimes even heroism. Many paid a high personal price, 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,” said Marshal Piotr Całbecki.

Following Monday’s flower-laying ceremony at the plaque commemorating the 1981 farmers’ strike, ceremonial session of the regional parliament is scheduled for Thursday and a ceremony at the obelisk dedicated to the Bydgoszcz March of 1981. The formal parliament session will be the main event of the celebrations marking the Year of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers “Solidarity” and Bydgoszcz March ’81.

In addition to the regional government, the organizers include the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivode, the city authorities of Bydgoszcz, regional branches of the Solidarity trade union, and the local delegation of the Institute of National Remembrance.

Beata Krzemińska
Press spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office
March 13, 2026
Last updated: March 17, 2026