The Library in Wierzchosławice was established at the beginning of 1947 as the Municipal Library…
At the beginning it’s collection consisted of a set of fewer than 100 volumes, handed over by the District Library on January 28 of that year. The lack of suitable premises greatly hindered and delayed the actual start of its activity. The book collection was placed in the Wincenty Witos People’s House, which was then occupied by the Municipal Office, but it was not provided with even a little bit of good working conditions were not provided for the Library. That’s why in the first year, there were difficulties finding someone willing to manage it. After the inspection of the Library in Wierzchosławice in November 1948, the director of the District Library noted in the Chronicle that it had a location “in a corner, in a passageway — unsuitable and the worst in the district.” In 1950 — probably due to premises issues — it was moved to the Primary School building, where it shared a room with the school library.
In 1978, after the construction of a new, majestic office building to which the Municipal Office and other occupants of the People’s House moved, three rooms with a total area of 80 square meters were allocated to the Library in the “Ludowiec.”
Ten years later, a major renovation of the People’s House began, and the Library had to relocate again. It was placed in two rooms in a nearby building occupied by an agricultural mill. In November 1993, after the renovation was completed, the Library returned to the People’s House and occupied rooms on the upper floor. From 1998, after yet another move, it was relocated to the “Zajazd” building, taking over a spacious ground-floor area.
The founder and first head of the Library was Antonina Niedojadło. Janina Rojek distinguished herself through many years of work and dedication to promoting reading. Others who worked there included: Krystyna Wojciechowska, Janina Karaś, Maria Golonka, Beata Krużel, Beata Gubernat, Anna Kawa, Katarzyna Katra, Ewa Klimek, Anna Głowacka, and Iwona Gleisner. Since 1990, the head of the Library has been Anna Mikos. Among the volunteers running local library branches, the following stood out: Maria Jackowska, Franciszek Wydro, Kazimierz Salawa, Edward Gutowski, Stanisław Wzorek, Józefa Stawarz, Bogusława Krzak, Anna Molczyk, Urszula Fronczyk, Wanda Kurowska, Wanda Czeczot, and Ewa Oćwieja. With good work results, the Library expanded its cultural activities — among many other, organizing meetings for young readers, literary lectures, contests, author meetings, and publishing several informational brochures.In 2005, the Municipal Council granted the Library the name of Władysław Stanisław Reymont, who had visited Wierzchosławice 80 years earlier at the invitation of Wincenty Witos.
C a l e n d a r
of the Life and Works of Władysław St. Reymont
1867 Born in the village “Kobiele Wielkie”, the son of Józef Rejment, a local organist, and Antonina née Kupczyńska.
1868-1880 The Rejment family moves to Tuszyn near Łódź. Stanisław attends school and learns tailoring in Warsaw.
1882 – 1884 Begins his first poetic attempts. Obtains a journeyman tailor’s diploma.
1885 – 1888 Works in traveling theaters. His theatrical experience later inspires works such as Komediantka and Fermenty.
1889 – 1892 Works for the Warsaw–Vienna Railway. His first works appear in the press under the pseudonym Księżak.
1893 – 1894 Favorable reviews of his published works influence his decision to quit the railway and move to Warsaw. Publishes Zawierucha and Pielgrzymka do Jasnej Góry in Tygodnik Ilustrowany. Travels to England and France.
1895 – 1899 Travels to Italy and France. Book editions of Pielgrzymka do Jasnej Góry and Komediantka are published. Writes Fermenty. Ziemia obiecana (The Promised Land) is serialized in Kurier Codzienny; the novelette “Lili. Żałosna idylla” in Kurier Warszawski.
1900 – 1901 Reymont is injured in a train accident and receives compensation. Conceives a new concept for his novel Chłopi (The Peasants).
1902-1904 Marries Aurelia Szabłowska; they travel to France. Publishes a new version of Chłopi in Tygodnik Ilustrowany.
1906 -1907 Chłopi is staged at the Łódź Theater and the Warsaw Philharmonic. Two volumes of short stories, Na krawędzi and Burza, are published.
1908-1909 Works on the historical trilogy Rok 1794. Travels to Florence. Publishes the 4th volume of Chłopi. Receives the Lewental Prize for Chłopi.
1910 – 1911 Publishes Z ziemi chełmskiej and the novelette collection Marzyciel. Releases the novel about spiritists Wampir.
1912 Purchases the estate of Charłupia Wielka for a year. Translations of his works appear abroad.
1916 – 1919 Publishes the second and third parts of Rok 1794. The Academy of Learning awards him the Mikołaj Rej Prize for Chłopi. His candidacy is presented in Stockholm for the Nobel Prize. Travels to France and America
1920 – 1921 Travels again to America to collect material for a novel about peasant emigrants. Upon returning, he buys the estate of Kołaczkowo. Receives the Order of Polonia Restituta, 4th Class, “for services rendered to the Republic of Poland in the field of literature.”
1923 – 1924 Publishes the novels Osądzona and Księżniczka. Works on the allegorical novel Bunt. His health deteriorates. Bunt and Legenda are published in book form. On November 8, the Swedish Academy awards him the Nobel Prize in Literature for Chłopi. Due to ill health, he does not attend the ceremony; the Polish envoy in Stockholm, Alfred Wysocki, delivers the award to him in France.
1925 Reymont returns to Poland. Takes part in harvest celebrations in Wierzchosławice, the home village of Wincenty Witos. Dies during the night of December 5–6 and is buried in the Avenue of the Meritorious at Powązki Cemetery.
Based on: B. Koc, Władysław Reymont, Warsaw, 1973, pp. 81–102.
The Wincenty Witos People’s House – History and Present
The beginnings of the People’s House in Wierzchosławice are closely tied to the person of the most famous resident of Wierzchosławice, three-time Prime Minister of the Second Polish Republic, statesman and peasant leader — Wincenty Witos.
The first mention of the construction of this magnificent modernist architectural work indicates that the work was initiated at Witos’s initiative on April 24, 1921. The origins of the People’s House were linked to the renovation of the old parsonage next to the Wierzchosławice church. At a meeting of the Parish Council Committee on April 8, 1920, a decision was made to build a new bricked parsonage. That has undoubtedly dashed Witos’s plans for building the People’s House—or at least delayed them considerably. The poor parish simply was not in a position to finance two such expensive undertakings at once. Witos attempted, unfortunately without success, to persuade, at that time, the parish priest, Fr. Józef Franczak, of the necessity of building a cheaper, wooden parsonage (Witos, without waiting for the committee’s decision, even bought timber for its construction). But the Parish Committee decided otherwise. Father Franczak, arguing for the masonry parsonage, wrote: “Wood from the Sanguszko forests has fungal spores. The mayor built a shelter in Czarna, and in the third year fungus attacked it; in Radlna the house for the administrator built of wood was consumed by fungus in the first year. Mr. Witos finally agreed to a masonry parsonage because he feared fungus; otherwise in two years we’d have to think of a new parsonage.” Work on the masonry parsonage began in autumn 1920. Due to a mild winter, in January 1921 bricks were brought in from the “Konstancja” brickyard in Tarnów, owned by the Sanguszko noble princely family. The work progressed quickly. Fr. Franczak reported: “By June 23, Ignacy Wszołek, a neighbor of the parsonage, had roof battens installed and the roof tiles laid […] As soon as the finishing works of the roof was done, Mr. Witos on June 24 immediately began construction on the People’s House, and from the parsonage transported entire stacks of boards intended for the parsonage — also beams for scaffolding. Further finishing of the parsonage was suspended due to the construction of Witos’s People’s House.”
As a result of beginning the construction of the People’s House, work on the parsonage was completely halted. Bitter about this, Fr. Franczak wrote:
“Throughout 1922 nothing at all was done around the parsonage, while the People’s House rose upward at a rapid pace.”
Virtually all the inhabitants of the commune became involved in building the People’s House. In addition to donations, funds were raised through organizing fairs, dances, and theatrical performances. Of course, such a large investment could not have been built without private contributors; among them were the landowner and senator Ludwik Hammerling, local farmer Wincenty Stawarz, and the initiator Wincenty Witos himself, he proudly emphasized that: “The People’s House became the property of the commune, although it was erected by the generosity of private people, among whom I numbered myself. And the commune, giving least, gained most.” The building plan for the People’s House was drawn up by engineer Henryk Dudka from Kraków, a former Deputy Minister of Public Works, who accepted no payment for his work.
[Photo] The People’s House building in the 1930s.
(From the collections of Janina Kalicińska and Ludmiła Bandura)
The bricklaying works were overseen by Józef Nieć from Dębina Łętowska, and carpentry works were carried out thanks to the indispensable Ignacy Wszołek. Thanks to the sacrifice of local peasants who lent their transport, tools, and materials, the work proceeded so quickly that the building likely reached “shell” condition by 1923. The building was constructed of brick and had a wooden upper floor. On the ground floor were a large meeting hall and two rooms. The upper floor housed the mayor’s office, the municipal office, and several rooms intended as apartments.
On May 3, 1923, Witos together with the head of the local school, Adolf Kaliciński, organized the first celebration in the village of the May 3 Constitution Day. “A May Day March with a horse guard;children from school with flags. After Holy Mass the participants proceeded in front of the People’s House, where speeches were made from the portico.” The grand opening was to take place in early July 1924, but the date had to be postponed due to the tragic death of Witos’s son-in-law, Gustaw Stawarz. “On Friday, July 4, in Warsaw around 3 a.m., passersby on Wielka Street near Sienna Street corner saw him with a broken head, from which blood was trickling… The funeral took place on Tuesday, July 8.” The proper opening of the People’s House took place on September 28, 1924, coinciding with the celebration of the 35th anniversary of political activity of Peasant Party deputies Jakub Bojko and Andrzej Średniawski. As the contemporary weekly magazine Piast wrote: “People from all of the country converged on Wierzchosławice. In addition to folk groups from Kraków, Sądecczyzna, and Zakopane, Silesians and Kashubians arrived. Naturally, eminent guests were present. There were: the Marshal of the Sejm [Maciej] Rataj, former Prime Minister [Lucjan] Nowak, Senator [Andrzej] Kędzior; former ministers: [Władysław Leon] Grzędzielski, [Franciszek] Bardel, [Władysław] Kiernik, [Marian] Szydłowski; voivodes:[Władysław] Kowalikowski and [Lucjan] Zawistowski; presiding justice Wolter, notary [Eugeniusz] Geisler from Tarnów, the consul from Lyon Dr. [Ludwik] Włodek, Deputy Mayor of the city of Kraków Wielgus […] Representatives of Sejm and Senate: [Michał] Jedynak, [Narcyz] Potoczek, [Jan] Pieniążek, [Jan] Brodacki, [Jan] Cieluch, [Bronisław] Malik, [Wojciech] Sikora, [Aleksander] Niedbalski, [Bruno] Gruszka, [Antoni August] Matakiewicz, [Paweł] Bobek and others. The men’s choir from Tarnów performed a series of beautiful chants. That choir sang most beautifully during the High Mass, which was carried out by Fr. Franczak, and the sermon was delivered by the vicar, Fr. Grochowski.”
[Photo] The People’s House in Wierzchosławice, years 1924–1930
(From the collections of the Municipal Cultural Center in Wierzchosławice)
Thus began the activity and operation of a cultural-educational institution much needed by the village, whose goal was to shape social awareness and patriotism among peasants. As Wincenty Witos wrote: “Initially, a significant part of the population looked askance at the People’s House, considering it a place of demoralization.” In order to establish itself in the mentality of Wierzchosławice residents, the People’s House building had to “convince” them of its merits. To do so nearly from the beginning, a vigorously operating People’s Theater was located in the People’s House, led by the local teacher Adolf Kaliciński and his wife. The People’s Theater in Wierzchosławice was remarkable because it carried almost national renown, and the members of the acting ensemble were peasants who in the morning worked in their farms and in the evening put on theatrical costumes.
That the People’s House engaged in extensive supra-local cooperation at that time is evidenced by the fact that on August 8, 1926, the Youth Circle from Ryglice visited the People’s House and staged the comedy “Politics and Love” by Józef Rączkowski. The local Rural Youth Circle also found its place within the People’s House. The Circle originally operated in the public school. Through the efforts of Witos and Adolf Kaliciński, it was moved to the newly built People’s House. The artistic quality of the Circle was handled by Adolf and Ludmiła Kaliciński, with cooperation from local peasants: Antoni Solak, Tadeusz Suda, Jan Płanik, Antoni Bogusz. The Circle gave 5 to 6 performances a year, received with great acclaim by both local and outside audiences. The Youth Circle even acquired a plot of land behind the People’s House, on which Ludmiła Kalicińska organized remarkable cultivation courses for potatoes , corn, millet, cabbage, etc. Moreover, Ludmiła Kalicińska and teacher Karolina Augustynowa organized famous sewing and embroidery courses.
Over time, the People’s House in Wierzchosławice became the cultural center of the village: meetings and rallies were held there; folk and state festivals and events were organized inside; in the interwar years it housed a school, the fire brigade, a mutual aid and savings association (Stefczyk’s fund), managed by the local peasant activist Antoni Solak, and even, as already mentioned, the Rural Youth Circle. A substantial book collection was gathered in the People’s House, one that many libraries of the time would not have shamed. In subsequent years the People’s House was overseen by a committee elected by the Municipal Council. In 1931, the Council, fearing that the “sanacja” regime might take control of the facility, leased the People’s House to the Agricultural Circle. However, lack of sources does not allow fully recounting the People’s House’s activities during that period.
Taking into account certain indications, we can assume that the organizational activity of the People’s House gradually declined from about 1933, and its educational value significantly lowered. The internal political situation in the Peasant Movement surely influenced that. Factional struggles, the departure from the PSL “Piast” club by leading figures headed by Jakub Bojko, led to Witos—and correspondingly the peasant movement he represented—losing support not only within the commune but throughout the country.
The defeat of the Peasant MPs in the elections of March 1928 and November 1930 had repercussions in Wierzchosławice itself. Moreover, the disastrous flood of July 1934 and the associated costs of rebuilding the commune certainly led to the abandonment of many cultural projects tied to the People’s House, for several years. Meanwhile within the commune, “sanacja accents” associated with Marshal Piłsudski became increasingly evident. In 1931, the long-time educator and organizer of many cultural initiatives, Adolf Kaliciński, lost his position as principal of school. “Director Kaliciński, a reasonably decent man, was transferred to the remote end of the state, destroying his entire existence. His fault was that he refused to establish ‘Strzelec’ […] The post was also taken from the head of the post office in Bogumiłowice, Ludwik Kuraś, who was transferred all the way to Spisz.”
From the collections of Janina Kalicińska and Ludmiła Bandura
Actors and leadership of the People’s Theater in Wierzchosławice before the performance
“Kościuszko at Racławice”
The arrest and subsequent conviction of Witos in the “Brześć trial” in autumn 1930 led by decision of the Tarnów county governor to the immediate ceasing of existence of the Municipal Council in Wierzchosławice. On September 25, 1931, Wincenty Witos stopped being mayor of Wierzchosławice after 24 years in that office. The prosecutor ordered Witos’s property to be auctioned off to cover the trial costs amounting to 2,020 złoty. Thanks to transferring his entire estate to his daughter Julia, the holdings were spared from liquidation. “Only one desk was truly Witos’s, the other items belonged to his daughter or wife; thus both ladies filed a complaint for exclusion of those things, to which the court consented.” In 1938, on the 20th anniversary of regaining independence, a monument to the fallen in World War I was unveiled in front of the People’s House. During 1939–1945, the People’s House served as the premises of the elementary school; it also housed the municipal government’s commissioner, Roman Czosnyka.
[Photo] Wincenty Witos in front of the People’s House during the municipal harvest festival — 1930
(From the collections of the Wincenty Witos Museum in Wierzchosławice)
Only the desk that personally belonged to Witos was seized by the bailiff. However, no one came to the auction in Wierzchosławice; the peasants thereby demonstrated solidarity and loyalty to Witos. The desk was eventually sold at an auction in Tarnów, purchased by a Jew for 35 zł. (Liber Memorabilium of the Wierzchosławice parish, vol. II, p. 193).
Lib. Mem., vol. II, p. 193.
After the second world war, the permanent resident of the People’s House became Dr. Adam Bryl, a physician. During the occupation, he selflessly helped the inhabitants of Wierzchosławice. After the war, he was the first head of the health center in the commune. Dr. Bryl’s memory was honored in 1998 by naming the newly built Municipal Health Center after him. When the University of the People (Uniwersytet Ludowy) was established, taking on the entire burden of cultural and educational work in the commune, the People’s House remained on the periphery of cultural life.
In the People’s House building a library was placed. What was initially a temporary solution became long-term. Until 1977—i.e., until the construction of the present municipal office building—the People’s House served as the Municipal Office, the Civil Registry Office, the Municipal Library, and the Cooperative Bank. Only after 1977 did the library gain somewhat more space, covering three rooms vacated by the municipal office. From 1994 the telephone exchange also operated inside the People’s House. On the front wall of the People’s House are four monumental plaques commemorating persons and the most important events from Wierzchosławice’s rich past. The first plaque is located on the left side of the main entrance. It is made of white marble and commemorates victims of clashes with the police during the peasant strike in Wierzchosławice in August 1936.
(From the collections of the Wincenty Witos Museum in Wierzchosławice)
Its unveiling occurred exactly on the 20th anniversary of those bloody events. The second plaque is dedicated to Maria Rzeźnik (née Kuzdrów), wife of the well-known Wierzchosławice peasant activist Kazimierz Rzeźnik. Maria Rzeźnik paid for her heroic independence activity during World War II with her life in the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in 1943. The formal unveiling took place during the folk holiday on April 2, 1974. The third plaque was created at the initiative of the Wierzchosławice Association of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy, which brought together former veterans’ and patriotic organizations; it was unveiled on October 29, 1985. This plaque commemorates the memory of Wierzchosławice inhabitants who died fighting the Nazi occupiers in 1939–1945. Another plaque was unveiled during the “Reymontian Harvest Festival” in August 1985. By the intention of the Society of Friends of the W. Witos Museum, a commemorative plaque was embedded honoring the famous harvest festival held in Wierzchosławice in August 1925 with the participation of Nobel laureate Władysław Reymont.
[Photo] The unveiling ceremony of the monument to those fallen during World War I. Wierzchosławice 1938
(From the collections of Janina Kalicińska and Ludmiła Bandura)
All the above plaques remain on the front wall of the People’s House to this day, and during state ceremonies villagers lay flowers by them and light symbolic candles. In 1975, as a result of reorganization of educational institutions in the communes, the name “Wincenty Witos People’s House” was changed to “Municipal Cultural Center in Wierzchosławice.” The directors of the institution were Agnieszka Dybiec, followed by Leszek Liszka, Zbigniew Buski, and Roman Głowacki. At the initiative of the latter, a full renovation of the Municipal Cultural Center began in 1986. The renovation, with breaks, continued until 1993, during which the building’s façade was redone and paving was laid in front. Inside, wooden stairs and balustrades were installed, walls were repainted, window joinery and radiators were replaced. Additionally, wall tiles were laid on the first floor. The renovation was carried out by Adam Świerczek’s company Adambud and the Remontowo-Budowlany (Repair & Construction) Plant of Jarosław Zięcina. During a later renovation a marble plaque reading “Wincenty Witos People’s House in Wierzchosławice”, which had been above the entrance since 1924, was broken. Mrs. Zofia Oćwieja handed over fragments of the broken plaque to the Wincenty Witos Museum. Through conservation work the plaque was restored; however, members of the People’s Party (Polish: ludowcy) associated with the Society of Friends of the W. Witos Museum and the Polish People’s Party made a duplicate, which in November 2000 was placed back on the building.
From 1992 to 1999 the director of the People’s House was Wiesław Kutek, who as a municipal councilor and chair of the Education and Culture Commission proposed restoring the original name of the building. The Cultural Center had borne that name until October 30, 1992. On November 1, 1992 the building again began to operate under the name Wincenty Witos People’s House. Motivating his decision to take the director’s post by patriotic motives and a wish “to do something for the community,” Kutek stated: “The fact that I have lived in Bogumiłowice since birth makes it easier for me to understand the cultural and spiritual needs of the Wierzchosławice community.” During Kutek’s 7-year term as director, the Ballroom Dancing Club “Arabeska” offered modern dance instruction to the commune’s youth. The Song and Dance Ensemble “Swojacy,” under choreographer Mariola Szydłowska, achieved numerous successes. At Kazimierz Kapała’s initiative a Municipal Tourism Club was established; harvest festivals, municipal school Spartakiads, and Christian Culture Days were held, during which the ensemble “Sacrum” from Bogumiłowice appeared as guests and the artist Kazimierz Dżalak presented an exhibition of paintings titled God, You Are My Inspiration. At that time on the ground floor there was a gym, billiards, and the “Wiraż” buffet. Moreover, since 1992 the People’s House became the seat of the editorial office of the municipal periodical Ziemia Wierzchosławicka and the AK Bulletin, published by the Society for the Cultivation of Knowledge about the Home Army. The Ziemia Wierzchosławicka magazine was first published as a bimonthly of the People’s House in Wierzchosławice. Its print run was 100 copies. The editorial team consisted of Wiesław Kutek as Editor in-Chief, Secretary Mariola Szydłowska, and Lidia Głowacka responsible for proofreading. The remaining staff varied; often working were Stanisław Dzierwa, Roman Głowacki, Ryszard Bogusz, Anita Sochacka, Rafał Kubisztal, Piotr Kania, and Marian Chuchrowski. It is worth noting that starting in 1997 the magazine appeared in a new color graphic design and the print run was increased to 500 copies. Currently Ziemia Wierzchosławicka is a local journal with an established position. This status was influenced by its open nature — the journal accepts contributions from all and reaches an ever wider audience. Since 1999 the editor of Ziemia Wierzchosławicka has been Danuta Flaumenhaft, assisted for a time by the magazine’s secretary Józef Komarewicz; currently these responsibilities are handled by Marzena Padło. In 1996, with the help of Janina Kupiec, head of the W. Witos Museum, one of the rooms on the upper floor of the People’s House was opened as the “Mayors’ Room” — a permanent exhibition devoted to local municipal chiefs and the history of local government.
In his final years in office, Wiesław Kutek did not manage to realize all his ambitions. He failed to publish postcards celebrating monuments and the landscape beauty of the Vistula region commune; to establish a municipal brass band; to publish a volume of poetry by Henryk Lorkiewicz from Bogumiłowice and by painter Kazimierz Dżalak; to issue a folder in Polish and English to promote tourism in the Wierzchosławice commune. As Kutek carefully calculated, fulfilling these needs would have required about 100,000 złoty. Kutek stated: “The demands of the Council are great, but funds are usually scarce. To those who think we can operate without money, I invite them to do the work …”
In the past two decades, the People’s House was a place of international significance, and its interior was visited by prominent politicians. In 1992, in connection with the “Solidarity” Election Action campaign, the People’s House was visited by Adam Glapiński, then Minister of Construction in the government of Jan Krzysztof Bielecki. In 1994, within the walls of the People’s House, Prof. Lech Falandysz from the office of President Lech Wałęsa spoke of the need to create a new center-right political formation in Poland. In 1998, Wierzchosławice was visited by Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek. In the People’s House he spoke with farmers, and in the “Mayors’ Room” met with mayors and municipal heads of Tarnów Voivodeship, forming the so-called “Wierzchosławice Agreement for State Reform Promotion.” On August 29, 1999, during the municipal Harvest Festival celebrations in the “Mayors’ Room,” a partnership agreement was signed between the Hungarian municipality Rakoczifalva and Wierzchosławice. That cooperation resulted in organizing the “Friendship Days of the Wierzchosławice – Rakoczifalva Communes” in 2001, when the open-air stage behind the People’s House was also solemnly opened. In 2007, during the “Congress of the Polish Village” in Wierzchosławice, Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński laid flowers at the monument to the heroes of World War I in front of the People’s House.
But the greatest enthusiasm among Wierzchosławice’s residents was aroused by the visit of President Lech Kaczyński on October 30, 2009. On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of regaining independence, Lech Kaczyński laid a wreath in Wincenty Witos’s chapel in the Wierzchosławice cemetery and then met with villagers in the People’s House. In 2001 and 2002 a series of school theater competitions “Skrzat” was successfully organized, with participation from elementary schools across the Wierzchosławice commune; and thanks to the help of the Andrzej Urbańczyk Foundation, in 2004 a computer lab was launched which all commune inhabitants could use. During the last decade, the Municipal Cultural Center also undertook many cultural initiatives with numerous talented artists. Among the flagship events are the art exhibitions of Adam Jańec and Kazimierz Dżalak from Bogumiłowice, and literary meetings with the local poet Janusz Gdowski. The largest outdoor event now organized by the People’s House in Wierzchosławice is the Wierzchosławice Carp Festival. First held in 2001, the event quickly gained a following and became a kind of calling card of the region.
However, one cannot forget the Witos-rooted origin of this institution. Therefore, while preserving the tradition of Wincenty Witos, co-founder of the peasant movement, the People’s House has for years maintained close cooperation with the Witos Museum and the Society of Friends of the Wincenty Witos Museum in Wierzchosławice. Between 2017 and 2020 the building underwent a thorough renovation that restored its former glory. Today it houses the Władysław Stanisław Reymont Municipal Public Library.
The 90-year activity of the Wincenty Witos People’s House in Wierzchosławice has become permanently inscribed in the pages of history. That activity has undoubtedly contributed significantly to the dissemination and cultivation of culture, patriotic and civic attitudes, educating several generations of youth in that spirit
. The phenomenon of this extraordinary place will surely endure, and its history will continue to be made by the residents of the commune.
Municipal Cultural Center named after Wincenty Witos in Wierzchosławice. As of 2010.