Thank you – it may seem like a simple phrase, but I know that this word has held great significance for 500 years. Thank you – for Gwarki 2026. Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s celebrations for our town, marking its 500th anniversary, such a wonderful occasion.

I would therefore like to extend my thanks to:

• residents and visitors – all those who had a wonderful time,
• the participants in the exceptional Gwarkowski Procession,
• the services ensuring the safety of the Gwarki participants,
• the sponsors, thanks to whom the festivities could be so grand,
• the clergy: our parish priests and Salesian priests, who celebrated a concelebrated Mass with a ‘large congregation’ for the prosperity of our town and its residents,
• the artists, craftspeople and entrepreneurs – all those who ensured the festival-goers had a great time,
• guests who currently hold, or have held in the past, important roles within the new socio-political system, who accepted our invitations and celebrated the town’s anniversary with us,
• and last but not least – the staff of our Town Hall and the town’s cultural institutions, to whom – if I may – I shall devote a few more words.

The effort that ALL of you have put in

• into the preparations for Gwarki in every respect – conceptual, planning, procurement, negotiation (covering both finances and the highest quality), and calculation,
• in organising Gwarki across every area – organisational, event-related, security, promotional, cleaning,
• in tidying up after Gwarki so that both the town and the paperwork were in perfect order,
• in ‘covering all the bases’ – thanks to this, residents could be sure that at Tarnowskie Góry Town Hall, which was busy with renovations and organising the town festival, they would be able to sort out EVERYTHING that falls within the remit of the local authority, and that the service would be of the highest quality; whilst at the TCK, the Museum, the Municipal Public Library, the Palace in Rybna and even at the Staszic Shaft, cultural life went on in the finest tradition;

all of this and more – because much was happening ‘behind the scenes’ – deserves great recognition.

This year, heartfelt thanks are also due to those who ensured the beauty of our town – it is thanks to you that the Town Hall, the council chamber and the market square served as a magnificent backdrop for the town’s celebrations. The work was completed on time. I am deliberately not writing ‘we succeeded’. Because it wasn’t a matter of ‘managing to do it’! It was you – your knowledge, your consistency and your determination – that enabled us to celebrate amidst the beautiful surroundings of the historic market square and the historic Old Town. And that, after the Gwarki festival, this beauty will remain with us for years to come.

PS Yes, I know, I haven’t written 500 words. But the rest are 138 ‘thank yous’ 😊. A separate, special and heartfelt ‘thank you’ to each and every one of you.

Arkadiusz Czech, (probably) the 59th mayor of Tarnowskie Góry