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CHRONOLOGY
AFTER 1945
1945
A middle school is established in Warka, and a year later it is relocated to the manor in Winiary. In 1950, the school becomes a high school, with Stanisław Marciniak as its principal.
1946
The Town is slowly recovering from the war, which impacted almost 90 percent of its area. In August, the Temporary Sub-Commission on the Economic Reconstruction of Devastated Areas visits Warka.
An American student congregation addresses the Reconstruction Ministry with a plea to rebuild Warka as the hometown of Casimir Pulaski.
“Bracia Lubert” Construction Hardware Factory becomes state property and it is renamed “Warka” Tool Factory (Fabryka Obrabiarek i Narzędzi Warka). Jerzy Lubert, son of the factory founder Władysław Lubert, gets to be its CEO. In 1948, the plant is renamed yet another time to be called Mechanical Equipment Factory (FUM).
1947
On January 19, 1947, the Municipal Public Library opens its doors to book-hungry readers. Its book collection includes 300 items saved by the KS Pilica sports club, which survived the turmoil of the war. In 1950, the library could already pride itself on its 1,361 volumes and 130 readers.
The Polish Sightseeing Society opens its Warka branch. September 2, 1947, marks their first meeting. The list of the invited guests also includes public administration representatives from all political parties as well as members of the local social and economic organizations. The above 24 individuals form the core of the organization. Ryszard Skoryna becomes Chairman of the Board. In 1950, the Polish Sightseeing Society, abbreviated PTK, becomes PTTK–the Polish Tourism and Sightseeing Society, and in 1951, Wiktor Krawczyk takes over as President.
The Central Management Board of the State Fermentation Industry (Centralny Zarząd Przemysłu Fermentacyjnego) commences the construction of the State Fruit Processing Plant “Winiary” on May 27, repurposing the former brewery site; in 1952, the production plant changes its name to be called Mazovian Winery (Mazowiecka Wytwórnia Win), and since 1991, it has been called Warwin SA.
On August 21-22, His Excellency Cardinal August Hlond visits the Town. The dignitary is welcomed on the Market Square by Warka residents, public administration representatives, local organizations, and the army. In his speech, the Cardinal thanks the gathered for the warm welcome and wishes the Town a quick recovery.
1956
On October 7, 1956, the Mazovian Winery harvests its first grapes. The event becomes a regular occurance for three years between 1956 and 1958, naturally in the fall. Aleksandra Lewandowska organizes the event, also known as: the Grape Harvest Festival, Grape Harvest Days, and Grape Harvest Festivities.
1965
On May 22, 1965, the 2nd Casimir Pulaski Elementary School officially opens. A relevant committee, called the Municipal School Building Committee, was established in 1959, and four years later, the school foundation act was symbolically put in the school’s foundation.
The Casimir Pulaski school was to serve as a monument to commemorate the Millenium of the Polish State. It is listed in the “One Thousand Schools for One Thousand Years of the Polish State” large-scale operation, under number 900. The Board of Education and the Parents’ Committee moved that the Warsaw School District Superintendent approve naming the school for Casimir Pulaski.
The Casimir Pulaski Warka Town Boosters (Towarzystwo Miłośników Miasta Warki imienia Kazimierza Pułaskiego) is founded on September 14 at the Book and Press Club with the Mechanical Equipment Factory. Olgierd Puciata becomes Chairman of the Board. The list of founders includes: Zdzisław Pilski, Hanna Sęk, Tadeusz Kulawik, Władysław Janus, Leon Nawrocki, and Aleksander Gajewski.
1967
Polish-American organizations, government clubs, and the local Warka community manage to make the Casimir Pulaski Museum happen; the Museum is to be dedicated to the Hero of Poland and the United States of America as well as other distinguished Polish-Americans. Since its early days, the Museum has been engaged in fostering local history research, remaining faithful to the legacy left behind by the Polish Tourism and Sightseeing Society’s Regional Museum, established in the 1950s.
1970
A Municipal and Communal Cultural Center opens, initially to be located in the fire department building.
1974
On April 28, Warka takes part in the third edition of a television show called the TV Bank of Cities. Its rival is the town of Brzozów in south-east Poland. Brzozów won by a hair, but the event spurred the revival process of the social and cultural lives of the town.
1975
The famous WARKA Brewery starts to operate as Zakłady Piwowarskie in Warka; though the company has been through a number of organizational changes, it continues to promote the Town’s name across Poland.
1979
October 13, 1979 marks the unveiling ceremony of a Casimir Pulaski monument. The event took place close to the Museum’s manor on the bicentennial of the death of the Hero of Two Nations. Sculptor Kazimierz Danilewicz was entrusted with the project. The ceremony attracted over two thousand visitors, including American guests, the army, and scouts. The monument was unveiled by Minister Janusz Wieczorek. It remains the only full-figured monument of Casimir Pulaski in Poland.
1993
The Culture, Sports, and Leisure Center opens in Warka. Its construction took 7 years, from 1984 through 1993. Since 2007, the Center has been called the Sports and Recreation Center.
2000
The Sports and Recreation Centre in Warka manages to open the “Olimpic” indoor swimming pool on June 20, 2000.
2003
W.A.R.K.A. Association is set up on May 7, 2003 with the mission to spur more local initiatives and promote the District of Grójec. The guiding principles of the Association have been encompassed in its name and translate to: Vision (Wizja), Activity (Aktywność), Entertainment (Rozrywka), Culture (Kultura), and Alternative (Alternatywa).
2005
The Casimir Pulaski Museum and W.A.R.K.A. Association come together to host the first Historical and Cultural Picnic “Vivat Pulaski” on July 3. This outdoor event features a Pulaski Parade through the Town and a picnic in the historic park in Winiary. The event has managed to promote the Town, Casimir Pulaski, and their mutual legacy.
2006 – 2008
The Stefan Czarniecki Market Square is rebuilt. The underground infrastructure is replaced, ground power lines are laid, and gas pipes and storm drains are replaced. The market square also gets a new look with colorful cubes, clinkers, and basalt pavements. The Town Hall and fire department buildings are remodeled. The traffic scheme around the square is updated.
2007
On November 29, 2007, a Piotr Wysocki monument is unveiled in the square near the Manor House on Długa Street to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Wysocki’s return from exile in Siberia to Warka and the 177th anniversary of the outbreak of the November Uprising. The project was initiated by Maria and Andrzej Gut, and the sculptor responsible for its final shape was called Andrzej Berner. Before the ceremony, a church service was held with the participation of Cardinal Józef Glemp.
2008 – 2015
An EU co-financed project called “Revitalization of Manor and Park Complex in Warka” is underway, involving a major overhaul of the manor, landscaping works in the historic park, and the construction of a modern Museum and Education Center. What is more, the Museum collections are professionally restored and digitalized. The manor and park become one of the most stunning objects in south Mazovia.
2012
The town of Warka, together with the “Sielanka nad Pilicą” equestrian and hotel center, is chosen as part of an elite group of 21 localities to house the finalists of the UEFA EURO 2012 tournament. On June 5, 2012, Warka residents watch the Croatian team practice before the game.
2013
April 7, 2013 marks the 357th anniversary of the Battle of Warka. An equestrian monument of Hetman Stefan Czarniecki is unveiled on the Warka Market Square. The monument was designed and made by sculptor Tomasz Górnicki with art mentor Prof. Antoni Janusz Pastwa, and cast in bronze in the Art Foundry in Niwy Ostrołęckie near Warka.
2016
On September 10, an athletics complex at the municipal stadium in Warka opens, including: 2 football fields, 2 treadmills, jumping hills, a dartboard, and the accompanying locker rooms and sanitary facilities. Fans can now get comfortable in the new bleachers and park their cars more conveniently. The project was part of the “Athletics Infrastructure Development Program” of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism.
2018
On May 20, 2018, Archbishop of Warsaw Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz performed the coronation of the Icon of Our Lady of the Scapular in Warka. The coronation of the work, dating back to the early 1600s, was the culmination of almost 400 years of the cult of the Warka image, initiated by the Franciscan Fathers, who were once a crucial part of Warka.
2019 – 2021
Works start to reconstruct the Warka–Radom railroad line and the accompanying railroad bridge. A road viaduct is to be constructed over the railroad track, a new stop in downtown Warka is to be available, and the railroad bridge is to be extended with more spans for the second track.