XXIX branch stage of the “Poznajemy Ojcowiznę” competition

Young people discover the history of their local homeland!
The XXIX branch stage of the National Youth Sightseeing Competition “Discovering Our Homeland” (Poznajemy Ojcowiznę) 2026 in Żnin is behind us.
The pupils presented very interesting works on the history, traditions and beauty of our region, showing how important it is to get to know and look after local heritage.
This year 11 works were entered - both written and multimedia - prepared by pupils of primary and secondary schools. Each one was special and showed how young people can explore the history of their “local homeland” with real passion.
Patronage and support
The event was held under the Honorary Patronage of the Mayor of Żnin and the media patronage of Radio Żnin FM, and the event partner was Miejska i Powiatowa Biblioteka Publiczna w Żninie (the Municipal and County Public Library in Żnin).
The competition was also co-financed by Żnin County.
Guests
The Mayor of Żnin was represented by Monika Andruszkiewicz - Head of the Tourism, Promotion and Development Department at Żnin Town Hall, and the Starost of Żnin County by Artur Jakubowski - Head of the Promotion and Local Development Department at the County Office.
Also taking part in the event were:
• Ms Paulina Zawadzka-Bauza - Secretary of Rogowo Municipality
• Ms Anna Jarecka - Gminny Dom Kultury w Rogowie
as well as the supervisors and teachers who supported the young people in preparing their competition works.

Competition jury
The works were judged by:
Magdalena Gabryszak - chair,
Karolina Konarska - deputy chair,
Włodzimierz Sulecki - secretary,
Anna Strzelecka, Elżbieta Marek and Renata Igła - jury members.

Competition results
Written works category
1st place - Emilia Owczarczak (SP nr 2 im. Jana Śniadeckiego
w Żninie, supervisor: Małgorzata Janicka) - “Pałuki embroidery as intangible cultural heritage”
Joint 2nd place -
• Anna Jabłońska (SP nr 2 im. Jana Śniadeckiego w Żninie, supervisor: Sylwia Trojan) - “Roots that give strength - on the bond with my mum
and grandma, and on family traditions”
• Zofia Leśniewska (SP nr 2 im. Jana Śniadeckiego w Żninie, supervisor: Sylwia Trojan) - “History written in notes. A story of generations joined by music”
3rd place - Oliwier Domagała, Jan Grzewiński and Patrycja Wiśniewska (Niepubliczna SP w Brzyskorzystwi, supervisor: Jadwiga Szałacińska) - “A symbol of perseverance
and cooperation. About a school celebrating 200 years of history”

Multimedia works category
1st place - Hubert Przycki and Jakub Bleja (SP nr 2 im. Jana Śniadeckiego w Żninie, supervisor: Sylwia Trojan) - “Along the Gąsawka through Pałuki”
2nd place - Weronika Piekarska and Zofia Kozłowska (SP im. Mikołaja Kopernika w Rogowie, supervisor: Jolanta Czernijewska) - “Klemens Maciaszczyk - the man who gave Rogowo a team”
3rd place - Jan Meller (SP nr 2 im. Jana Śniadeckiego w Żninie, supervisor: Sylwia Trojan) - “The history that lives in our family - service, honour, remembrance”

Commendations
Dominik Marczyński (SP nr 5 w Żninie, supervisor: Joanna Nowakowska) - “The natural assets of the Gąsawka river valley”
Jakub Jurczak and Franciszek Wojdal (SP nr 2 im. Jana Śniadeckiego w Żninie, supervisor: Małgorzata Janicka) - “Stefan Czarnecki - community activist, regionalist, a man of many passions”

Voivodeship stage
All the works have been passed on to the voivodeship stage, which this year will take place in Włocławek.
Thanks
We thank the pupils for their huge amount of work and commitment, and the supervisors for their support
and expert help.
Our special thanks go to:
• the Mayor of Żnin, Łukasz Kwiatkowski - for the Honorary Patronage and for funding prizes
• the Starost of Żnin County, Zbigniew Jaszczuk - for financial support
• the Director, Ms Beata Czaczyk, and the staff of Miejska i Powiatowa Biblioteka Publiczna w Żninie - for co-organising the event and funding the prizes for 1st and 2nd place
Once again, congratulations to all the authors, and good luck in the voivodeship stage!
Because by getting to know our homeland, we better understand who we are and where we come from.
We already invite you to take part in the next edition of the competition next year.
photo: Ewa Katarzyna Kras
@obserwujący

Announcement and practical information

ATTENTION, COMPETITION!
The PTTK Pałuki Branch in Żnin warmly invites children and school pupils from all over Żnin County to take part in the XXIX National Youth Sightseeing Competition "Discovering Our Homeland" (Poznajemy Ojcowiznę) - 2026! - branch stage.
The 2026 edition is held under Honorary Patronage:
the Honorary Patronage of the Mayor of Żnin - Mr Łukasz Kwiatkowski, and the media patronage of Radio Żnin FM.
Partner: Miejska i Powiatowa Biblioteka Publiczna w Żninie
This is a special initiative in sightseeing and tourism education, with a rich history! The competition is held regularly and has run without a break since 1994, which makes it one of the oldest projects of its kind in Poland.
Main aim: to encourage you to get to know your native land, and to promote local homelands, our national heritage and the achievements of modern times.
What kind of works can you enter?
We will judge works made by pupils under the supervision of teachers or tutors. You are completely free to choose the form:
Traditional: written works, albums, cut-and-paste pictures, collages, etc.
Multimedia: presentations, films, etc.
Send your works by post or deliver them in person to the organiser's office.
What next?
The winning works in each category will receive prizes and be sent
to the voivodeship stage of the National Youth Sightseeing Competition “Discovering Our Homeland” (Poznajemy Ojcowiznę) - to PTTK in Włocławek! You have a chance to represent the region!
Important deadline!
The deadline for submitting works to the Organiser - the PTTK Pałuki Branch in Żnin - is:
23 February 2026
We encourage you to take part! Let's show how beautiful our area is!
You will find the detailed Competition Rules, the entry form and the declaration below:
@obserwujący

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