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Bronisław Kurzętkowski
Mayor Kurzętkowski c. 1922-27
Mayoral Commisioner of Mogilno
In office 22nd February 1938 – 16th February 1939
1st Mayor of Chełmża
In office 14 December 1921 – 8 December 1934
Succeeded by	Wiktor Barwicki
Mayoral Commisioner of Chełmża
In office 21 January 1920 – 8 December 1934
Personal details
Born	(1880-05-21)May 21, 1880 Löbau , German Empire
Died	February 16, 1939(1939-02-16) (aged 58) Inowrocław, Poland
Resting place	Chełmża, Poland
Spouse	Zofia Kurzętkowska
Parents	Jan Kurzętkowski Sr. (father) Maksymilianna Grzymała-Kurzętkowska (mother)
Occupation	Politician Lawyer Activist

Early Life

He was born on May 21, 1880 in Löbau into the family of a landowner Jan Kurzętkowski (1828 - 1903 in Lubawa) and his mother Maksymilianna Grzymała-Puciłowska (1844 - 1930). Bronisław Kurzętkowski's parents were married in the monastery of St. Francis in Łąki. Maksymilianna was Jan Kurzętkowski's second wife. Jan's first wife, Adolfine Kurzętkowska-Klingenberg from Lubawa, died in 1865 at the age of 35. From his father's first marriage, they had five sons:

Jan had eight children with Maksymilianna however with Maksymilianna they had 8 children (7 sons 1 daughter)

Maksymilanna Kurzętkowska, an exemplary wife and mother devoted to raising her children, was also a well-known social activist, dedicated to charity and supporting the poor. Jan and Maksymilianna's children were well-educated. One of the sons, Franciszek, was the chief secretary of the Appellate Prosecutor's Office in Thorn and mayor of Nowe Miasto Lubawskie, Tadeusz became a Doctor of Medicine, Bronisław however was a politician lawyer and Activist

After graduating from primary school, six grades of pro-gymnasium in Lubawa and law studies in Berlin, Bronisław Kurzętkowski came to Chełmża in 1907. According to "Słowo Pomorskie", he began working in the social field at that time. While living and working in Chełmża, he was also the president of the Supervisory Board of the Parcel Company in Lubawa in 1914.

After moving to Chełmża, he began working in the local court as a secretary and translator. Previously, he had also been employed as a secretary and translator in courts in Lidzbark, Wąbrzeźno and Nowe Miasto. He cared about Polishness, becoming famous as the long-time president of the "Lutnia" Singing Society, which was also active during the partition period. In addition, as a Prussian official, he was active in other Polish societies. He also belonged to the Board of the Municipal and District People's Council. Shortly before Poland regained independence, he resigned from his position as a Prussian official without the right to a pension and devoted himself to working for the Supreme People's Council in Poznań (due to his membership in Polish organizations and not hiding his origins, in 1919 he was ordered to move from Chełmża into the depths of Germany, but he refused and had to resign from his position).

At that time, tensions between Poles and Germans were growing. In addition, the Secret Military Organization of Pomerania was established in Chełmża and the People's Guard was established, which not only promoted the idea of ​​annexing Pomerania to Poland among the residents, but also gathered weapons in case of an armed uprising. This inflamed Polish-German relations. The conflict culminated in 1919, when the insurgents began to achieve successes in Greater Poland, and especially when they captured Inowrocław and marched on Gniewkowo, located near Chełmża. At that time, the Prussian authorities decided to introduce Border Guard units (Grenzschutz) to Chełmża, commanded by Lieutenant Gerhard Rossbach. This resulted in the shelling of the city, which caused panic and resulted in several casualties. At that time, Bronisław Kurzętkowski, in connection with the situation and to calm down the conflict, went together with distinguished residents of the city to Rossbach, stationed near Pluskówek, for negotiations. The talks ended with the members of the delegation being held hostage in the Grudziądz citadel. They were released on 20 February 1919. Bronisław Kurzętkowski also gave evidence of courage and interceded for the sentenced to death Father Józef Wrycza.

After the Polish authorities took over Chełmża on 21 January 1920, Kurzętkowski was appointed commissioner mayor of the city until the next elections, which took place on 5 November 1921. The symbolic handover of the keys to the city gates was performed by Major Włodzimierz Swoiński. On 14 December 1921, Mayor Bronisław Kurzętkowski was officially sworn in for a 12-year term. In 1933, Kurzętkowski was re-elected and held his office until his retirement on 8 December 1934.

From the moment he took office as mayor, he became involved in the development of the city. He tried to employ as many educated officials of Polish origin as possible in the Chełmża city hall. Mayor Kurzętkowski was interested not only in improving the level of customer service in the office, but also in the rapid development of the city. For this purpose, an intensive construction campaign was launched. Houses were built on Polna Street, as well as administrative

and workers' at ul. Sienkiewicza, the streets were paved. The Society for Beautification of the City was also very active, taking care not only of cleanliness and order, but also contributed to the creation of walking and recreational areas in the city park. Thanks to the parish priest, Fr. Józef Szydzik, a chapel of Our Lady of Częstochowa was built in the park, which became the destination for walks for the residents of Chełmża, passing the developed lake areas on their way to it.

Bronisław Kurzętkowski also took up the fight against unemployment, which was particularly troublesome for the city in the interwar period. Together with Fr. Józef Szydzik, he organized various forms of support for the poor and unemployed, and chaired the Parish Committee for Unemployment. He was one of the initiators of opening a soup kitchen for the poor, located at ul. Hallera next to the City Slaughterhouse. He arranged for the construction of barracks for the unemployed, which still exist at ul. Chełmińskie Przedmieście (so-called Gdynia). His ally in the fight against unemployment was Stanisław Nehring, a deputy from Chełmża, a city councilor, a union and social activist.

During Bronisław Kurzętkowski's term of office, the street network was expanded, electrification lines, a shooting range for the archers' brotherhood and a municipal stadium were built. The city's financial affairs were also regulated.

Bronisław Kurzętkowski was also involved in the city's social life. He was the president of the Riflemen's Brotherhood of the Riflemen from the moment it was founded in 1928, the first president of the Volunteer Fire Departments Association of Toruń County, one of the founders and honorary president of the Volunteer Fire Department in Chełmża, chairman of the Friends of Scouting Circle, honorary member of the Gymnastics Society "Sokół", the Society of Independent Merchants and the Association of Former Participants of National Uprisings, as well as a long-time member of the District Department of Toruń County, the Electrification Association, a non-professional judge, president of the Air Defense League of the State and a member of various official committees.

Initially, Kurzętkowski was associated with the National Democratic People's Union, which after the May Coup in 1926 earned him many political enemies. In October 1927, political opponents from the Sanation camp brought many serious charges against the mayor, which was to lead to his suspension from office. Kurzętkowski was accused of irregularities in the leases of Lake Archidiakonka, the fruit alley, market fuels, the purchase of a lifeboat, business trips, renovations of tenement houses, and even the purchase of a police horse. There were 28 such annexes to the indictment, which ultimately led to a one-year suspension of Bronisław Kurzętkowski from his position.

His successor was to be Dr. Władysław Wyszkowski, a leading representative of the Sanation movement in the city. However, Wyszkowski did not obtain a majority in the City Council and had to settle for the position of vice-mayor.

In the early 1930s, Bronisław Kurzętkowski became involved with the Sanation movement. In 1931, he also sat on the Pomeranian Insurance Association in Toruń as a member of the Governing Council.

At the end of 1934, he retired. On December 8, 1934, Bronisław Kurzętkowski was officially bid farewell and Wiktor Barwicki was installed as mayor, who began performing his duties at the beginning of the following year.

After several years of rest, Bronisław Kurzętkowski resumed his activities. From February 22, 1938 to February 16, 1939, he held the position of commissioner mayor in Mogilno. His short term in office resulted in the establishment of the Agricultural School in Mogilno in the building of the District Hospital. In Mogilno, Bronisław Kurzętkowski also became the first president of the Society of Allotment Gardens named after Fr. Mieczysław Brodowski, founded in 1938.

During a meeting at the school on February 15, 1939, he felt unwell, fainted and lost consciousness. The doctor who arrived at the scene diagnosed a heart attack. Bronisław Kurzętkowski died of heart failure on 16 February 1939 in the Inowrocław District Hospital, having lived just under 59 years. He was accompanied to his final resting place by crowds of residents, including his wife Zofia née Wilczyńska, who was laid to rest in a family grave in the so-called new cemetery in Chełmża in 1951. The funeral ceremony was led by the parish priest of Chełmża, Fr. Gracjan Tretkowski.

Due to fear of the Germans during the occupation, there was no plaque on Bronisław Kurzętkowski's grave. During World War II, the Nazis occupied the Kurzętkowski villa at today's Sikorskiego Street 45, along with furniture and belongings, and the family was relocated to an apartment of very low standard. The tombstone for the first Polish mayor of Chełmża was funded by his granddaughter Maria de Bassak-Liljeberg.

Bronisław Kurzętkowski had two daughters: Izabela Kurzętkowska de Bassak (died 1976; buried in the family grave at the so-called new cemetery in Chełmża) and Danuta.

For his work and activity he was awarded the Cross of Merit, Hon