Danuta Maślicka, PhD in the humanities, a longtime teacher and director of the Bolesławiec Cultural Center, poet and writer, and during the communist era an activist with NSZZ “Solidarity,” died at the age of 81. The farewell ceremony for the Bolesławiec resident who had served the city was a public event. Danuta Maślicka was bid farewell by her family, closest friends, and representatives of the city and county.
The Bolesławiec resident was honored “for outstanding service to democratic transformation in Poland, achievements in local-government work, and activities supporting local communities.” In 2015, Bronisław Komorowski presented Danuta Maślicka with a state decoration at the Presidential Palace, as well as certificates for the 25th Anniversary of Local Government Civic Award, recognizing her long-standing commitment to the local community.
The city’s mayor, Piotr Roman, bid farewell to the meritorious Bolesławiec resident. In warm words, the mayor recalled Danuta Maślicka’s professional career and her work for the city, local government, and the building of democracy in Poland after 1989.
– As director of the Bolesławiec Cultural Center, Mrs. Danuta brought new ideas to Bolesławiec culture. This helped establish a direction for the city’s cultural life for many years, after the difficult period of transformation – the mayor said. – Danuta Maślicka was guided by the principle of cooperation with outstanding people from the city, Poland, and the Euroregion. She also involved schools; her letter “A Heartfelt Letter to Teachers in Our City” was well known and led to the extensive participation of young people in cultural activities. With the motto “change, but do not destroy what is good,” she continued events such as the International Ceramic and Sculpture Open-Air Workshop and Blues nad Bobrem. Together with the cultural center staff, she introduced new events: Misterium Chleba, Rock Blok w BOK, Scena Otwarta Talent, and the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. Thanks to her, outstanding guests came to Bolesławiec: Ewa Demarczyk, Marek Grechuta, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, and Daniel Olbrychski. To this day, we remember those meetings with interesting people from the worlds of culture, politics, and art. Importantly, meetings with outstanding Bolesławiec residents were organized just as often. Danuta Maślicka created a model of open culture, showing different forms of sensitivity – Piotr Roman said in his farewell speech Piotr Roman.
The mayor noted that, on Danuta Maślicka’s initiative, in 1994 the cultural center under her leadership organized the first Bolesławiec ceramics fair, which grew from a modest event into today’s several-day celebration.
– Together with a group of friends and enthusiasts, in 1989 Danuta Maślicka and her husband brought about the founding of the local television station AZART SAT, one of the first local television stations in Poland – the mayor recalled the deceased woman’s achievements. – Local television played an extraordinary role in documenting the period of transformation, as well as in fostering active civic attitudes and our local Bolesławiec patriotism. One of the first interviews was with Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki. Danuta Maślicka was passionate about art, created artistic screens, and wrote poetry. She published four poetry collections. She was involved in publishing the Bolesławiec Yearbook, for which she wrote numerous texts and conducted interviews. For her activities, she was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. In one interview she said: if you want to live, you have to be involved in life, have ideas; I cannot imagine life without ideas; there are so many fantastic things around us, the world is open to us, you only need to look carefully, not become distracted, focus on what is closest to a person, what can be done, and whom you can help – the mayor quoted Danuta Maślicka.
At the end of his speech, Piotr Roman chose two poems by Danuta Maślicka with which he bid farewell to the poet.
The first excerpt, “I’m not there”:
I don’t rearrange anything
I don’t water the flowers
I don’t ask myself
When I will finally read those books
I don’t think about how much time I have left…
I’m not thereSo where am I now?
The second excerpt:
And you? Have you found your Ithaca?
Or perhaps you no longer intend to set out anywhere?... because you do not believe that there are still such (places), where silence is prayerThe poet says that such a place is (you will be surprised) the kingdom of your imagination.
So what are you waiting for?
Buon viaggio!
Good trip!!
Have a good journey!