New Bolesławiec bypass and a presidential candidate free from party ties – an interview with Cezary Przybylski

In a special interview for istotne.pl Cezary Przybylski, Deputy Chair of the Lower Silesian Regional Assembly, highlights his and his grandchildren’s involvement in this year’s Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. He talks about progress on the construction of the Lower Silesian Center of Oncology, Pulmonology and Transplantology, which is intended to provide the highest standard of treatment for patients from throughout the region. Another important topic of the conversation is the development of rail and road transport in Lower Silesia, including information about plans to complete the Bolesławiec bypass, being carried out with contributions from the state budget and the regional government. Przybylski also mentions financial challenges and the role of innovation in reducing residents’ living costs. Asked about the presidential election, he declares his support for a candidate without strong ties to political parties, stressing the need for the country’s future head of state to be independent.

Grażyna Hanaf: – Good morning. Mr. Marshal, welcome to Bolesławiec. I know that on Sunday you were in Wrocław’s market square with Zosia, Staś and Sebastian, collecting money in cans for WOŚP. How did it go, how much did you collect? Did the children enjoy it?

Cezary Przybylski: – Good morning. This is another time the children have taken part in the WOŚP campaign, this time as volunteers. Of my five grandchildren, four collected donations. One did not, because Ala is too young. Staś, Zosia and Sebastian actively collected money. There were too many children around those cans, so it is difficult for me to say how much they collected. However, the mere fact that they took part was an event for them, and for me as well.

– How did they experience being able to collect money?

– It is a very emotional experience. If we look at it through a child’s eyes, on the one hand they are often less shy, although that is not always the case. They have to approach people. They have to ask and hold out the can. They carefully watch who puts something in it and what they put in. It is a huge experience. Later they also tell us, “That lady gave something, that man gave something,” so for them it is a kind of ceremony, and at the same time an introduction to doing good and helping others. I think many WOŚP volunteers carry that with them for many years.

– They will be shaped in that positive direction.

– They will try to help others.

– Then I have to ask about the coin. Does the Marshal already know whether the coin commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship is at auction? What amount has it reached? Last time it had already exceeded PLN 600.

– It went for PLN 985; the auction ended at that amount. It really is a unique medal.

– Did the Marshal want to highlight his role in WOŚP or his cooperation with WOŚP in a special way this year?

– No. Every year, as regional marshal, I have donated various items to WOŚP. This time I also wanted to strongly emphasize the 25th anniversary of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, our regional self-government and, through it, our regional parliament. Its importance, because municipal government is actually more tangible to people, while county government is less so. We still have problems with awareness of how much a voivodeship government, meaning regional self-government—in this case the self-government of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship—can do. That is why every initiative that makes citizens and residents aware that regional government plays an extremely important role in developing every region matters. Hence the 25th anniversary and the 999-purity silver coin. Only 100 were issued, so it is certainly an opportunity for numismatists.

– The money will go toward pediatric oncology. WOŚP collected money for pediatric oncology, but the Marshal also plays a major role in fighting cancer in Lower Silesia. We are talking here about the Lower Silesian Center of Oncology, Pulmonology and Transplantology. What are the results of developing this project? What can Lower Silesia residents gain from it?

– More than 10 years ago, a decision was made to build a new Lower Silesian Center of Oncology. Cancer is currently a disease of civilization. In practice, it affects us, our loved ones, colleagues or friends. Our Lower Silesian Center of Oncology is highly regarded, excellently equipped and staffed by excellent specialists and doctors, but it operates in terrible conditions. It is not only the work of the doctors; people affected by this tragedy—in the sense of patients—were also treated in outdated buildings. No matter how much money was invested there, it would never have reached the standards currently required. Besides, people recover faster when their surroundings are welcoming. The first kind of temporary solution was the creation of the Breast Unit, a new modular hospital for treating breast cancer. A decision was made to build a new oncology center, but we decided to take a broader view. So it would combine the Lower Silesian Center of Oncology, the Lower Silesian Center of Lung Diseases and the Lower Silesian Center of Cellular Transplantation. We merged them so that once the hospital was built, it would function as one institution. Following the tender, we anticipate a cost of around PLN 1.2 billion, making it the largest local-government investment in healthcare in Poland. Hospitals of this type are built by the state, not local governments. However, realizing that if we waited, many people who urgently need this help simply would not receive it, we made the decision. Now the second floor of part of this enormous hospital has already been completed. We planned to reach the shell stage by the end of 2027. It was to be opened and put into operation in 2028. If nothing changes, however, I think this will be brought forward by a year.

– Will this year’s huge budget help the work move faster, or is that already settled?

– We have a precisely defined amount. As marshal, I also reduced the voivodeship’s debt by PLN 700 million. That is an enormous sum over those 10 years. The budget adopted in 2024 had no loan or credit obligations. We also did this while investing, because Lower Silesia is one of the most dynamically developing regions—not only in Poland, but also in Europe and the European Union. We did it so we could use EU funds. In the case of the hospital, the money comes from the state budget and the regional government. We wanted to be able to take out loans and have our own contributions for EU funding. With our own contributions, we do not have to finance investments 100%, but only 30%. So we can also redirect part of the saved amount to, among other things, building the hospital. I should add that this is not only about treatment. We attach enormous importance at this hospital to prevention, including various screening tests. At the same time, we do not want to close or eliminate oncology hospitals in Legnica, Jelenia Góra or Wałbrzych.

– Will they also receive additional funding?

– They will continue to operate normally, just as before. In other words, highly complicated operations and highly complex treatment will, in most cases, take place at this Lower Silesian Center of Oncology, Pulmonology and Transplantology.

– Do we have a chance to become an oncology center of this kind in Poland? Is that the direction we are heading in?– We are certainly among the leaders. We are a pilot institution for many cancer programs. We have an excellent staff, and we will certainly become a leading center.

– I will ask about the staff. Will you hire medical students from Wrocław, for example, or will you look for people from all over Europe?

– As everywhere, we will primarily look for people with high qualifications. The hospital directors will look for such people. They will certainly come from Wrocław and our Medical University. They will come from Poland, but there are already inquiries and declarations from around the world as well. Every new investment is not only about the walls, but also the latest equipment in the world. That is a major opportunity for anyone who wants to develop and build a career. If they have access to the latest tools...

– They will want to come here and see what it is like, which probably also raises the quality of the entire institution?

– Although the Lower Silesian Center of Oncology, Pulmonology and Transplantology is a regional hospital, because it is run by the regional government, we cooperate very closely with the Medical University. The new hospital will also have lecture rooms so that students of the Medical University and the medical faculty at Wrocław University of Science and Technology—there is such a medical faculty there too—can conduct regular practical classes, lessons, gain experience and complete internships there.

– Did the Marshal come to Bolesławiec by Koleje Dolnośląskie or by car?

– I came by car because I have to be in several places and also need to move fairly quickly...

– The lines are becoming such that soon it will probably be more convenient.

– Yes, we have genuinely begun a revolution. Over the past 10 years, the main focus has been transport: railway routes, but also roads and healthcare. These were the priorities we set ourselves, along with improving safety. We took over more than 300 km of disused railway lines. When I took them over, some people said I had “lost my mind” and that it would take 100 years to revitalize them. Now almost three-quarters of the routes have been revitalized, are being revitalized or have funding secured to launch a tender. This is a revolution.

– Is there any chance that we will be able to travel on these railways for free as well?

– You would also have to ask the new administration how it will approach that. But it is not as simple as that, because there is no such thing as a free lunch. Even if someone eats a free lunch, someone still has to pay for it. If we look at free public transport in Bolesławiec or Lubin, the costs of maintaining the entire infrastructure would roughly cover the cost of the tickets: repairing the rolling stock and paying the officials employed to provide the service. The network would also have to be well developed. But the idea was for this to be a program for all of Poland. We calculated that if the state budget allocated around PLN 3–4 billion a year to regional railways—those serving the voivodeships—the tickets could be free. That is not an enormous amount in the state budget, and if someone were to approach it properly...

– I would like to ask about one more thing. A large budget, large sums, large investments. What can our Bolesławiec County expect in terms of all the investments you are preparing?– I must say that during the previous 2020–2027 programming period, more than PLN 520 million was absorbed by Bolesławiec County. I mean the municipalities and the county, but also entrepreneurs and the third sector: PLN 520 million in EU funds was allocated. During the current 2021–2027 period, agreements worth PLN 130 million have already been signed. These are mainly so-called soft projects concerning education, social assistance and the third sector. Infrastructure funding will certainly also start flowing shortly. We refer to these as hard and soft projects: soft projects concern social and educational matters, while hard projects are investments. The good news is the second stage of the Bolesławiec bypass. It was added to the government bypass construction program during the previous term. The state budget will provide 60% and the local government 40%.

– So we can expect new roads and new bypasses.

– Completing this bypass, because the first and third stages have been completed, while the section between Kruszyn and Łąka is still missing.

– Speaking as an ordinary Bolesławiec resident, people complain somewhat about high prices, how difficult things are and the price of gas. I know this is not something the voivodeship controls, but how do you translate all this into something an ordinary person can actually feel and understand what they specifically gain from it?

– Generally speaking, modern means of transport and good roads are also, in a way, an improvement: they make life easier and reduce living costs. Why did we care about developing the railways? Above all, it was about combating exclusion and improving accessibility. Residents do not necessarily have to leave smaller towns and localities if they can safely get to work or school quickly, or use cultural institutions in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra, Legnica or elsewhere. The more people travel by train, the fewer cars there are on the streets, the lower the emissions and the lower the consumption. Lower Silesia is a region that, as I said, is developing very dynamically, but it is also exceptionally innovative. Innovation has the advantage that it not only improves the quality of life, but also reduces operating costs.

– Mr. Marshal, finally, since the year has begun: what is your New Year’s resolution?

– Since I retired, I have promised myself many things, including catching up on my reading. I really enjoy DIY and tinkering, although I have not managed to do much of it so far. I am Deputy Chair of the Lower Silesian Regional Assembly.

– It is impossible to rest and read books before the presidential election.

– Well, no, I do not intend to take an active part in the presidential election.

– Whom do you support?

– For me, a good candidate would be someone whose hands are not tied too tightly—someone who is not strongly politically connected.

– So no names for now...– Someone who does not receive instructions...

– Well, we have one “independent” candidate...

– At least, we should look for someone whose life, biography and what they say all indicate a high degree of independence. This campaign is only just getting started, and we will really see then... I am opposed to voting blindly. Just because a certain group nominated someone does not mean that person is the best in the world and that we have to vote for them. We should begin voting for a person who guarantees that they are the person who should hold the office they are seeking.

– All right. That was rather enigmatic... We will ask you about it again. Thank you very much for the interview.

– Thank you very much, thank you all, and thank you, ma’am.

– Goodbye.