Memories of Wojciech Kotasiak

On Friday, 21 July, at the City Public Library, a meeting was held to commemorate the figure of Wojciech Kotasiak, combined with the promotion of the reissue of "Baśnie i legendy dawnego Ostrowca” [Tales and Legends of Old Ostrowiec]. The publication was printed in 600 copies, and the reissue was realized within the framework of the project “Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski – City ReNEWal” benefiting from funding worth EUR 2,974,766 received from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under the EEA grants.

Janusz Wojciech Kotasiak was born in 1938 in Jeleniec, but was raised and educated in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. He was an art historian and graduated in museology from the University of Warsaw. Long-time director of the Historical and Archaeological Museum in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski and Chairman of the City Council for two terms.

In March 2020, the City Council, where he had served for so many years, awarded him the title of Honorary Citizen of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Janusz Wojciech Kotasiak was the co-author of the historical monograph of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski from 1991 and the editor of the subsequent jubilee edition from 1997. In 2006, he wrote the aforementioned "Baśnie i legendy dawnego Ostrowca” [Tales and Legends of Old Ostrowiec], which was illustrated by Tadeusz Szypowski, an artist from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski.

The meeting was attended on behalf of the Mayor by Chairwoman of the City Council, Irena Renduda-Dudek, Deputy Head of the Planning and Development Department, Tomasz Gębka, Councilman Andrzej Broda on behalf of the Poviat Starosty in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Wojciech Kotasiak's daughter – Monika Kotasiak-Wójcik – along with her family, as well as by friends and acquaintances of the author, and all those interested in the meeting.