Each September the Polish president hosts a harvest festival at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, by now a fixed point in the autumn calendar. On 14 September 2025, President Karol Nawrocki and First Lady Marta Nawrocka welcomed delegations from the countryside to celebrate the year's crop and honour the work behind it.
How the day unfolded
It began with Mass at the Church of the Assumption and St Joseph. Then the palace courtyard filled with delegations from every province, each carrying its own wieniec. A wieniec is a harvest wreath that a village community weaves from grain and flowers, and it stands as the emblem of the whole festival. As at any dożynki worth the name, there was folk music: the Mazowsze song-and-dance ensemble performed.
The wreath competition
Picking a winner took some doing. A jury chaired by Tomasz Obszański weighed entries from 13 provinces, and the standard ran high.
The gold wreath went to Kujawsko-Pomorskie province, and within it to Kłopot, a hamlet in the district of Inowrocław. Their entry took the shape of a closed crown topped with a small cross. They made it from wheat, rye, barley, and oats, then decorated it with motifs of local Kujawy embroidery and flowers fashioned from straw.
Photo: Tomasz Czachorowski/eventphoto.com.pl for UMWKP / source: kujawsko-pomorskie.pl
Silver went to Podkarpackie province and bronze to Wielkopolska, with a special mention for Silesia.
The First Lady spoke about the work behind the wreaths: "I looked at these wreath masterpieces with admiration and respect. I know that work like this takes long months."
What the president said
President Nawrocki did what presidents tend to do here. He stressed the importance of the countryside and of farming, promised support for farmers, and criticised EU policy, the Green Deal in particular. He announced a draft law to protect Poland's rural areas, and repeated his line that rural Poland is always heard at the Presidential Palace.
The atmosphere
The pride of the delegates carries an event like this. For many of them, appearing before the president, showing off their work, and joining a national tradition counts as the trip of the year. Hearing Mazowsze and seeing the palace from the inside adds to it.
The presidential festival blends official ceremony with real folk life. It is a political occasion, yet the thing at its centre stays simple: gratitude to the people who feed Poland.
Event details
📅 Date: 14 September 2025 📍 Location: Presidential Palace, Warsaw 🎯 Organiser: Chancellery of the President of Poland
Wreath competition results
🥇 1st place: Kujawsko-Pomorskie province (hamlet of Kłopot, Inowrocław district) 🥈 2nd place: Podkarpackie province 🥉 3rd place: Wielkopolska province 🏅 Special mention: Silesia province
Main photo: Chancellery of the President of Poland / source: prezydent.pl Wreath photo: Tomasz Czachorowski/eventphoto.com.pl for UMWKP / source: kujawsko-pomorskie.pl