CZESŁAW ŁASZEK (EN)
Czesław Łaszek – the patron of Mazowiecki Landscape Park – was born on 11th July 1930 in Mińsk Mazowiecki. Already as a child he spent much of his time exploring Mazovia’s forest trails, including those around Świder Village, where he later moved. Despite being quite young at the time, he was active in the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa). He studied biology at Warsaw University, at the Department of Philosophy and Earth Science.
From 1966 he was a nature conservation guardian (społeczny strażnik ochrony przyrody) and in 1978 became the chief inspector of Nature Conservation Guard. He was also an active member of the Polish Nature Conservation League (Liga Ochrony Przyrody). In 1972 he became Director of Nature Conservation for Mazovia County (Wojewódzki Konserwator Przyrody). This position allowed him to push for protecting unique and often underestimated green areas around Warsaw. .
During his term of office two landscape parks were created (including Mazowiecki Landscape Park), 62 nature reserves („Na Torfach”, „Świder” and „Pogorzelski Mszar”among others) and about 2000 trees and boulders were designated as nature momuments.
Czesław Łaszek also promoted Mazovia’s nature and its beauty through cooperation with environmental journals. His articles appeared in „Przyroda Polska” („Polish Nature”), „Chrońmy Polską Przyrodę” („Let’s Protect Polish Nature), „Parki Narodowe” („National Parks”) and „Komunikaty Dendrologiczne i Ochrona Krajobrazu” („Dendrological Reports and Landscape Protection”). He is the author and co-author of three books on Warsaw’s forests: „Przyroda Warszawy” (1980 – „Warsaw’s Nature”), „Chronione obiekty przyrodnicze województwa stołecznego warszawskiego” (1989 – „Protected Natural Objects of Warsaw County”) and „Wartości przyrodnicze województwa warszawskiego” (1992 – „The Natural Value of Warsaw County”).
As a thank you for his service to nature conservation, Czesław Łaszek was named the patron of Mazowiecki Landscape Park in 2001. In 2006 a boulder was placed in front of „Peat Lake” Environmental Education Centre bearing his name. A linden tree and an old pine tree in the Pine Alley in front of Otwock Town Hall were also named after Czesław Łaszek.
