Current Voivode Monika Jurek officially opened the 'Galeria Wojewodów' at the Opole Voivodeship Office, a historical tribute to the region's leadership and administrative continuity since the 1999 reforms.
Historical Continuity
The gallery features portraits of all former governors to honor their service to the region's development.
Educational Purpose
The installation will serve as a visual aid for students during civic education lessons at the office.
Notable Attendees
Former governors Adam Pęzioł and Elżbieta Rutkowska shared memories of their tenures, including EU accession challenges.
The Opole Voivodeship Office unveiled the "Galeria Wojewodów" — a gallery of portraits of all former regional governors — on March 13, 2026, marking a formal acknowledgment of the continuity of public authority in the region. The gallery was installed on the first floor of the Opole Voivodeship Office, on the wall directly opposite the Golden Hall. The ceremony was hosted by Monika Jurek, who has served as governor of the Opole Voivodeship since 2023. Several former governors attended the unveiling in person, sharing recollections from their respective tenures.
Among those present was Adam Pęzioł, who served as governor between 1999 and 2001. Pęzioł recalled what he described as his dramatic entry into the role — learning of his nomination on December 31, 1998, while he was in the Bieszczady mountains region. Also attending was Elżbieta Rutkowska, who held the position from 2003 to 2005 and was the first woman to serve as governor of the Opole Voivodeship. Rutkowska recalled the challenges of her tenure, which coincided with Poland's EU accession referendum and a controversy surrounding the annulment of school-leaving examinations.
The Opole Voivodeship was established as one of Poland's 16 administrative regions. It covers an area of 9,412 square kilometers, making it the smallest voivodeship in the country. As of June 30, 2020, it also recorded the smallest population of any Polish voivodeship, with 980,771 residents. The office of the regional governor, appointed by the central government, has existed in its current form since the administrative reform that restructured Poland's regional governance in the late 1990s.
The gallery is intended to serve two purposes: emphasizing the institutional continuity of regional governance and providing an educational resource for students who visit the office. According to the organizers, the portraits bring together all governors of the Opole Voivodeship in one place for the first time. Monika Jurek, as both the initiator of the project and the host of the ceremony, framed the gallery as a tribute to the office's history and those who shaped it. The event drew current officials alongside the former governors, underscoring the occasion's significance for the regional administration.