Filip Stanislaw Slawianowski (aka. Filip) was born in Lubraniec in 1995, surrounded by a large family of cousins, uncles, grandparents, and farm animals. He spent his first 6 years growing up in Lubraniec, when his mother, Bozena “Bo-zhé-na” met and fell in love with Zbyszek (affectionately known as “Zibby”.)  The family decided to move to the USA, with Zibby leading the way in New York. After Bozena and Filip arrived in the States, the decision to move to Milwaukee was made, in part because Bozena had relatives who had been living in Milwaukee, WI. Milwaukee was also attractive because the city had a healthy Polish immigrant population, deep Polish roots (St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish and Polska Szkola (“Polish School”)), and a very familiar climate. Bozena’s Great Aunt Lucy Medley was the family’s Stateside sponsor and welcomed the young family into her home, helping (along with her children, Mary, Peter, David, and Andrew) to acclimate the family to their new country. Without the support of the Medley Family, the transition would have been nearly insurmountable.

Filip spent the remainder of his grade school, middle school, and high school in their family home in Greenfield,WI. Yet, he managed to spend nearly every summer in Lubraniec with his grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.  On the family farm, his days included ploughing the fields, feeding the cows and bulls, harvesting the wheat, playing soccer (“football”), and spending his nights building bonfires and playing kick-the-can style games with the other kids.

KC and Filip’s decision to have the wedding in Lubraniec was really a decision to embrace and reinforce the culture Filip was reared in and the legacy KC inherited from her maternal forebears (the Kleppin/Stellmach and Lukowitz/Maliszewski families, of Gdansk and Poznan, Pomeranian Province). It is a dream come true for both of them to be able to celebrate their Holy Matrimony by bringing together their Polish and American loved ones and friends.

City History: Lubraniec was the ancestral seat of the Lubrański noble family. Lubraniec was granted town rights in 1509 by King Sigismund I the Old of the Kingdom of Poland. After the Lubrański family became extinct, the town passed to the Dąbski family, including notable Governor Paweł Dąbski, castellan of Brześć Kujawski province.