When they met, he was 16 and she was only 5. They married almost four decades later

Irena Kownas was born on August 9, 1937 in Vilnius in the family of a respected botanist and academic lecturer, Stefan Kownas. Two years after the outbreak of World War II, her parents were arrested and she was placed under the care of her 75-year-old grandmother. She was 5 at the time. From then on, her life was marked by longing.

They met during the war. She was 5 and he was 16

It was then that she met the well-mannered boy from the neighborhood, Zbigniew Chmielewski. The 16-year-old helped her ailing grandmother with her daily chores. – He brought food, bread, some sugar, he chopped firewood – . After the end of the war, it turned out that her parents had survived the war and the whole family moved to Poland as part of repatriation. Everything started to fall into place. In 1960, Irena Kownas graduated from the Warsaw Theater School, to which she applied at her brother’s insistence. She made her screen debut three years later in Two Ribs of Adam. Later, she appeared many times in both films and series. The most popular productions in her output include “I am a butterfly, or the romance of a 40-year-old”, “Twenties, thirties” and

In the meantime, Irena Kownas made a life for herself. She got married, but ultimately it did not stand the test of time. It was a big blow to her, she felt like a failure and she would never be able to love anyone again. At the same time, Zbigniew Chmielewski’s marriage also fell apart. Years later, she claimed it was a sign.

They had failed marriages. What brought them together, they considered destiny

One day, while staying with her relatives in Warsaw, she found out that Chmielewski was staying in Zegrze, where he was studying at a communication school. She decided to visit him. She didn’t have any plan, she just wanted to reminisce about the old days, and that’s how their reunion really went. Their paths crossed again soon after, when the man already had the title of naval commander. Then he went to Szczecin to visit the Kownas family. He did not expect to find Irena there, but at the same time she decided to pay her parents a spontaneous visit. When the bell rang and she opened the door, she was amazed. – A yellow-orange bouquet of marigolds shone in the door, and Zbyszek in an officer’s uniform appeared behind them – she said.

Almost four decades after their first meeting, in 1979, Kownas and Chmielewski got married. They made one of the most beautiful and the best couples in the company. Their home was always full of warmth and love, open to unannounced guests. They traveled together and tried to get the best out of life. They agreed, however, that love requires systematic work and willingness. – Love is not given once and for all. We remember it every day. After 34 years of relationship, what counts is friendship, loyalty, honesty, sensitivity to other people, respect for the path he has chosen. We are partners for each other – said the actress in an interview for “Życie na hot”.