Cyryl Ratajski was born on 3 March 1875 in Zalesie Wielkie near Gostyń. Graduate of the Law Faculty at the Berlin University. In 1922, he was appointed Mayor of the City of Poznań.

Owing to his work, Poznań had his Golden Age of development and became a truly European city. During his term as a Mayor in Poznań, a number of new buildings were erected, including the power station, Chrobry Bridge and Botanical Garden; new districts, namely Dębiec, Rataje, Sołacz, Starołęka and Wola, were incorporated into the city; the first waste incinerator in Poland was built along with the Palm House.

Cyryl Ratajski contributed to the growth of the Poznań-based Fair that turned into an important element in the economic life of the capital of Wielkopolska, and soon went on to become recognised internationally. Towards the end of his term (until 1934), it was almost a separate district of Poznań and boasted fourteen pavilions with a total area of nearly 48,000 square meters.

In 1929, the fairgrounds of Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie were the venue of the General National Exhibition organised to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Poland's independence. If it had not been for the support from Mayor Ratajski, the famous PeWuKa would not have taken place in Poznań. During 138 days, PeWuKa grounds were visited by four and a half million people, including 200,000 foreign guests. 900 journalists who had arrived from 30 countries wrote about 20,000 articles published in international press in connection with the Exhibition. This event was of prime importance for the image of the reborn Poland and its achievements in the field of industry, agriculture, culture and science.

Cyryl Ratajski died in Warsaw on 19 October 1942. Following exhumation, he was reburied in 1963 at the Cementery of the Meritorious at St. Adalbert's Hill in Poznań.