Scouting and Guiding in Poland
The Scouting and Guiding movement in Poland (Polish: Harcerstwo) consists of about twelve independent organizations with an overall membership of about 160,000 Scouts and Guides. The largest organization by membership is Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego; ZHP) with about 140,000 members.[1][2]
History of the Scout movement in Poland
Background
At the beginning of the 20th century, Poland was partitioned between the German, Russian, and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Poles, both adult and young, formed many grass-roots movements and organizations, aimed at preserving the nation and preparing for the eventual struggle for independence. One such group was the youth organization "Zarzewie".
Beginning of the Scout movement
Scouting was introduced to the
As a result, the
Various independent Scout groups were developed under the oversight of the existing organizations, mainly gymnastics society "Sokół", independence-oriented "Zarzewie", or abstinence organization "Eleusis" . Thanks to the influence of the latter, to this day Scouting code in Poland obliges "to be pure in thinking, in speech, and in deeds; not to smoke; not to drink alcohol".
The rapid development and popularity of Boy Scouts continued up to 1914, but was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I.
World War II
After the
Some Older Scouts carried out sabotage missions and armed resistance. The Girl Guides formed auxiliary units working as
Notable personalities
Name | Notability | Reference |
---|---|---|
Ryszard Białous | Scouter. Szarych Szeregów. | [5][circular reference] |
Jan Roman Bytnar | Scouter. Szarych Szeregów. | [6] |
Sławomir Maciej Bittner | Scoutmaster. Officer, Armia Krajowa. Arrested and killed by Gestapo. | |
Stanisław Broniewski | Naczelnik (Chief Scout), Szare Szeregi . Officer, Armia Krajowa.
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Tadeusz Chciuk / Celt Marek | Biali Kurierzy, Szare Szeregi. | [7] |
Aleksander Maciej Dawidowski | Scouter. Szarych Szeregów. | [6] |
Jadwiga Falkowska | Co-Founder of Polish Girl Guides. Executed by the Russians. | |
Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski | Scout. Scouter. Priest. Died in Nazi prison. Beatified. | |
Józef Andrzej Grzesiak | Scoutmaster. Szarych Szeregów. | |
Kazimierz Iwiński | Teacher. Education official. Scouter. Commander of Scout resistance fighters. | |
Ryszard Kaczorowski | Szare Szeregi .
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Aleksander Kamiński | Teacher, Scoutmaster, Szarych Szeregów. Editor-in-Chief, Biuletyn Informacyjny, Armia Krajowa. Declared Righteous Among the Nations. | |
Józefa Kantor | Founder of Mury, the clandestine Polish Girl Guide group inside Ravensbrück concentration camp .
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Bronisław Maria Komorowski | 208 WDHiZ Batalion in Mokotów . He met his future wife through Scouting.
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Florian Marciniak | Naczelnik (Chief Scout), Szare Szeregi . Executed by the Nazis.
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[8] |
Władysław Ossowski | Scout. Biali Kurierzy, Szare Szeregi. | |
Kazimierz Piechowski | Arrested by the Nazis for being a Scout. Escaped from Auschwitz concentration camp. Joined Armia Krajowa; fought the Nazis. Jailed seven years by the Russians. "I will be a Scout to the end of my life." | |
Witold Pilecki | Auschwitz death camp, escaped, and reported to the world the Nazis' conduct of the Holocaust! Executed by Soviet-aligned Communists for working for the Allies - the story of his heroism consigned to oblivion and surviving in the memories of Polish emigres abroad. Declared a Righteous Among the Nations. Pilecki's life story started to be told after the collapse of Communism in 1989. Posthumously conferred the Order of Polonia Restituta in 1995 and the Order of the White Eagle (the highest Polish decoration) in 2006.
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[9][10][11][12][13][14] |
Józef Pukowiec | Teacher. Scoutmaster. Tortured and killed by Nazis. | |
Rudolf Regner | Scout. Biali Kurierzy, Szare Szeregi. | |
Jan Rodowicz | Scouter. Szarych Szeregów. | |
Andrzej Romocki | Scouter. Szarych Szeregów. | [15] |
Jan Romocki | Scouter. Szarych Szeregów. | |
Stanisław Sedlaczek | Professor. Scoutmaster. Murdered at Auschwitz .
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Eugeniusz Stasiecki | Scouter. Szarych Szeregów. | |
Tadeusz Strumiłło | Scouter. President of the ZHP. Professor of the underground university system. | |
Anna Zawadzka | Sister of Tadeusz Zawadzki. Scouter. Szarych Szeregów. Teacher. Vice President of the post-Communist ZHP. | |
Tadeusz Zawadzki | Codename "Zośka." Scouter. Szarych Szeregów. After whom the famous Batalion Zośka was named.
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[6] |
Jerzy Eugeniusz Zborowski | Scoutmaster. Commander, Batalion Parasol , Armia Krajowa.
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In communist Poland
In 1945, the ZHP restored its former name and returned to public existence. However, the communist authorities of Poland pressured the organization to become a member of the
History of Scouting in Greater Poland
Bernard Chrzanowski and Ksawery Zakrzewski decided to create a new Scout movement in the area. On October 17, 1912 in the flat of Henry Śniegocki, came into existence the first organization of Greater Poland Boy Scouts, formed by Cezary Jindra, Henryk Śniegocki, Wincenty Wierzejewski, Edmund Weclawski, Leonard Skowroński and Tadeusz Wolski.
Before, in September 1912,
Soon more patrols grew into troops. Despite the rapid growth, the Scouts remained in hiding, acting illegally. The same happened with two troops of Girl Guides, named after Emilia Plater and Queen Jadwiga.
World War I
Around the end of 1914 and the beginning of 1915, the Scout movement resumed, but continued in hiding. The temporary interruption was not exactly caused by the imposed martial law, but mainly the absence of the mature leadership, who were mobilized in the German Army.
In January 1915, Henryk Śniegocki came back from the front on sick leave and managed to extend his leave. A few weeks later the wounded Wierzejewski turned up for treatment. After recovery, he decided to desert. Henryk Śniegocki, who now took the command of the Scout troops after Wierzejewski, tried to make the status of scouting legal with the pretext of caring for the boys whose fathers were mobilized in the Army, but without success. Bronisław Drwęski, commanding the Scout troop named after Kazimierz the Great, died a few days after serving a 3 months prison term.
On April 2, 1916 they created MKS, the Local Scouts Command, including all troops from the city and aiding, if necessary, the troops from the provinces.
In November 1915,
By the end of 1916 the integration progressed further, resulting in the creation of a secret Headquarters of Scouts in the German Reich (territory).
Post-World War I
Henryk Śniegocki became the Chief of Scouts troop in the Directorate of Greater-Poland Scout Troops (with
In the newly formed Poland, he became a teacher in a primary school, at the same time continuing his Scout work. A few years later, he again commanded the Greater-Poland Banner, but not for long. With the ruling
Other notable personalities
Name | Notability | Reference |
---|---|---|
Karolina Kaczorowska | First Lady of Poland in exile | |
Anna Komorowska | First Lady of Poland | |
Kazimierz Lutosławski | Physician, priest, Scouter; designed Scout cross | |
Andrzej Małkowski and Olga Drahonowska-Małkowska | Founders of Scouting and Guiding in Poland; Andrzej translated Scouting for Boys into Polish. | [16] |
Kazimierz Aleksander Sabbat | President of Poland in exile |
Scouting organizations
National organizations
- Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (in Polish: Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego, ZHP), member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and of the International Scout and Guide Fellowship
- Confédération Européenne de Scoutisme
- Stowarzyszenie Harcerstwa Katolickiego "Zawisza" Federacja Skautingu Europejskiego, member of the International Union of Guides and Scouts of Europe
- Royal Rangers Polska
- Stowarzyszenie Harcerskie
Local small organizations
- in Stowarzyszenie Harcerskie
- in Masuria: Harcerski Ruch Ochrony Środowiska im. św. Franciszek z Asyżu
- in Tricity: Niezależny Krąg Instruktorów Harcerskich Leśna Szkółka
- in Jarocin: Organizacja Harcerska "Rodło"
- in Kraków: Szczep Czerwonych Maków im. Bohaterów Monte Cassino
- in Tricity: Krąg Harcerski "LS - Drzewo Pokoju"
- in Dzierżoniów County: Związek Harcerstwa Wiejskiego
- in Skawina: Niezależny Związek Harcerstwa "Czerwony Mak"
- in Toruń: Harcerstwo Polskie
- in Warsaw and Białystok: Skauci Świętego Bernarda z Clairvaux
Polish Scouting abroad
Polish Scouts-in-Exile organizations include
- Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego Poza Granicami Kraju (not affiliated to Polish Scouting and Guiding Association in Poland) with chapters in Australia, Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States
- Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego na Litwie (Polish Scouting in Lithuania)
- Republikańskie Społeczne Zjednoczenie "Harcerstwo" (Białoruś) (Polish Scouting in Belarus)
- Harcerstwo Polskie na Ukrainie (Polish Scouting in Ukraine)
- Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego na Łotwie (Polish Scouting in Latvia)
- Harcerstwo Polskie w Republice Czeskiej (Polish Scouting in the Czech Republic)
- Niezależny Hufiec Harcerstwa Polskiego "Leśna Szkółka - Kaszuby" in Sweden
- Związek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej w Kanadzie (Scouting Association of the Republic (Poland) in Canada; not affiliated to Scouting Association of the Republic in Poland)
International Scouting units in Poland
In addition, there are USA Girl Scouts Overseas in
Poland Network Scout Fellowship
The Poland Network Scout Fellowship is a British forum for members of The Scout Association with a specific interest in Poland, assisting and forging links with Scouting there.
See also
- Scouting in displaced persons camps
- abstract from The Memoirs of Scoutmaster Henryk Śniegocki, Poznań, Poland, 1971.
- The Secret History of WWII
References
- ^ "Triennal review: Census as at 1 December 2010" (PDF). World Organization of the Scout Movement. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ "Our World". World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. 2006. Archived from the original on 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
- ^ Preface to the 2014 reprint of the 1913 book, Andrzej Małkowski, Scouting in Poland;
ISBN 978-83-7850-681-2(hard)
- ^ "Ojczyzna, Nauka, Cnota – jubileuszowa wystawa harcerska 1910-2010". Poland-art. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-01-08. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
- ^ Ryszard Białous
- ^ ISBN 83-88794-95-7
- ISBN 83-88736-62-0
- ^ Głuszek, Zygmunt, Szare Szeregi.
- ^ "Witold Pilecki". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
- ^ "Volunteer For Auschwitz - Witold Pilecki. The Murder of Cavalry Captain Witold Pilecki (1901-1948) who volunteered to be sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp to gather information about Nazi war crimes, and crimes against humanity". Doomedsoldiers.com. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
- ^ "The Auschwitz Volunteer: Witold Pilecki - About the Book". Witoldpileckiauschwitzvolunteer.com. 2011-09-12. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
- ^ "Witold Pilecki : Biography". Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
- ^ "Rotamaster Pilecki Rotamaster Witold Pilecki - Biography -". Archived from the original on 2013-06-12. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
- ^ "Capt. Witold Pilecki :: Against The Odds". Concentrationcampresistance.com. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
- ^ Wachowicz, Barbara, "To Zośki wiara!".
- ^ Boys' Life, December 1913