On Sunday 3 March this year, I had the pleasance to participate, as a typical of the editorial board of “Polish Thought” in the Jubilee, 20th Day of Rodl in Wrocław.
It was at the same time the 86th anniversary of the announcement of the 5 Truths of Poles from the Sign of Rodło at the 1st legislature of Poles in Germany, held in Berlin on 6 March 1938.. Wrocław, as the organizers announce, is the Capital of the 21st Century Rod, and the celebrations constitute the Festival of Polish Youth from the Rod. Anniversary celebrations, jubilees, etc., which go back to the past, and especially those referring to the past of Poland and Poles of the 20th century, seldom associate us with the feast of young people, alternatively exhibit the martyrdom element, while youth participation comes down to a typical role. I will return to this issue, but I can tell you that here the announcements of the organizers about the celebration of Polish youth have been full fulfilled.
And the organizers deserve the words of merit and sincere praise. This. Rodla household Foundation with the president of her board at the head, you Tadeusz Štyrbak. I would not like to detract from Mr Tadeusz's function and merit. However, I want to emphasise his unique commitment, energy, the ability to grasp a very multi-threaded event in terms of organisational and logistical terms, and his highly efficient conduct, which, as an experienced associate in countless events of this type, I can consider to be different and radically different from “standards”, i.e. delayed, protracted and disrespecting of the announced schedule, meetings. Here we were dealing with perfection and excellent consequence to the following changes in the route, for example due to the unexpected failure of any participant. 1 specified situation caused Mr Tadeusz to make time for my brief speech. Of course, specified a immense task could not take place without the aid and cooperation of a number of institutions with the Faculty of Culture of the Wrocław Municipal Office and the Wrocław Social improvement Center among many others.
Word on History
Association of Poles in Germany was founded on 27 August 1922 and was based in Berlin until 1939. After Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP took power in Germany, in the face of a policy imposed by the fresh authorities to unify and Germanise the symbolism of all social organizations in the 3rd Reich, there was a serious problem of losing the identity of the relation in the face of the danger of having to accept the swastika symbol, as well as the ban on the usage of the White Eagle since the Prussian era.
Rod Character, designed by the artist, Janina Klopocka, was accepted by the German authorities due to its resemblance to half of the swastika. The name Rodło (from the household and the code) proposed Edmund Ottoman. besides created Hymn Rodla, in 2 versions – as a song of the alleged Fighting Pole (music) Paciencia Kaczmarek – words Francis Jujka ps. Lech Malbor), starting with the words “God has entrusted the Fathers of the earth” and Song of Rodla (music by P. Kaczmarek – words by Edmund Ottoman), beginning with the words "For centuries I have utilized to lay everything in sacrifice."
Let us add that Pacencia Kaczmarek (also known as Janowa Kaczmarkowa) is simply a wife Dr Jan Kaczmark, Secretary-General of the Union of Poles in Germany. The legislature of Poles in Germany was to take place earlier, including in 1937, but the German authorities did not agree to the organization of the congress, either in Opole or in Wroclaw. Since the German unions in Poland planned to organize their reunions, the authorities of the 3rd Reich, in fear of retortions, yet agreed to a legislature of Poles. It happened. 6 March 1938 in Berlin, in the theatre des Volkes room, with 5,000 people. The hall was full. What is more, for about 2,000 arrivals there was no area left, so they tried to remedy this by slowing down the theatre for groups waiting outside. The legislature was attended by representatives of Poles from all parts of Germany, including autochthons from Warmia and Mazury, Malborska Land, Babimoj Region, Międzyrzecka, Opole Silesia and Lower Silesia; alongside them representatives of Polish people from the USA, from respective European countries and guests from Poland. The song “The Song of the Rod” was sung, and then there were speeches: Fr Boleslaw Domanski, president of the Union of Poles in Germany, Fr. Kanonika Zborowski on behalf of the Primate of Poland August Hlond, and among many another strong speeches, Arks of God and Dr. Jan Kaczmark, who at the end presented Five Truths of Poles:
Truth one: we are Poles.
Truth Two: The religion of our fathers is the religion of our children.
Truth 3: Polish brother to Polish.
Truth Four: all day a Pole serves a nation.
Truth Five: Our Polish mother, we must not talk sick of our mother.
Wrocław 2024
Returning to the ceremony in Wrocław. They took place on the beautiful Ostrów Tumski and lasted from 8.15 to 16.15. It started with a collection under the church of St. Martin, on whose wall there is simply a plaque with 5 Truths of Poles. In the frame of the representation company of the Academy of Land Forces in Wrocław, the Orchestra of Land Army Representation, as well as the Kurkowy Strzelecki Brotherhood from Nysa and the horse patrols of Wroclaw City Guard, there were appearances of guests and the lodging of flowers and inflammation of 86 zwiącznia under the plaque of the 5 Truths. Amongst those who made the mix was me, representing “Think Poland”. In his speech, the organizer, Mr Tadeusz Štyrbak, made an crucial thought saying:
“The situation in ours Fatherland for respective years is simply a situation where there is simply a large division in our families, in local communities, settlements, parishes, at the Christmas, Sunday table. This is the consequence of organization elections, political, presidential, decisions of the Constitutional Court, the Smolensk disaster, yet this reality, for respective months we have. How [very] we Poles request to follow what they did and how Poles acted in Germany during the interwar period. This communication, this solidarity, this ecumenary which resulted in the announcement of the 5 Truths of Poles from the sign of Rodło. After all, these truths were utilized by Poles, especially in the 1930s, they were in everyday use, they were national credo, catechism of Polishness, they were announced on 6 March 1938 for Poles in Germany, for Poles in II Poland and for Poles spread around the world. And present our melting national community, possibly even little than 38 million, but with this diaspora, which is worldwide, 60 million, to these truths and to this heritage, should and must appeal. More and more these truths are needed for Poles, people of good will."
After Mass in the Archaeister of St. John the Baptist with the participation of a guest, the average of the Diocese of Zielona Góra-Gorzowska Fr. Archbishop Tadeusz Lityński, The second part of the ceremony took place in the Hall of the Papal Theological Department. The preserved first recordings from 1938 were recalled, short speeches were given by representatives of contemporary Polish people in Germany, as well as by current Polish people – residents of Siberia, whose video with message and song was shown on the screen.
The most awesome part of the ceremony were the speeches of children's and youth teams, starting with kindergarteners and advanced school students. They were representatives of kindergartens and Wroclaw schools, but besides students and regional teams from Zabrza, Raciborz, Bukovica, Mountains. What a firework of a affirmative message! Without martyrdom and suffering, which kills all bombastic celebrations of anniversaries in Poland and rejects always wider masses of Poles from celebrating their own history. How much work have these children and young people and adults, teachers and teachers put into the preparation of excellent performances that were given with taste and commitment, which are pessimistically oriented to the present reality (including the undersigned) would not have expected if they had not seen them with their own eyes. The spirit in the nation does not die, and with a group of people so committed to educating children and young people and young people themselves who want to participate in it, we can look forward with greater optimism. I separate all participants – and streamed children, and children from simple schools, song and dance bands and advanced school students on the threshold of adulthood. However, I cannot ignore the name of the 8th grade student Lourenco Caesar Diogo, boy of Elizabeth and Salvador Diogo, who recited beautifully Young Manifest from the 1938 Berlin Congress, originally issued by Wilhelm Poloczko.
In my short speech I thanked everyone for the event, in which I could attend and emphasized the unique place and meaning of the Western thought (I reminded Mr.
An highly good gathering and talking to the colonel Vladimir “Wowa” Brodecki from Krakow, a horse lover, passionate about horse racing, who drove 30,000 kilometres in the saddle, and has been organizing rally since 1970. Bachelor's boy 27th Volyn Infantry Division AKwho later joined 1 Army of the Polish Army And then as a owlan already 1 Warsaw Independent Cavalry Brigade She passed the conflict trail, from the bay of Warecko-Magnuszewski, through the Pomeranian Wall, the wedding with the sea in Mrzeżyna, to the Elbe. In Poland, People's Wowa Brodecki began organizing rallying with the repetition of his father's conflict trail. His actions enjoyed the sympathy and aid of the last commander of the last WP cavalry unit – 1st Warsaw Cavalry Division (existing until 1947) – Brig-Gen Ksawery Floryanovich. In 1984, he rode to Monte Cassino, where he conducted a parade in the city of Cassino. He besides organized the rally along the 1st Panzer Division way of Gen. Stanisław Maczek. For Wowa Brodecki (Year 1942), who was besides a theatre and movie actor, time stopped. He inactive organizes horse racing and performs at ceremonies specified as Rodla Day, reminding with grin and humour the good sides of Polish history.
Rod Day in Wrocław AD 2024 was an crucial event gathering hundreds of participants, being not only a affirmative lecture of past without ubiquitous hatred and bidding for merit and denial of merit to others today, but besides a circumstantial review of the youngest and young generations of our nation, which showed their best at this event. From this our hope, and at the same time the commitment for adults to return to the value of the 5 Truths of Poles in times of divisions going from the top to the household table.
Adam Laughter
photo by author
