Scouting in Poland
Encyclopedia
The Scouting
and Guiding
movement in Poland
consists of about twelve independent organizations with an overall membership of 190,000 Scouts and Guides. The largest organization by membership is Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego; ZHP) with 170,000 members.
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".
to Polish. The work had been assigned to him as a punishment for being a notorious latecomer. Andrzej Małkowski became enthusiastic and worked to implement the new movement with his wife Olga Drahonowska-Małkowska.
At first the Scouts did not have a standardized uniform, as some of the formed groups wanted to remain independent. However, all the groups accepted similar style and design, and the worldwide scout badge with a lily and the extra letters ONC (standing for Motherland, Study and Virtue). The program was made up of three parts; the common Scout idea, the science, especially study of national history and language with national values, and basic military training.
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
.
of 1939 the ZHP was deemed a criminal organization by the Nazis (who had gone so far as to begin executing many scouts and guides, along with other possible resistance leaders), but they carried on as a clandestine organization. They became nicknamed the Grey Ranks
(Szare Szeregi), and cooperated with the Polish Secret State
and the Armia Krajowa
resistance. Some Older Scouts carried out sabotage missions and armed resistance. The Girl Guides formed auxiliary units working as nurses, liaison
s and munition carriers. At the same time the youngest Scouts were involved in so-called "small sabotage" under the auspice of the Wawer
organization, which included dropping leaflets or painting the kotwica
sign on the walls. During Operation Tempest
, the Scouts actively participated in the fights, especially during the failed Warsaw Uprising
.
, and eventually, in 1949, banned it. A new organization under the same name was created by communist government after the death of Stalin, using the cadre of government-sponsored organization ZMP OH.
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, Tadeusz Strumiłło and Jerzy Grodyński helped to start the Scout movement in Greater Poland. At first the roles they divided as between friends, alternating. Gradually, more and more authority fell upon Wincenty Wierzejewski. In 1915, Wierzejewski deserted from the Army and made Scouting first priority. Henryk Śniegocki
became with time his "alter ego", a dedicated and trusted proxy. The other members aksi accepted his leadership. They gained more outstanding people, for example Jan Konkolewski, who previously collected a group of boys dedicated to diversion and sabotage of the German Army, the so called "Zouaves". By 1913, the patrol grew to a troop, including patrols named after Bolesław the Brave, Kazimierz the Great
and Mieszko the First
. Next the troop became a group, and the patrols increased to troops. The second troop was named after Władysław Jagiełło.
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
.
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, Ksawery Zakrzewski
died and Wincenty Wierzejewski took his place as leader. Henryk Śniegocki took command of the Scout Groups. Thanks to the aid of Józef Kostrzewski
, Wierzejewski arranged a secret den in the Museum of PSFAS (Poznań Society of Friends of Arts and Sciences
) and lived there. He also took a calculated risk himself, on the strength of a self-produced passport and travel document he tried to cross the border to Switzerland and contact the Polish Aid Committee
.
By the end of 1916 the integration progressed further, resulting in the creation of a secret Headquarter of Scouts in the German Reich (territory).
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 Sanacja
unfriendly, he was transferred away from Poznań and had to resign from the honorable Scout role. He appealed to the court justice, and won several times, only to be sent away again repeatedly, a further distance each time, in "the interest of the school" behind the Pińsk
. Finally he won the case and came back to Poznań, but many years had passed. Yet this maybe allowed him to outlive the first occupation, imprisoned and displaced he survived in Częstochowa
. When he came back to Poznań
he was again removed by the communist Government, both from the Scouts as well from school. The rest of his life he fought for the truth in the history commissions.
organizations include
, serviced by way of USAGSO headquarters in New York
; American Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts linked to the Horizon District of the Transatlantic Council of the Boy Scouts of America
, which supports units in west-and-central Europe, the Near East and North Africa.
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
and Guiding
Girl Guides
A Guide, Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Scouts. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian...
movement in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
consists of about twelve independent organizations with an overall membership of 190,000 Scouts and Guides. The largest organization by membership is Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego; ZHP) with 170,000 members.
Background
At the beginning of 20th century, Poland was partitionedPartitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
between the German, Russian, and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Poles, both adult and young, formed many grass-roots
Grassroots democracy
Grassroots democracy is a tendency towards designing political processes where as much decision-making authority as practical is shifted to the organization's lowest geographic level of organization: principle of subsidiarity....
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
The Polish Scout movement was started in 1910 in Lwów, when "Zarzewie"-activist Andrzej Małkowski translated Baden-Powell's Scouting for BoysScouting for Boys
Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship is the first book on the Scout Movement, published in 1908. It was written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell, its founder...
to Polish. The work had been assigned to him as a punishment for being a notorious latecomer. Andrzej Małkowski became enthusiastic and worked to implement the new movement with his wife Olga Drahonowska-Małkowska.
At first the Scouts did not have a standardized uniform, as some of the formed groups wanted to remain independent. However, all the groups accepted similar style and design, and the worldwide scout badge with a lily and the extra letters ONC (standing for Motherland, Study and Virtue). The program was made up of three parts; the common Scout idea, the science, especially study of national history and language with national values, and basic military training.
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 I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
World War II
After the German invasion of PolandInvasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
of 1939 the ZHP was deemed a criminal organization by the Nazis (who had gone so far as to begin executing many scouts and guides, along with other possible resistance leaders), but they carried on as a clandestine organization. They became nicknamed the Grey Ranks
Grey Ranks
Grey Ranks may refer to:* Szare Szeregi , the codename for the underground Polish Scouting Association during World War II.* Grey Ranks , a story-telling game based on the Szare Szeregi....
(Szare Szeregi), and cooperated with the Polish Secret State
Polish Secret State
The Polish Underground State is a collective term for the World War II underground resistance organizations in Poland, both military and civilian, that remained loyal to the Polish Government in Exile in London. The first elements of the Underground State were put in place in the final days of the...
and the Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
resistance. Some Older Scouts carried out sabotage missions and armed resistance. The Girl Guides formed auxiliary units working as nurses, liaison
Liaison officer
A liaison officer or LNO is a person that liaises between two organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. Generally, they are used to achieve the best utilization of resources or employment of services of one organization by another. In the military, liaison officers may...
s and munition carriers. At the same time the youngest Scouts were involved in so-called "small sabotage" under the auspice of the Wawer
Wawer
Wawer is one of the districts of Warsaw, located in the south-eastern part of the city. The Vistula river runs along its western border. Wawer became a district of Warsaw on October 27, 2002 .Wawer borders Praga Południe and Rembertów from the north, Wesoła from the east and Wilanów with Mokotów...
organization, which included dropping leaflets or painting the kotwica
Kotwica
The Kotwica was a World War II emblem of the Polish Secret State and Armia Krajowa . It was created in 1942 by members of the AK Wawer "Small Sabotage" unit as an easily usable emblem for the Polish struggle to regain independence. The initial meaning of the initials "PW" was "Pomścimy Wawer"...
sign on the walls. During Operation Tempest
Operation Tempest
Operation Tempest was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the Polish Home Army , the dominant force in the Polish resistance....
, the Scouts actively participated in the fights, especially during the failed Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
.
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 Pioneer MovementPioneer movement
A pioneer movement is an organization for children operated by a communist party. Typically children enter into the organization in elementary school and continue until adolescence. The adolescents then typically joined the Young Communist League...
, and eventually, in 1949, banned it. A new organization under the same name was created by communist government after the death of Stalin, using the cadre of government-sponsored organization ZMP OH.
History of Scouting in Greater Poland
Bernard ChrzanowskiBernard Chrzanowski
Bernard Chrzanowski was a Polish social and political activist, president of the Union of the Greater Poland Falcons "Sokół".-References:...
and Ksawery Zakrzewski
Ksawery Zakrzewski
Ksawery Faustyn Ignacy Zakrzewski was a Polish physician, independence activist, director of Poznań's Polish Gymnastic Society "Falcon", co-editor of biweekly magazine Sokół, co-founder of magazine Kurier Poznański...
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, Tadeusz Strumiłło and Jerzy Grodyński helped to start the Scout movement in Greater Poland. At first the roles they divided as between friends, alternating. Gradually, more and more authority fell upon Wincenty Wierzejewski. In 1915, Wierzejewski deserted from the Army and made Scouting first priority. Henryk Śniegocki
Henryk Sniegocki
Henryk Śniegocki was commandant of the Local Scout Command and next the Headquarters of Scouts on the German Reich , the participant of Greater Poland Uprising...
became with time his "alter ego", a dedicated and trusted proxy. The other members aksi accepted his leadership. They gained more outstanding people, for example Jan Konkolewski, who previously collected a group of boys dedicated to diversion and sabotage of the German Army, the so called "Zouaves". By 1913, the patrol grew to a troop, including patrols named after Bolesław the Brave, Kazimierz the Great
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
and Mieszko the First
Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I , was a Duke of the Polans from about 960 until his death. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was son of Siemomysł; grandchild of Lestek; father of Bolesław I the Brave, the first crowned King of Poland; likely father of Świętosława , a Nordic Queen; and grandfather of her son, Cnut the...
. Next the troop became a group, and the patrols increased to troops. The second troop was named after Władysław Jagiełło.
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
Emilia Plater
Countess Emilia Plater was a Polish-Lithuanian noblewoman and revolutionary from the lands of the partitioned Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
and Queen Jadwiga
Jadwiga of Poland
Jadwiga was monarch of Poland from 1384 to her death. Her official title was 'king' rather than 'queen', reflecting that she was a sovereign in her own right and not merely a royal consort. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, the daughter of King Louis I of Hungary and Elizabeth of...
.
World War I
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
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
. 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, Ksawery Zakrzewski
Ksawery Zakrzewski
Ksawery Faustyn Ignacy Zakrzewski was a Polish physician, independence activist, director of Poznań's Polish Gymnastic Society "Falcon", co-editor of biweekly magazine Sokół, co-founder of magazine Kurier Poznański...
died and Wincenty Wierzejewski took his place as leader. Henryk Śniegocki took command of the Scout Groups. Thanks to the aid of Józef Kostrzewski
Józef Kostrzewski
Józef Kostrzewski was a Polish archaeologist.Kostrzewski was born in Węglewo . He studied first in Kraków, then from 1910 onwards with Gustaf Kossinna at Berlin and graduated in 1914...
, Wierzejewski arranged a secret den in the Museum of PSFAS (Poznań Society of Friends of Arts and Sciences
Poznan Society of Friends of Arts and Sciences
The Poznań Society of Friends of Learning is a learned society in Poznań, Poland, established in 1857, of scholars and scientists in all branches of learning...
) and lived there. He also took a calculated risk himself, on the strength of a self-produced passport and travel document he tried to cross the border to Switzerland and contact the Polish Aid Committee
Polish National Committee
Polish National Committee can refer to several Polish organizations:Historical:*Polish National Committee in Paris*Polish National Committee during the Spring of Nations...
.
By the end of 1916 the integration progressed further, resulting in the creation of a secret Headquarter 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 Anna Krysiewicz, commanding the Girl Guides). In July 1919 he was one of three delegates for the meeting, resulting in a merger of Greater-Poland Scouts with the ZHP. However, in 1920 he volunteered, as an already experienced organizer to the plebiscite of the Mazurs and next fought in the second and third Silesia uprisings.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 Sanacja
Sanacja
Sanation was a Polish political movement that came to power after Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 Coup d'État. Sanation took its name from his watchword—the moral "sanation" of the Polish body politic...
unfriendly, he was transferred away from Poznań and had to resign from the honorable Scout role. He appealed to the court justice, and won several times, only to be sent away again repeatedly, a further distance each time, in "the interest of the school" behind the Pińsk
Pinsk
Pinsk , a town in Belarus, in the Polesia region, traversed by the river Pripyat, at the confluence of the Strumen and Pina rivers. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk. It is a fertile agricultural center. It lies south-west of Minsk. The population is about 130,000...
. Finally he won the case and came back to Poznań, but many years had passed. Yet this maybe allowed him to outlive the first occupation, imprisoned and displaced he survived in Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
. When he came back to Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
he was again removed by the communist Government, both from the Scouts as well from school. The rest of his life he fought for the truth in the history commissions.
Scouting organizations
- Federacja Drużyn im. Cichociemnych
- Harcerski Ruch Ochrony Środowiska (:pl:Harcerski Ruch Ochrony Środowiska)
- Harcerstwo Polskie
- Krąg "Leśna Szkółka - Drzewo Pokoju", member of the Order of World ScoutsOrder of World ScoutsThe Order of World Scouts founded in 1911, was the first international Scouting organisation. It is headquartered in England, with the administration headquarters in Italy...
- Organizacja Harcerska "Rodło" (:pl:Organizacja Harcerska "Rodło")
- Plast-Ukrainian Scouting in Poland, affiliated to PlastPlastThe Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine commonly called Ukrainian Plast or simply Plast is the largest Scouting organization in Ukraine.-First Phase: 1911-1920:...
- Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego; ZHP), member of the World Organization of the Scout MovementWorld Organization of the Scout MovementThe World Organization of the Scout Movement is the Non-governmental international organization which governs most national Scout Organizations, with 31 million members. WOSM was established in 1920, and has its headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland...
, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl ScoutsWorld Association of Girl Guides and Girl ScoutsThe World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Scouting organizations in 145 countries. It was established in 1928 and has its headquarters in London, England. It is the counterpart of the World Organization of the Scout...
and of the International Scout and Guide FellowshipInternational Scout and Guide FellowshipThe International Scout and Guide Fellowship is a worldwide organization of Scout alumni in support of Scouting and Guiding who want to strengthen dialogue between communities through community-oriented projects worldwide....
, 170,000 members - Royal Rangers Poland, affiliated to Royal Rangers InternationalRoyal RangersRoyal Rangers is a worldwide ministry of the Assemblies of God and is designed to provide youth with challenging activities while providing them with Christian instruction. Royal Rangers International is open to participation of both boys and girls, while the US only allows boy participation in...
- Stowarzyszenie Harcerskie (:pl:Stowarzyszenie Harcerskie)
- Stowarzyszenie Harcerstwa Katolickiego-Zawisza, member of the Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d′Europe (:pl:Stowarzyszenie Harcerstwa Katolickiego Zawisza)
- Szczep Czerwonych Maków im. Bohaterów Monte Cassino
- Związek Harcerstwa RzeczypospolitejZwiazek Harcerstwa RzeczypospolitejZwiązek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej is a Polish Scouting organization founded on February 12, 1989. At present, Związek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej has over 15,000 members...
(ZHR), observer at the CESCESCES may stand for:*Closed ecological system, an ecosystem that does not rely on matter exchange with any part outside the system*Constant elasticity of substitution, an economics production function*The ISO 639 code for the Czech language...
, 15,000 members
Polish Scouting abroad
Polish Scouts-in-ExileScouts-in-Exile
Scouts-in-Exteris, also referred to as Scouts-in-Exile, are Scouting and Guiding groups formed outside of their native country as a result of war and changes in governments...
organizations include
- Harcerstwo Polskie w Republice Czeskiej (Polish Scouting in the Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
) - Niezależny Hufiec Harcerstwa Polskiego "LS-Kaszuby" in SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego na Litwie (ZHPnL, Polish Scouting in LithuaniaLithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
- Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego Poza Granicami Kraju (not affiliated to Związek Harcerstwa PolskiegoZwiazek Harcerstwa PolskiegoZwiązek Harcerstwa Polskiego is the coeducational Polish Scouting organization recognized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It was founded in 1918 and currently is the largest Scouting organization in Poland...
in Poland) with chapters in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Sweden, the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; - Związek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej w Kanadzie (Polish Scouting in Canada; not affiliated to Związek Harcerstwa RzeczypospolitejZwiazek Harcerstwa RzeczypospolitejZwiązek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej is a Polish Scouting organization founded on February 12, 1989. At present, Związek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej has over 15,000 members...
in Poland)
International Scouting units in Poland
In addition, there are USA Girl Scouts Overseas in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, serviced by way of USAGSO headquarters in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; American Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts linked to the Horizon District of the Transatlantic Council of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, which supports units in west-and-central Europe, the Near East and North Africa.
See also
- Scouting in displaced persons campsScouting in displaced persons campsScouting has been active in displaced persons camps and in the lives of refugees since World War II. During and after World War II, until the early 1950s, Scouting and Guiding flourished in these camps. These Scout and Girl Guide groups often provided postal delivery and other basic services in...