Krakow scout village. photo - zhp

Poland’s scouts celebrate 100 years since their foundation this week, with concerts, meetings and a special scout village being erected in Krakow.

The Scouting movement originated in Great Britain in 1907, when Robert Baden-Powell. Three years later, the movement was pioneered in Poland by Andrzej and Olga Małkowski.

Andrzej Malkowski first came into contact with the idea of scouting the year before, while translating Scouting for Boys by Baden-Powell into Polish. The first teams of scouts were established in Lviv in 1910. From the very beginning, however, the scouting movement in Poland not only advanced Baden-Powell’s scouting ideas but also taught Polish national values as Poland fought for its independence.

The heroic actions of scouts during the Warsaw Rising of 1944 – when they risked their lives acting as an underground postal service – cemented the place of the organisation in Poland’s history.

Scouts also hit the headlines recently when they placed a cross in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw – a spontaneous action which has led to a lengthy political conflict.

To mark the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Scout movement in Poland the organization is holding concerts, meetings and games. The participants will also discuss the past and future of the association.

Tent village

A scout village is also being constructed at Błonia Park in Krakow, where scouts have designed and built miniature versions of the city’s historic sites, all of which are made from wood.

Two hundred field kitchens, portable toilets and, naturally, tents have been located at the site.

"When entering the Błonie area, we pass a huge tent which will resemble the Sukiennice, where  the main reception is held,” says Magdalena Wąsik, member of the regional command of Krakow.

“Then there will be St. Florian's Gate and an interesting construction called the Crown of the Kings, where different activities will take place. There will also be a large dragon on the premises, which is currently under construction. The scouts will sleep in tents around the dragon. Yet each command will have a special gate to its camp, for example the Warsaw camp's gate will resemble the Palace of Culture."

Around 8,000 scouts will reside in Błonie Park, alongside counterparts from many parts of the world. During the commemorations scouts will publish a special newspaper devoted to the jamboree and will run their own radio in collaboration with a local radio station.

The convention, of which Polskie Radio is one of the media patrons, will last until 24 August. (pg/ab)