Greater Poland Uprising 1918/1919 Remembrance Society

Continuation of the memory of history of the Greater Poland Uprising, its tradition and meaning.

Stefan Barłóg

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There is a Club which functions in association with the Main Board of the Society for the Memory of the Greater Poland Uprising - the “Family” of schools bearing the names of heroes of the Greater Poland Uprising.

The “Family” was formed even before the establishment of the Society for the Memory of the Greater Poland Uprising in Kalisz, during the 1st National Rally of Schools which were all bound by the joint patron of the school –that is, heroes of the Greater Poland Uprising. The organiser of the Rally was Primary School No. 16 in Kalisz, which bears the name “Greater Poland Insurgents”. At present the club brings together 105 schools and 15 organisational units of the Scouting and Guiding Association.

During the last school year, because of the liquidation of lower secondary schools as a result of governmental reforms, several schools bearing the names of Greater Poland Insurgents disappeared.  However, the process of choosing heroes of the Greater Poland Uprising as patrons of the new educational institutions established in place of the lower secondary schools is continuing.

The achievements of the “Family” include national rallies of schools, in which scouting units also often participate. So far, eight such rallies have already been organised:

I. Kalisz  - 1978. Organiser – Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy and Greater Poland Insurgents Primary School No. 16 in Kalisz

II. Poznań– 1988. Organiser - Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy and Polish Scouting and Guiding Association.

III. Poznań Ławica– 1993. Organiser - Society for the Memory of the Greater Poland Uprising and the 4th Aviation Corps of the Polish Armed Forces in Ławica

IV. Warsaw- 1998. Organiser – Society for the Memory of the Greater Poland Uprising and Greater Poland Insurgents Primary School No. 263 in Warsaw.

 

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V. Poznań  - 2003. Organiser – Greater Poland Marshal's Office and Society for the Memory of the Greater Poland Uprising.

VI. Gniezno – Zdziechowa– 2004. Organiser –  Society for the Memory of the Greater Poland Uprising, a Youth Centre in Gniezno and the Greater Poland Insurgents Primary School in Zdziechowa.

VII. Września – 2008. Organiser – Society for the Memory of the Greater Poland Uprising, Września Staroste and the Greater Poland Insurgents Complex of Vocational Schools in Września.

VIII. Lusowo, Poznań – 2014. Organiser – Society for the Memory of the Greater Poland Uprising, Society for the Memory of General Józef Dowbór-Muśnicki in Lusowo and the General Józef Dowbór-Muśnicki Primary School in Lusowo.

During the year 2019, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Greater Poland Uprising, another Rally in Gniezno was held.

Furthermore, schools which have the same hero as their patron, pay visits to each other and participate in ceremonies concerning the “Patron’s Feast Day” organised by them, as well as other events.

One particular example is the organisation of an event under the slogan “Meeting of Friends” by the Board of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Branch, during which the selected school organises meetings and presents its achievements as well as educational-didactic, sports and artistic accomplishments etc.

All Rallies, congresses and meetings of the schools are aimed at exchanging their experiences in the educational work about the patron of the school and presenting their achievements in this respect. Furthermore, they make the participants of the rallies more familiar with the historical sites which are connected to the Greater Poland Uprising 1918-1919, and so for instance the 3rd Rally in Poznań, Ławica – with its traditions related to the capturing of this German-held airport and the ensuing formation of the insurgent air squadron. On the other hand, the 4th Rally in Warsaw presented the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with a monument and a dedicated quarter devoted to the Greater Poland and Silesian Insurgents in the Powązki Cemetery. Later, the 7th Rally in Września familiarised participants with the history of the struggle of the children from Września for their Polishness, through a monument to the children of  Września and Maria Konopnicka - the author of the insurgent song called “Rota” [Oath]. Later, the 8th Lusowo-Poznań Rally familiarised participants with the history of the commanders of the Greater Poland Uprising - General Stanisław Taczak and General Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki and their tombs in Poznań and Lusowo.

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