“Młody Polak w Niemczech” (1930–1939)

The press organ of the Union of Poles in Germany for the Polish youth
 

During the inter-war years, young Poles living in Germany were encouraged to join youth organisations, such as scout groups, sports clubs, the “Sokół” (“Falcon”) gymnastics club, choirs and many other social, cultural and political groups. From 1925 onwards, individual publications for the Polish youth were already beginning to appear in the German Empire, such as “Życie Młodzieży” (“The Life of the Youth”), a news sheet published in East Prussia, or “Zdrój” (“Source”) from Oppeln (Opole) in Silesia. From 1925, there was even a separate periodical for children between 7 and 14 years of age, “Mały Polak w Niemczech” (Fig. 1) (“The Little Pole in Germany”), which was published as a supplement to the official press organ of the Union of Poles in Germany.[1] In 1930, using this publication as a basis, the Union issued a central periodical aimed at the Polish youth aged 14 and above across the entire German Empire.[2] The first issue, “Młody Polak w Niemczech” (“The Young Pole in Germany”) (Figs. 2 & 2.1), was launched on 1 April 1930 as a successor to “Zdrój”. Publication of the periodical continued until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. This new Polish youth magazine was edited by the Union of Poles in Germany and over the course of the following years was printed in Berlin, Herne and Oppeln. Its editors included Helena Lehr and Edmund Osmańczyk, the authors of the monograph “Polacy spod znaku rodła. Księga pamiątkowa na 50-lecie Związku Polaków w Niemczech” (Poles under the Rodło emblem. A commemorative book to mark the 50th anniversary of the Union of Poles in Germany). Edmund Osmańczyk was also the first to coin the term “Rodło”. Many of the illustrations in “Młody Polak w Niemczech” were created by the graphic designer Janina Kłopocka (Fig. 3) who also designed the Rodło emblem a few years later.[3]

Years before even the first edition of “Młody Polak w Niemczech” was published, the necessity for organising and communicating with the Polish youth in Germany was already being discussed in “Polak w Niemczech”, for example in the April 1928 edition:

“We do indeed have all the power of the youth organisations, but too few of them are developing as they should to bring real benefit to their members (...). We should all be aware of the importance which youth organisations can and must have for our spiritual and societal development. (...) Every member of a youth organisation is a part of the Polish community in Germany. (...) One of the most important tasks is the founding of a Central Union of Youth, which would unite all the youth organisations that have loosely coexisted side by side to date. The purpose of such a Union of Youth would be to create a shared supreme goal and to unify the tasks of the organisations and accordingly, to provide them with a clear sense of direction”.[4]

The central organisation of the Polish youth as outlined in the article began with the establishment of “Młody Polak w Niemczech”. Here, too, reports were published on important topics relating to Polish life and the retention and promotion of Polish culture, language and national awareness among the Poles living in Germany, while at the same time, the purpose of the periodical was to communicate the tasks and goals of the Union to its young members.[5]

 

The content and goals of the youth periodical
 

The first issue of “Młody Polak w Niemczech” described the tasks and goals of the youth periodical as follows:

“Our aim is to unify the Polish youth in Germany. (...) We wish to, and shall, create well-rounded Poles. We shall awaken and strengthen a feeling of love and a sense of an indestructible bond among young people in relation to the great Polish nation. We aim to communicate to them a full understanding of their mission within the German state. In addition, we wish to foster young Poles who are of value in every respect by providing general educational information. In Silesia and Westphalia, in Berlin, the border regions and in East Prussia, the Polish youth should be focused on just one thought: we shall begin with the main task of creation”.[6]

With these ideals in mind, the new youth periodical, like “Polak w Niemczech”, reported on news from Poland and Germany (in relation to social, cultural and political issues) as well as on the work of the Union.[7] The editors also made efforts to make the magazine as attractive as possible to its target audience, and to reflect their needs. As a result, articles were increasingly printed about different Polish youth organisations, as were songs, poems, instructions for various crafts, riddles, crossword puzzles and, at the end of each edition, jokes and cartoons (Figs. 4–8). However, information about particular historical events and reminders of Polish national holidays and prominent individuals was also included (Fig. 9). 

In October 1931, to create a clearer separation between the entertainment value and the conveying of knowledge, a change to the structure and topics covered by the youth periodical was agreed. From November 1931, “Nasz Uniwersytet Ludowy” (“Our People’s University”) was included with “Młody Polak w Niemczech” as a supplement every three months. In the words of the editors, this was their way of responding to the need for more comprehensive information to support independent further education, in contrast to the generally artistic-creative and entertaining material presented in “Młody Polak w Niemczech”.[8] In addition, in combination with “Nasz Uniwersytet Ludowy”, the plan was to publish a reader’s edition which would offer readers a platform for discussion about the articles in the university issue. However, publication of this special edition ground to a halt due to editorial difficulties (Fig. 10). Overall, the youth periodical only had a small readership (Fig. 11). One result was the following appeal, published in “Polak w Niemczech”: “Dear parents, make efforts to ensure that your sons and daughters read ‘Młody Polak w Niemczech’”.[9] The outbreak of the Second World War made publication of both “Młody Polak w Niemczech” and “Polak w Niemczech” impossible. However, unlike the adult version of the periodical, publication of “Młody Polak w Niemczech” did not resume after the war ended. 

 

The importance of young people for the Union of Poles in Germany
 

For the Union of Poles, as for all organisations, clubs and associations, the Polish youth was first and foremost of importance for a very practical reason: maintaining the existence of the organisation and guaranteeing its continuation in the future. Particularly with the membership figures for the Union compared to the estimated number of Poles living in the German Empire in mind, the Union was very keen to recruit young Poles to carry out its work. Of the estimated 1.5 million Poles living in Germany during the 1920s, in 1924, around 32,000 were registered members of the Union of Poles. The highest figure was recorded in 1930, at 45,000 members.[10] However, as a result not only of the low membership figures, but also the fear that a sense of national awareness was disappearing among Poles living in Germany (in Polish: wynarodowienie), the Union decided to actively work to continue its promotion of the Polish culture, language and sense of national affiliation:

“We are all threatened by it [the loss of national awareness; author’s note] and for this reason, we must work to counter this loss, indeed, to combat it. And we must not only do so among the younger generation. The disappearance of national awareness is a loss of two essential elements: national affiliation and the Polish language”.[11]

In a comprehensive article on the goals and tasks of the Polish youth in Germany, Walenty Biedka, who was president of District III of the Union of Poles in Germany from 1929 to 1931, summarised the importance of the Polish youth and the ideas within the Union for young Polish people as follows: the Polish youth should be educated, pious, engage in sports activities and be organised in Polish clubs and groups. They should grow up with a deep sense of connection to Polish culture, literature and language, so that in time, worthy representatives of the Poles in Germany could emerge from their ranks.[12] This was a fundamental goal for the Polish youth in order to be able to guarantee the continuation of the work of the Union of Poles in Germany in the future.

 

Natalia Kubiak, June 2020

 

List of digitalised editions of “Młody Polak w Niemczech” (“The Young Pole in Germany”) on Porta Polonica:
 

„Młody Polak w Niemczech“, 1930, in: Exponate https://www.porta-polonica.de/de/atlas-der-erinnerungsorte/mlody-polak-w-niemczech-1930, last accessed on 16/6/2020.

„Młody Polak w Niemczech“, 1931, in: Exponate https://www.porta-polonica.de/de/atlas-der-erinnerungsorte/mlody-polak-w-niemczech-1931, last accessed on 16/6/2020.

„Młody Polak w Niemczech“, 1932, in: Exponate https://www.porta-polonica.de/de/atlas-der-erinnerungsorte/mlody-polak-w-niemczech-1932, last accessed on 16/6/2020.
 

Further digitalised editions of “Młody Polak w Niemczech” are available on Polona.pl, the largest digital library in Poland, from the following public domain: https://polona.pl/search/?query=mlody_polak_w_niemczech&filters=public:1, last accessed on 16/6/2020.

 

List of sources and bibliography:
 

Krężałek, Iwona: Działalność kulturalno-oświatowa ZPwN w okresie powojennym, in: Marczewski, Jerzy (ed.), Związek Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1922–1982, Wydawnictwo Polonica, Warszawa 1987, p. 354–377.

Kubiak, Natalia: “Polak w Niemczech” (1925–1972). The press organ of the Union of Poles in Germany, in: https://www.porta-polonica.de/en/atlas-of-remembrance-places/polak-w-niemczech-1925-1972-press-organ-union-poles-germany, last accessed on 16/6/2020.

Lehr, Helena / Osmańczyk, Edmund: Polacy spod znaku rodła. Księga pamiątkowa na 50-lecie Związku Polaków w Niemczech, Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, Warszawa 1972.

Loew, Peter Oliver: Wir Unsichtbaren. Geschichte der Polen in Deutschland, C. H. Beck, München 2014.

Poniatowska, Anna: Organizacja Związku Polaków w Niemczech, in: Marczewski, Jerzy (ed.), Związek Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1922–1982, Wydawnictwo Polonica, Warszawa 1987,pS. 37–64.

Poniatowska, Anna: Działalność społeczno-polityczna, in: Marczewski, Jerzy (ed.), Związek Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1922–1982, Wydawnictwo Polonica, Warszawa 1987, p. 65–118.

Ruchniewicz, Krzysztof: The Polish gymnastics club “Sokół”, in: https://www.porta-polonica.de/en/atlas-of-remembrance-places/polish-gymnastics-club-sokol, last accessed on 16/6/2020.

Ruchniewicz, Krzysztof: Janina Kłopocka, in: https://www.porta-polonica.de/en/atlas-of-remembrance-places/janina-klopocka, last accessed on 16/6/2020.

Ruchniewicz, Krzysztof: The Rodło emblem, in: https://www.porta-polonica.de/en/atlas-of-remembrance-places/rodlo-emblem, last accessed on 16/6/2020.

Związek Polaków w Niemczech (ed.): Leksykon Polactwa w Niemczech, „Nowiny“, Opole (Oppeln OS) 1939, in: https://www.porta-polonica.de/en/atlas-of-remembrance-places/lexicon-polish-life-germany, last accessed on 16/6/2020.