Last modified: 2015-01-03 by andrew weeks
Keywords: dar pomorza | ufe | salt mines | buttons museum | bialowieski national park |
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![[salt]](../images/p/pl@salt.gif)
image by Zach Harden, 22 Mar 2002
Salt mines near Krakow - in the underground chappel there are Polish,Vatican
and miners green over black flags, There is also a white-yellow vertical
banner.
Dov Gutterman, 22 Mar 2002
Adam Kromer was recently in Wieliczka, in the salt mines (as a tourist,
not as a condemned one) and talked to some people
in authority about the Dov's flag on your Polish pages. That flag is
not only for the salt mines but for all the miners, primarily the coalminers,
so numerous in Poland.
To confirm it, he saw (on TV) a lot of recent demonstrations protesting
closures of those mines (Welcome to European Union) where these flags were
in abundance.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 19 Nov 2002
![2]](../images/p/pl-rccv.gif)
image by Zach Harden, 22 Mar 2002
Salt mines near Krakow - there is also a white-yellow vertical banner.
Dov Gutterman, 22 Mar 2002
![[Buttons Museum flag]](../images/p/pl@butt.gif)
image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 20 Nov 2002
There is, most likely one of a kind, Museum of Buttons in Lowicz, Poland
run by one Jerzy Rutkowski, great authority on ... buttons. The Museum
has its own flag, even if it is rather small institution. The entire collection
fits into a suitcase and is stored in the closet in Mr. Rutkowski's apartment
in Lowicz. The best way to view the significant collection is by the way
of Internet at this webpage, where
the information is presented in both, Polish and English.
The flag is pictured and described at this
webpage.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 20 Nov 2002
![[Białowieski National Park]](../images/p/pl@bnp.gif)
image by Jens Pattke, 11 Jan 2006, after image on this
site, spotted by Valentin Poposki.
The cited cite states:
"We workers of the Białowieski National Park granted with the holy
flag vow to:
- protect nature, all living in Białowieski National Park plants and
animals,
- guard the reputation of park, win over followers and friends. With
dignity fulfill professional duties,
- protect and defend our flag, symbol of our unity and devotion to
the service of our Country Rzeczpospolita Polska
On the third of September 2005, the 83rd anniversary of establishment of the Białowieski National Park, the 75th anniversary of European bison restitution in Białowieża Primeval Forest, the 25th anniversary of receiving by our National Park the World Heritage Title the ceremony of awarding and blessing of the Białowieski National Park flag in front of the administrative-museum building took place.
The flag was founded by the Association of Local Government of “Puszcza Białowieska” Euroregion (Starostwo Powiatowe w Hajnówce, Miasto Hajnówka, Gmina Hajnówka, Gmina Białowieża, Miasto and Gmina Kleszczele, Gmina Czeremcha, Gmina Czyże, Gmina Dubicze Cerkiewne, Wójt Gminy Narew, Gmina Narewka, Gmina Bielsk Podlaski, Orla Gmina).
Włodzimierz Pietroczuk the chairman both of the Hajnówka Administrative District and the Association handed the flag to managing director Józef Popiel. The blessing act was performed by archbishop Leszek Sławoj Głódż - the catholic ordinary of the Polish Army and bishop Miron the orthodox ordinary of the Polish Army. In the ceremony many representatives of the Local Government, the Ministry of Environment, The National Found of Environment Protection and Water Management, Ekofundusz Fund, Pekao S.A. Bank (co-organizer of “Żubr Year” celebration), “Żubr” Brand (“Żubr Year” sponsor) and Białowieża inhabitants participated. In the name of BNP workers vowed: Anna Gierasimiuk and Andrzej Karczewski.
The flag was designed by a visual aritist Lech Z. Nowacki from Białowieża. On a green face side there is a picture of two first European bisons brought to Białowieża Primeval Forest in 1921, above them the inscription- Białowieski National Park, and under it the year 1921 (the year of BNP establishment). There were placed also signs of BNP affiliation to the World Heritage Site (since 1979) and to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (since 1977). On the bottom of the flag there is the inscription: “In the service of nature and mankind”. On the reverse there is the image of the Piast eagle. The flag was made in Suwałki by Mrs Krystyna Brzezińska`s company.
The Białowieski National Park is the third national park (after Biebrzański
and Tatrzański National Park) that can take pride in possessing a flag."
Valentin Poposki, 1 Jan 2006
By sheer coincidence, I took my dog today morning for an outing in Ronald Reagan Park in Diamond Bar. There, we met a nice American-Filipino man with a beautiful Pekingese, who just returned from a trip to Poland. While there, he visited the Białowieża Forest National Park and told me a story about riding in a horse-driven carriage all around the forest with a highly knowledgeable, English-speaking, guide, who also possessed a hilarious sense of humor.
This guide, most likely, received his training in the Forestry Schools Complex (named after "Polish Foresters") in Białowieża, which standard is presented here.
There is one more national park in Poland with own standard, namely
Kampinos National Park (Kampinoski Park Narodowy) near Warsaw:
obverse at: <http://kampinoski-pn.gov.pl/images/stories/sztandar-a.jpg>
reverse at: <http://kampinoski-pn.gov.pl/images/stories/sztandar-b.jpg>
Chrystian Kretowicz, 17 Sep 2009
What happened to the nice American-Filipino man? Did he stay at home
during his Pekingese's trip?
Anon.
![[Union of Poles in Germany 1932-39]](../images/p/pl_zpn.gif)
image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 30 Sep 2009
Union of Poles in Germany (1922-1939) - Związek Polaków w Niemczech
- Bund der Polen in Deutschland e.V.
"Union of Poles in Germany is an organisation of the Polish minority
in Germany, founded in 1922. The union initiated collaboration between
other minorities, including Sorbs, Danes, Frisians and Lithuanians. From
1939 until 1945 the Union was outlawed in Nazi Germany. After 1945 it had
lost some of its influence; in 1950 the Union of Poles in Germany split
into two organizations:
the Union of Poles in Germany (German: Bund der Polen in Deutschland
e.V.), which refused to recognize the communist Polish government of
the Polish United
Workerś Party, and the Union of Poles "Zgoda" (Unity) (German:
Bund
der Polen "Zgoda" (Eintracht)), which did recognize the new Communist
government in Warsaw and had contacts with it. The split was healed in
1991.
The union was intended to express the views of the Polish minority in
Germany, This partly comprised the Polish-native population of the former
East German provinces which remained with Germany under the conditions
of the Treaty of Versailles (Upper Silesia, East Brandenburg, Pomerania,
Warmia or areas where Poles settled in Middle Ages (East Prussia) - mostly
farmers and workers - and partly the Polish immigrants in Ruhr area.
This constituency of the Union was calculated to number approximately
1,500,000 people. However, the Polish minority was only legally recognised
as such in Upper Silesia, where they possessed international status due
to Treaty of Versailles. In other areas Poles were subject of assimilationist
policies that did not recognize their distinct ethnicity.
In Nazi Germany Poles faced increased problems as the Nazis attempted
to force cultural unity on the country. Poles outside of the Upper Silesia
were forced to declare German nationality; activists of the union were
subject of persecutions. However, the union was kept legal in the hope
to avoid escalations of ethnic conflict that would create problems for
the German minority in Poland (mostly in the autonomous Silesian Voivodeship,
in Wielkopolska and former West Prussia in the Polish Corridor, 1919-1939).
The leaders of the Union found it necessary to invent new symbols for
the Union to avoid the possibility that Poles would adhere to the new "national"
symbols, such as the Nazi salute and the swastika. This led to invention
of the symbol of the Union, the Rodło, a stylized representation
of the Vistula river. The reason for its adoption was that the Polish national
symbol, the White Eagle, was not allowed by Prussian law. The Nazi swastika
provided an inspiration for the Poleśs own alternative symbol that was
designed to be a challenge for Nazi Germany." (wikipedia)
The Polish national emblem, the White Eagle, having been banned in
Nazi Germany, the Rodło was invented as a new symbol that Poles
in Germany could rally around. The name, "Rodło," is a portmanteau
of "ród" ("folk") and "godło" ("emblem").
The Rodło graphics was conceived in 1930's by the graphic designer,
Janina Kłopocka, who sketched the "emblem of the Vistula River, cradle
of the Polish people, and royal Kraków, cradle of Polish culture". (marked
on the lowest arm) [CWK].
The white emblem was placed on a red background - the Polish national
colors. It was adopted in August 1932 by the leadership of the Union of
Poles in Germany.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 30 Sep 2009
Isn't Pomorze "Pomerania"?
Pascal Vagnat, 19 May 1999
DAR POMORZA is a Polish sail training ship, so I guess that must be
the flag of the ship...
Robert M J Czernkowski, 21 May 1999
I think, that it could be some flag of Świętokrzyskie voyevodship. It
had a coat of arms with 7 vertical red/white stripes on right (heraldic)
side of shield and eight golden stars on blue field on left side.
O. Myszor, 20 Nov 2001
If I understand the description clearly, looking at the flag attached
to the pole (on the left for arguments sake) the flag is red on the left
side, white on the right, with a white eagle on the red part. Lodge
or club flags tend to have local symbols, most clubs revolve around a town
or region. If it is Polish, it sounds more like some sort of battle
or naval flag. It wasn't until later centuries, probably about the
18th -19th that the current colors of white on top and red on the bottom
were codified. Tradition says that the early Polish flag was red
on top white on the bottom, until so much blood was shed on Polish soil
that it soaked into the land leaving the sky white. One hint on the
identity of the flag in question would be how the eagle is represented.
The stylization of the eagle seems fairly consistent over long periods
so that it should look similar to the current version. Those are my best
guesses. When I have some time, I'll see if I have any pictures of
flags that look like this one. It might help to know where this flag
was seen.
Michael J Cwik, 8 Aug 2000
My understanding of the description tallies with your supposition: the
flag is divided vertically, the red to the hoist, the white to the fly.
I asked my girlfriend tonight about the eagle charge and she's pretty sure
that it was not holding anything in its claws, but equally she doesn't
think it was crowned, which would tend to identify it as Polish if it was.
Roy Stilling, 8 Aug 2000
The absence of a crown may make this a communist-era flag, if indeed
it is Polish. Unless and until some New Yorker reports more detail on this
flag, we'll have to live with Cwik's guess as a working hypothesis.
Al Kirsch, 9 Aug 2000
I went researching about this flag, & other polish flags, while
doing this I visited FOTW's polish flag page. I discovered this flag to
match the description of the undentified Polish flag: Banner
of President of Republic of Poland 1945-1952.
Joshua Horn, 30 Sep 2001
What would a Polish president be doing in Broadway?
Rob Raeside, 1 Oct 2001
