Sokół movement
Sokół (Polish: [ˈsɔkuw] , English: Falcon), or in full the Polskie Towarzystwo Gimnastyczne "Sokół" (English: "Falcon" Polish Gymnastic Society), is the Polish offshoot of the Czech Sokol movement, and the oldest youth movement organization of Poland. Created in Lwów in 1867, by the end of World War I the movement had its units – gniazda ("Nests") – in all parts of Poland, as well as among the Polish communities abroad. The group's goal was to develop fitness, both physically and mentally, with a motto mens sana in corpore sano ("a fit spirit in a fit body").
Founded
Post WWII[edit]
In 1947, the organization was officially delegalized by the communist authorities of the Polish People's Republic. All information relating to the "Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society was subject to censorship. The society was registered on 10 January 1989 and then on 1 March 1990 its name was changed to Union of "Sokół" Gymnastics Societies in Poland (Związek Towarzystw Gimnastycznych "Sokół" w Polsce). Currently, the union has an estimated number of 8,000 members organized in 80 groups known as gniazda (nests). The "Sokół" union continues the traditions of its pre-WWII predecessor and is committed to instilling the values of patriotism, education and civic duty in its young members as well as strengthening the love of the country and a sense of national identity. In 2017, the Polish Sejm and Senate passed a special resolution commemorating the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the "Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society.[2][3]
A march of the "Sokół" Gymnastic Society Orchestra, Poznań, 1934
TG Sokół Katowice, 1935
A team of members of "Sokół" Society joins the Polish Legions, Kraków, 1914
