The camp of the Związek Strzelecki (Riflemen’s Association) named Zygmunt Lewakowski in Zakrzów (1929-1939) Cover Image

Obóz Związku Strzeleckiego im. Zygmunta Lewakowskiego w Zakrzowie (1929-1939)
The camp of the Związek Strzelecki (Riflemen’s Association) named Zygmunt Lewakowski in Zakrzów (1929-1939)

Author(s): Mirosław Płonka
Subject(s): History, Local History / Microhistory, Recent History (1900 till today)
Published by: Wadowickie Centrum Kultury
Keywords: Zakrzów; Zygmunt Lewakowski; Związek Strzelecki

Summary/Abstract: In 1929, in the Beskid village of Zakrzów (now the commune of Stryszów, poviat of Wadowice), the cornerstone for the construction of the first permanent and large camp in the Kraków district of the Riflemen’s Association was consecrated and laid. With the fall of the Second Polish Republic, the idea of ​​summer and winter camps, during which young people could take advantage of instructor’s courses, systematic sports or shooting exercises, died. At the same time, the foundation of Zygmunt Lewakowski and his idea of ​​developing hygiene, sport and culture both among the youth associated in the Union and the rural population permanently living near Chełm were forgotten. At the same time, the memory of the camp itself disappeared, the creation of which marked the next stage of military training of the civilian population in the Second Polish Republic (from then on, the professionally prepared infrastructure was to replace ordinary meadows intended for campsites). The facility was the pride of the Krakow district, which could accommodate approximately 170 shooters at the same time. In addition to recalling the existence of the camp itself, the author draws attention to the importance and stages of building the base, pointing to the ways of its impact on the community of the Lesser Poland ZS and the inhabitants of the villages of the present Stryszów commune.

  • Issue Year: 2021
  • Issue No: 24
  • Page Range: 56-71
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: English, Polish