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ZHP

The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association
Polish Scouting Association.png
Polish: Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego
Headquarters ZHP Headquarters Warsaw
Location Warszawa, Konopnickiej 6
Country Poland
Founded 1 November 1918
Founder Andrzej Małkowski, Olga Małkowska
Membership 138,112
Affiliation World Organization of the Scout Movement, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
Website
www.zhp.pl
WikiProject Scouting uniform template male background.svg
Scout
WikiProject Scouting uniform template female background.svg
Girl Scout
 

The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (Polish: Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego, ZHP) is the coeducational Polish Scouting organization recognized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It was founded in 1918 and currently is the largest Scouting organization in Poland (138,112 members in 2012). The first ZHP was founded in 1916, the current one is the fourth organization with this name. It is a public benefit organization as defined by Polish law.

The Polish Scout movement was started in 1910. Initially the ideas of Scouting were implemented by Andrzej Małkowski and his wife Olga. The three main branches of Polish Scouting included the Strzelec paramilitary organization for boys, a sport and education society Sokół and the anti-alcoholic association Eleusis. However, it wasn't until the Partitions of Poland came to an end that the ZHP would be officially founded by the merging of existing groups.

Soon after the merger in 1918, the ZHP members fought in all the conflicts Poland was engaged in around this time: Great Poland Uprising, Polish-Bolshevik War, Silesian Uprisings, and Polish-Ukrainian War, much like their predecessors during the Siege of Mafeking.

All of the units joined together in 1918 and formed the ZHP, one of the founding members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. Although many units retained their own traditions, a common law, common symbols and a common oath was introduced. The primary difference between most Scouting organizations and the Polish Harcerstwo was described by Andrzej Małkowski:


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