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Zjednoczenie Polskich Uchodźców w Niemczech records
2006C40  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Access
  • Use
  • Acquisition Information
  • Preferred Citation
  • Historical Note
  • Scope and Contents of Collection

  • Title: Zjednoczenie Polskich Uchodźców w Niemczech records
    Date (inclusive): 1952-2003
    Collection Number: 2006C40
    Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
    Language of Material: Polish
    Physical Description: 9 manuscript boxes (3.6 Linear Feet)
    Abstract: Minutes, correspondence, reports, case files, and printed matter relating to relief activities on behalf of Polish refugees in Germany and to Polish émigré activities.
    Creator: Zjednoczenie Polskich Uchodźców w Niemczech
    Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives

    Access

    The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

    Use

    For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Acquisition Information

    Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2006.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Zjednoczenie Polskich Uchodzców w Niemczech records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Historical Note

    Zjednoczenie Polskich Uchodźców w Niemczech (ZPU), or the Union of Polish Refugees in Germany, was established on July 28th, 1951 with the assistance of one of its most prominent members and future president, Kazimierz Odrobny.
    ZPU was a legally registered organization with its own statute that outlined its purpose, coverage, and form of organization. When it was created, it became known as the principal Polish organization in Germany. In its initial stages of existence, ZPU was tasked with representing the affairs of all Polish refugees in Germany: those who remained in the country after being released from concentration camps, prisoner-of-war camps, and labor camps. This was especially the case after 1952, when the International Refugee Organization (IRO) ceased to exist and the ZPU took over some of its tasks in representing the Polish community. The ZPU handled many issues of its refugee charges: employment, housing, compensation, legal counsel and assistance with conflicts, organization of education for Polish children, scholarship, cultural events, and more.
    ZPU had experienced extensive internal restructuring after the death of Odrobny in 1981. The organization officially ceased to exist in 1993, while under the direction of Andrzej Prusiński.

    Scope and Contents of Collection

    The collection is composed of materials that reflect the history and activities of the Zjednoczenie Polskich Uchodźców w Niemczech (ZPU), or the Union of Polish Refugees in Germany, and covers the time period from 1952 to 2003. The collection is divided into seven series: administrative file, correspondence file, culture file, Kierownictwo Kolonii Letnich file, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna (PPS) file, Polska Rada Narodowa (PRN) file, and printed matter file. The collection documents the administrative activities and history of the ZPU and its involvement in émigré affairs, as well as the organization's relationship to various other Polish organizations abroad, through articles, correspondence, bulletins, meeting minutes, reports, communiques, notes, writings, statutes, press releases, and regulations.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Refugees
    International relief
    Polish people -- Germany (West)