Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Zjednoczenie Polskich Uchodźców w Niemczech records
2006C40
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
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
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.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2006.
[Identification of item], Zjednoczenie Polskich Uchodzców w Niemczech records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution
Library & Archives.
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)