An Outline of the History of Polish Education in Denmark (1910-1980)

Abstract

The Polish education in Denmark was organized and developing in a close relation to the elements of social ties existing within Polonia. As a consequence of various conditionings, the Polish education, similarly to the ties, was weak and unstable. This situation resulted from the demographic features of the Polish group, internal links and relations with the Danes, organizational and religious life of the Poles and their legal situation in Denmark. The national education came to existence considerably late and was hardly developing. In fact, it was during the World War I that the Polish education started to develop. The following periods may be distinguished in this development:

1. the Church organizational education 1910 (?), 1913-1926;
2. both the Church and the organizational education 1926-1940;
3. the organizational-municipal and the Church education 1940-1980.

Thus, in general, the Polish education in Denmark was devidied into both the Church and the organizational education especially in the inter-war period. The main features of the Danish Polonia are strongly reflected in the Polish education there. Social and territorial links of Polonia, wavy affluence of the Poles to Denmark, their internal religious and organizational conflicts had an influence on the weakness of the Polish education. It is likely that the moderate educational life of Polonia in Denmark will take up similar forms in the future.