Korporacja Akademicka Sarmatia

Connecting coat of arms with compass, previous and current colors

The Korporacja Akademicka Sarmatia ( Academic Association Sarmatia ) is a student association that was founded on May 8, 1908 by Polish students in St. Petersburg . This makes it the sixth oldest Polish student union. In 1915 she moved to Warsaw and in 1992 she was reactivated.

history

The connection arose in 1908 from the merger of two associations of Polish students in St. Petersburg that had previously been operating underground - "Nietoperzy" and "Lechitia". The founding ceremony took place in the chapel of the Order of Malta , which is why the cross symbol of the order was included in the coat of arms of Sarmatia . The name refers to the movement of Polish Sarmatism . The founding members were noble students from the Polish border areas. When the First World War broke out , the connection in St. Petersburg was suspended and moved to Warsaw, where it reopened in 1915. Sarmatia was the first fraternity registered at Warsaw University of Technology . Members of Sarmatia participated in the disarming of German troops at the end of the war. In 1921, members of Sarmatia were the initiators of the establishment of the Union of Polish Student Associations (Polish: Związek Polskich Korporacji Akademickich ). In the 1920s and 1930s, the connection experienced its heyday,

World War II and post-war period

On September 1, 1939, Sarmatia had 209 living members who came from the nobility and bourgeoisie. 41 relatives were killed in the war and another nine were murdered by Soviet units, mainly in Katyn . 32 Sarmatians emigrated after the war, mainly to Western Europe and the USA. During the period of socialism , activity in Poland could not be resumed; there were only conspiratorial meetings of former members. In the 1970s, a commemorative plaque for fallen Sarmatians was placed in London's Andreas Bobola Church. Two more memorial plaques were attached to St. Anne's Church in Warsaw in the late 1980s.

In December 1992, the compound began its renewed activity; on February 8, 1993 it was registered as an association. Since then, members have been accepted again. At the turn of the millennium, most of the new members were recruited from the University of Warsaw and the Politechnika. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Sarmatia and the 125th anniversary of the Welecja connection , an exhibition on the history of the two connections took place in the Museum of Politechnika in 2009.

When it was founded, the connection was made up of the ribbon colors red-white-green, which stood for the Polish national colors plus the color of hope (for a re-established fatherland). As a result of the relocation to Warsaw, brown-silver-light green was chosen to distinguish it from the intense colors of German connections. The connection is colored; Fighting is only optional.

The architects Stanisław Jankowski and Jerzy Staniszkis were important Sarmatians .