Physical Education and School Sport of the German Minority in Poland in the Interwar Period of the 20th Century

Abstract

In the interwar period of the 20th century, 30% of the total population of Poland was comprised of national minorities. Among them, the German minority of 740 thousand people played a very prominent role. The Germans lived mainly in the western parts of Poland: Pomeranian, Poznań and Silesian voivodeships, as well as in the district of Lodz. The German community was wealthy and influential thanks to the economic traditions and support provided by the German state. In order to stop the process of polonization, the Germans established and developed numerous forms of economic, cultural and social activity. They were very active in the area of physical culture. Their activities included taking great care of the development of physical education and sport in German schools at both primary and secondary education level. Physical education classes were taught and school sports competitions were organized. Physical education was one of the most popular school subjects and was intended to preserve the “German spirit” among pupils. The majority of German schools had a curriculum in place that included two hours of physical education per week and some of them even four hours of PE classes per week. The best teaching staff and sports facilities were to be found in private schools, especially secondary schools, where physical education and school sports enjoyed a very prominent status.