Pseudo-Olympics in the Grand Duchy of Posen: The Forgotten Sports Heritage of Greater Poland

Abstract

The Grand Duchy of Posen, which was created and incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815, developed less dynamically in relation to other parts of the Prussian state, also in the area of physical culture. However, since the end of the 1830s a gradual increase in the Duchy residents’ interest in sports became noticeable. Authors of several works on the subject of Olympic Games even indicate that in the nineteenth century the Grand Duchy of Posen hosted athletic competitions dubbed ‘Greek competitions’ or ‘Olympic Games’ that can be compared with similar competitions held in Europe and North America called ‘pseudo-Olympics’. A review of available sources reveals, however, that numerous errors and unverified data on this subject have been commonly duplicated. In the nineteenth century circuses and athletic troupes did stage various types of performances and shows, which could – however only to a limited extent – be likened to the ancient Olympic Games. This is confirmed, for example, in a press note by a correspondent of the Dziennik Poznański (Posen Daily) from 1873, one of the most valuable sources from the period, who indicated the town of Grätz (present-day Grodzisk Wielkopolski) as a venue for those performances.