In my last post I mentioned Poles love their heritages of kings, queens and dynasties. To this day the most important and recognizable symbol of Poland is the crowned eagle. It’s everywhere, from government offices to churches to currency. The truest symbol is a white eagle on red background – the two colors of the Polish flag.
Henry was a competitive swimmer before and after WWII. Through friends and connections, he had a good job working for the Communist Army in Warsaw as an athletic trainer. So he took his swimming team to competitions throughout the communist rule. He showed me a swimming badge from the 1950’s – Poles will immediately know what’s missing. From 1945 to 1989, the crown was removed from the eagle. Russian communists let Poland retain some national identity (the eagle). But the crown (and power) belonged to Mother Russia. Photo below of eagle in 1990 after fall of communism with crown and gold talons returned. Photo of white eagle on green without a crown was on a Soviet tank leftover from communist days. Other eagles include a church window and currency.
