Joint Rotarian Donation in the German-Polish Gardens in Warsaw

Started by the initiative of the German diplomat Fried Nielsen, the German-Polish Friendship Gardens are being created in Skaryszewski Park in Warsaw – lead by the German Embassy in Poland, the City of Warsaw and the Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation – together with German and Polish partners. They are idyllically situated between Lake Kamionek and the Wedel chocolate factory. Being the only German-speaking Rotary Club in Warsaw with an focus on German-Polish projects, environmental protection and sustainability it was a natural step for the Rotary Club Warszawa Goethe to get involved and also to take over the symbolic patronage for the Gardens.

The German-Polish Gardens in Warsaw are a project of an international friendship garden. As a symbol of this friendship, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier not only opened the gardens during his state visit in June 2018, but also planted his own tree, which has had great symbolic value for all those involved.

The aim of the initiative is to create a quaint and friendly place for reflection and leisure activities within a densely populated urban part of Warsaw.

The first joint Rotarian project in the German-Polish Friendship Gardens, the highest swing in Poland, is located in the so-called “Garden to the Sky”. The high swing swings towards Warsaw – Berlin and is very popular and an intensively used attraction in the gardens – not only for children.

So it was not surprising that more than 50 Rotarians of RC Warszawa Goethe and friends gathered on 28 June 2020 for the ceremonial handover of presidency in the Gardens. After presentation of the the most important events of the Rotarian year by the Past-President Joachim Franke the responsibility and the club chain were formally handed over to the new President in the Rotary year 2020/21 Alexander Heinelt.

During the celebrations, four new members were “pinned” and the “Rotary Bank” symbolically handed over to the representative of the Praga South district Mrs Małgorzata Czerniakowska. The bench is a joint donation of the Rotary Clubs Warszawa Goethe, Mettmann, Berlin Mickiewicz and Berlin Zitadelle together with the ICC Germany-Poland and Rotarian Fried Nielsen. The change of presidency in the gardens was also an opportunity to present the activities of the coming year. A particularly welcome contribution  was the donation of a hand-signed football by the Lukas Podolski project “Arche/ARKA” (an educational place for disadvantaged children of the Praga district) as the main prize of the auction at the next charity concert of the Rotary Club of Warsaw Goethe.

Rotarian visitors in Warsaw are cordially invited to experience the gardens as well as to join the German-speaking club meetings of RC Warszawa Goethe on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm (further information: https://rc-warszawa-goethe.eu/en/getting-in-touch/).