Rotary in Eastern Europe and Russia
Prior to World War II there was no Rotary activity in the then Soviet Union. The Soviet dictator Jozef Stalin considered Rotary an undesirable activity. It was in his views an institution flowing from the capitalist world.
Mickhail Gorbachov with Perestroika changed the face of Russia, former satelites broke away and gained independence. The former Soviet Union disintegrated as the Russian Republic under a new leader started to take shape.
Rotary made its entry into Russia.
Moscow and St Petersburg harbour the first Rotary Clubs in Russia west of the Ural Mountains.
Irkutsk and number of other Russian towns harbouring Rotary Clubs, comprise what is referred to as the Russian Rotary development area east of the Urals. Incidentally that Rotary District which includes Alaska and The Yukon is in excess of 7,500,000 square miles.
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Eastern Europe
Baltic Republics
There were thriving Rotary Clubs in the Baltic Republics of Estonia Latvia and Lithuania. In 1939 there were 6 Rotary Clubs in Lithuania, 1 in Latvia and 1 in Estonia. Between them they formed the Baltic District.
They were guided and lead by a Lithuanian judge, who himself was the permanent President of the Kaunas Rotary Club, and a member of the European Rotary Consultative Committee.
When Soviet forces invaded the three small republics in 1940 and annexed them to the Soviet Union, Rotary in the Baltics came to an end.
Some Rotarians fled into exile, but most were either executed or sent to Siberia where most perished. Few returned to their native country including Lithuanian architect Vytautis Landsbergis, the Kaunas Club secretary in 1939/40. Mr Landsbergis achieved a heroic status due to his stand against Mr. Gurbachov, which in the end obtained independence for Lithuania, followed by independence for Latvia and Estonia in 1990.
Rotary has made a remarkable come back in the 3 Baltic Republics since 1992. Paul Harris visited the then existing Baltic Rotary Clubs in 1935.
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Rotary in Poland stems back to 1931 when the Rotary Club of Warsaw was chartered. By 1939 Poland had 8 Rotary Clubs. The German occupation "finished" Rotary in Poland. Subsequent Soviet domination made sure that Rotary would not re-emerge.
A train trip between Cracow and Warsaw in 1985 during which Australian Jack Olssen discussed Rotary with a young Warsaw lawyer bore ultimate fruit, when in 1989 the Warsaw Rotary Club was rechartered. This was a momentous occasion with 500 Rotary dignitaries from all over the world attending. This effectively heralded the rebirth of Rotary in Eastern Europe, at a time when the Berlin wall was about to be demolished.
Today Rotary's growth in Poland is nothing short of spectacular.
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Rotary in Romania is established under the guidance of French Rotary. Further details are being sought.
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Rotary in Bulgaria is established under the guidance of Greek Rotary. Further details are being sought.
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This is the amazing story of the Derby South Rotary Club, which wanting to supply clothing and medicines to a local orphange, set up local Rotary in the capital Chisinau into the bargain.
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For further details see Rotary in …
Russia (Both East and West of the Urals)
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