Warszawianka Warszawa - History

History

At first, the club's main effort was concentrated on football. Soon, Warszawianka's players achieved many successes, including championship of Warsaw of 1925 and promotion to Polish First League in 1927. Interesting is the fact that the team managed to stay in the League until its last interwar season 1939. The last season was unfinished because of joint German and Soviet invasion on Poland. Warszawianka was then 9th (out of 10 teams) and most probably would have been relegated, had it not been for the war. In the years 1927-1939 Warszawianka was never among top teams of the League, always flirting with relegation. After the war, its football team never managed to return to the League, and was eventually disbanded in 1971.

During the years, more sport sections were added to the club. These included basketball, ice-hockey, where the club was runner up in the Polish championship in 1939 and cycling. The sections for track and field, fencing, handball and since 1999 swimming are still active. The biggest successes in club's history were those of track-and-fielders. Because of war and destruction of Warsaw, Warszawianka's position as a major Polish sport organization weakened, and in the late 1940s it did not even exist. At the beginning of the 1950s the club was brought back to life and in 1961 its new sport center was built. The club's football stadium, modern by pre-war standards, is now in ruin.

Among Warszawianka's most famous sportspeople, one can single out: Aleksander Szenajch (athletics) – 1924 Olympics in Paris, Janusz Kusociński (athletics) – 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, Janusz Kalbarczyk (speedskating) – 1936 Olympics Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Emil Ochra (fencing) – 1960 and 1964 Olympics and Stanisław Baran, football player.

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