WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE POLAND - news journal UPDATE - (en) Poland, FA: Report from the Anarchist Camp in the Lemko Region (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Camp Community Center --- From July 18th to 25th, the long-awaited anarchist camp in the Lemko Region in the Beskid Niski Mountains took place. This was the second one at this location, and it immediately grew in both quality and quantity. A large number of comrades arrived, over four dozen of the entire group, including guests. Participants from most FA sections, various initiatives, and groups from across the country were present. Logistically, the camp was perfectly prepared. Many thanks and respect to the team who prepared and assembled it. Since the camp is being built on the spur of the moment, and everything had to be transported and assembled, it was quite a challenge. All necessary utilities were available, from a toilet and shower to water and electricity. The large community center tent could accommodate twice as many people. A huge round table with a great anarchy was conducive to sit-downs, conversations, and shared meals. In addition, a large, fully equipped kitchen tent allowed the chefs to showcase their incredible culinary skills, feeding us exquisite meals, even by camp standards. Local specialties can be sampled from local culinary offerings, including the famous Lemko "fuczki" (sauerkraut fritters), simple yet hearty pancakes made from sauerkraut and wheat flour. Coffee lovers enjoyed Zapatista coffee (which was even more delicious in the meadow and in such company) (it wasn't grown in the mountains). A properly secured fire pit with a grill brought the feasts to the open air and starry sky. A storage tent, stocked with tools, materials, and equipment, prepared us for any eventuality, fortunately without the need for full utilization. A modest library with maps, guidebooks, and books describing the history and remains of Lemko culture, as well as the rich flora and fauna of the area, was available for everyone. An activist trip to Myscowa

Few people made it on the hiking trails, though some did. As a camp community, we compensated with daily hikes and longer walks. From a few to a dozen kilometers a day, for those who wanted to. We hiked the scenic trail on the Slovak side to Konieczna, to a World War I cemetery, and took a rainy but enjoyable trip to the same cemetery in Rotunda. There was also a beautiful trail in Magura National Park along the winding and capricious Wisloka River, where tributaries converge, creating deep pools and enormous rocky tubs perfect for diving. We visited the valley of the former villages of Radocyna, Czarne, Nieznajowa, Dlugie, and Lipna. We observed enormous beaver dens, which influenced the water retention of entire valleys, and other natural wonders - from flowering meadows full of herbs to the vast number of butterfly species in this area. Lesser spotted eagles, nesting nearby, circled above us throughout the camp. Majestic beech trees lined the trails, and beautiful views unfolded from the colorful mountain meadows and mountain pastures.

Besides those practicing the art of walking, the camp also attracted enthusiasts of well-trodden bikes. They embarked on picturesque, winding trails with significant elevation gain, undertaking eighty-kilometer excursions.

Route: anarchist camp - Smerekowiec - Ropica Górna - Bartne - Krzywa - camp

Route: anarchist camp - Stebnik (Slovakia) - Regietów - Wysowa Zdrój - Skwirtne - Uscie Gorlickie - Brunary - Klimkówka - Smerekowiec - camp

Szwejk in Bardejov
A spontaneous car trip also took place along the trail of scattered, sparse wooden architecture monuments, mostly Orthodox churches, but also Lemko houses. We could see Orthodox churches, which in this area often have a local character - as if three towers were joined together and roofed with shingles. Some of the campers also drove to Bardejov in Slovakia, a picturesque town with Renaissance architecture, a sloping market square paved with cobblestones, and medieval city walls and towers. It started to rain, so we couldn't help but visit a local pub serving traditional dishes from our southern neighbors: fried cheese and other specialties, along with beer or, for those who didn't drink alcohol, a Kofola made from a stick. Shvejk, a mug in his hand, smiled down at us from the wall. In The Adventures of the Good Soldier Shvejk, he entered the arena of world wars in the Low Beskids on the Carpathian Front. This was in keeping with the experiences of the author himself, Jaroslaw Haszek. This Shvejk humor stayed with us throughout the camp, revealing itself in some with witty retorts and conversational quips.

We didn't manage to complete the entire program. We visited the village of Myscowa, where we were guided by a member of the local community who opposes the flooding of their village and the entire valley by a reservoir that has been planned for years.
You can find more about this foolish idea and the residents' fight in the latest issue of the A-TAK newspaper and on the Anarchist Federation website in the article "We Want a Bridge, Not a Dam."

Tactic Aid Training
A meeting was also held presenting the activities of the Tactic Aid team and an interestingly conducted professional medical workshop on hemorrhage control.

Meeting with the Wild Carpathians Initiative
We also met with members of the Wild Carpathians Initiative, who are fighting to preserve the Carpathian forests, particularly the creation of the Turnicki National Park to protect this valuable area from ongoing devastation. The lecture was accompanied by slides documenting the devastation already wrought there, as well as the years-long struggle of the radical environmental movement. Thanks to the people from the valley and their knowledge, we could find many parallels to what we saw on the ground. During our hikes in the Low Beskids, along the cross-border trail, we encountered the increasingly common sight of a harvester almost completely clearing a forest, almost to the top of a hill. Only a few trees remained, which, without the support of the felled surroundings, would fall anyway. According to the description of this subdivision on the Forests and Citizens website, this subdivision has the status of "protective forest, which, according to applicable law, should be particularly protected...". Complete felling on hilltops and the logging roads leading to them contribute to faster water runoff and flash floods in the region. After the camp, a text describing this was published on the FA website, "Complete felling...".

The next item on the program was a meeting with a local history enthusiast and researcher, which led us to reflect on human fragility, the complex web of connections and divisions, and the pursuit of autonomy and the preservation of one's own distinctiveness and culture. The history of the Lemko region is a turbulent and twisting process at the intersection of many cultures and ethnicities, with their local and heterogeneous specificities. We saw traces of how the great winds of global social processes, economics, wars, and politics alienated from humanity have left their mark on this place. Where does one find themselves thrown from the gears of such processes?

At the end of the camp, we participated in a meeting on urban ecology, led by a representative of the Rzeszów-based "Jestes Dziko" Foundation. We discussed social self-organization, but also human stupidity, expert actions and the acquisition of such knowledge, and even formally blocking tree felling.

Several film screenings also took place in the large community center tent, although much more was planned.

During the camp, we discussed the strategies of the anarchist movement, the media, and our message, preserving, compiling, and collecting the movement's legacy, researching its twisted history, anarchist conferences, and publications. Unfortunately, we also discussed painfully current issues: wars, militarization, and the threats that await us and future generations.

There wasn't enough time for everything during this intense period, so we have a lot of comments and critical self-reflection, which is slowly transforming into concrete ideas. We should view this as another challenge, a raising of the bar. The organizing committee for the next camp is already being formed. Throughout this period, we have much work ahead of us on consolidating and developing the anarchist movement, which, as always, has been the case, as exemplified by this incredibly successful camp.

See you next year! Join us for unforgettable adventures, inspiring meetings and discussions, and simply relaxation. See you on the trails and around a campfire in the Lemko region in 2027.

https://federacja-anarchistyczna.pl/2026/08/11/relacja-z-obozu-anarchistycznego-na-lemkowszczyznie/
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca