Darz Bór – The song (hymn) of foresters and hunters

The author of the text of the song and the call “Darz Bór” is a forester, engineer Stanislaw Wyrwinski, who wrote it for the General Meeting of Foresters of Greater Poland and Pomerania, held in 1920. The author, was guided by the desire to integrate Polish foresters and hunters and to eliminate greetings alien to our tradition, which remained after the partitions. The phrase “Darz Bór” was quickly adopted as a traditional formula uttered when greeting, and less often when bidding farewell to foresters and hunters, also as a form of wishing them good luck in hunting: “may the bór give you, that is, may it bestow upon you, bring you gifts.” The song “Darz Bór” to the tune of the First Brigade has become the informal anthem of Polish foresters and hunters.

Linguists believe that the correct form of the forest call is written in lowercase – “darzbor”, justifying it by grammatical convention. However, some in the forestry and hunting community (Little Forest Encyclopedia) choose the original form “Darz Bór!”, used by the creator of the forestry call himself, Stanislaw Wyrwinski. Supporters of the spelling of the word “Bór” with a capital letter and separately believe that it is not accidental, that in this way the author elevates the forest to the status of an eternal natural entity, bestowing on it respect and dignity as a place of work and passion. It is more than a mere word – it is a symbol of tradition and professional brotherhood that reflects the spirit of the entire community associated with forestry and hunting. Stanislaw Wyrwinski died on April 28, 1956 in Cracow, and is laid to rest in Rakowicki Cemetery.