It is a stylized representation of the Vistula River and Kraków as the wellsprings of Polish culture.

After Adolf Hitler had seized power in Germany, Nazi emblems were soon nationalized.

Dr. Jan Kaczmarek approached the supreme council with the following proposal: "Our acceptance of the swastika and the German greeting could only signify agreement to total germanisation.

The Rodło graphic was conceived in the 1930s by graphic designer Janina Kłopocka,[2] who sketched the "emblem of the Vistula River, cradle of the Polish people, and royal Kraków, cradle of Polish culture".

The Rodło has since been adopted by other organizations of Poles in Germany, notably the Scouts, who have used it alongside the fleur de lys.