back...Competition for a Monument to Polish children – Victims of German Crimes in Łódź

On the initiative of the Museum of Polish Children – Victims of Totalitarianism, a monument to Polish children who were victims of German crimes will be erected at the St. Wojciech Catholic Cemetery in Łódź. The construction of the monument will be financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A. – the Museum's patron – has also pledged its support. On April 20, a press conference was held in the Museum to announce the open competition for the design of the monument.

On Thursday, April 20, the Museum officially announced a competition for the design of a monument to be erected at the St. Wojciech cemetery at 81/85 Kurczaki Street in Łódź. Dr. Ireneusz Piotr Maj, Director of the Museum, explained that the chosen cemetery is not an accidental location for a monument commemorating Polish children who lost their lives during World War II.

“Thanks to the work of the Museum's historians, the burial sites of Polish children were found, as well as one of the two surviving graves of prisoners of the camp on Przemysłowa Street. We determined that up to several hundred Polish children from different German camps were buried there, but their graves were removed after the war. The monument at the cemetery will be a memorial to Polish children whose graves have not survived to the present day,” said the Museum Director.

According to the organizers' concept, the monument will display the names and ages of about 500 Polish children who died in German camps in the Łódź region.

“Relatives of the victims come to the Museum from all over Poland, asking for help in obtaining documents and locating the graves of their loved ones. We point out these places, but there are already graves of other people there. The personal identification of Polish children of victims of German crimes, which will be included in the concept of the monument, meets the requests of families and veterans,” added Dr. Ireneusz Piotr Maj.

Details of the competition rules were presented at a press conference.