Page 17 - Centrum Dialogu im. Marka Edelmana. Centrum Dialogu im. Marka Edelmana. Drzewa Pamięci. 10 opowieści z łódzkiego getta

DRZEWKA_SKLAD_3_Layout 1 19/11/14 14:08 Page 15

SURVIVORS' PARK

T he Survivors' Park was established in 2004 in connection
with the commemorations held by the City of Łódź at
the 60th commemoration of the liquidation of the
Litzmannstadt Ghetto. The idea to plant trees in Łódź
to symbolize those who survived the Holocaust was put
forward by Halina Elczewska, a Survivor of the Łódź
Ghetto who said: 'A tree is a symbol of life and survival'.
The idea was taken up by Jerzy Kropiwnicki, the then Mayor of Łódź. On
30th August 2004, the first trees were planted by more than 360 people
who came from around the world to participate in the commemoration
ceremonies. In the last 10 years, more than 590 people and families who
survived the nightmare of the Holocaust, have been honoured with their
spot in the Survivors' Park. The names of the people and families who have
been granted certificates signed by the Mayor of Łódź are engraved on
marble plaques placed along Arnold Mostowicz Alley. These are people
who, after the war, found themselves in different parts of the world, such
as Poland, France, Sweden, Israel, the USA, Argentina and Australia.
The Park was designed by Grażyna Ojrzyńska, the City Gardener. It
is located in the Łódka river valley, on the border of the former ghetto,
between Wojska Polskiego and Oblęgorska Streets and the allotment gar-
dens in Źródłowa Street. The Park covers an area of 8.5 hectares. Its axis
runs along Arnold Mostowicz Alley linking the monument of the
Righteous Among the Nations with the Memorial Mound.
In just a few years, in a squalid area of Łódź, an unusual place had
been created, in which the memory of the painful past combines with the
hope for survival and creating new life.
Halina Elczewska emphasized: 'These trees will be evidence proving
that we and our families were once present here. We have all been deeply
rooted in Łódź. Our children and grandchildren will always come here
– Halina Elczewska emphasized.
Oaks, hornbeams, ashes, pines, sycamores, larches, birches, spruces,
lindens, beeches, maples, and also plum and apple trees, cork trees, catal-
pas and liriodendrons have been planted in the Survivors' Park. Each of
these trees tells a different story. Together, they compose a shared story of
life, death, hope, and remembrance.

15