2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the liquidation of the Łódź Ghetto, the longest existing "closed district" established in Poland occupied by Nazi Germany.

For years, the Old Market Square was the heart of the Jewish district of Łódź, where the first synagogue in Łódź and the ritual bathhouse - mikvah - stood. With the outbreak of World War II, the market square and the surrounding streets were incorporated into the ghetto and isolated from the world with a barbed-wire fence. The residents of Litzmannstadt, travelling on a tram along Nowomiejska Street, could observe the life and extermination of the Jewish community in Łódź. After the end of the war, the hustle and bustle of the old town streets could no longer be heard; Wolborska, Podrzeczna and Jakuba Streets were silent. Soon the Old Market Square was significantly rebuilt, old buildings were demolished in the Old Town and Bałuty, the old Jewish cemetery was demolished and replaced with a new housing estate, the memory of Jewish residents was gradually blurred.

On the occasion of the anniversary of the liquidation of the ghetto, we would like to invite the residents of Łódź and guests, especially the Survivors, to a joint symbolic campaign aimed at reminding people about the tragic fate of the Jews - the inhabitants of Łódź and other cities murdered during the Holocaust.

As part of the campaign, students of the Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź will paint the borders of the "closed district" on the Old Market Square, where together we will place small candles on 31 August.

Anna Pacholik is the originator of the campaign. Students of the Łódź Academy of Fine Arts will also take part in the event.