back...Premiere of the documentary titled “This is not the end... The story of the children from the camp on Przemysłowa Street”

‘After years of oblivion, today we give them the floor. Today the children from the camp on Przemysłowa Street are speaking,’ with these words dr Ireneusz Maj, director of the Museum of Polish Children – victims of totalitarianism, and producer of the documentary film titled “To się nie kończy… Historia dzieci z obozu na Przemysłowej’ [“This is not the end... The story of the children from the camp on Przemysłowa Street”], summed up the Museum’s latest project The film production about the German concentration camp for Polish children in Łódź premiered on December 7, 2022 at the Grand Theatre in Łódź.

The ceremonial premiere of the documentary is part of the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Nazi German concentration camp for Polish children on Przemysłowa Street in Łódź. The history of the camp which the Museum of Polish Children – victims of totalitarianism – brings to light on a daily basis, is extremely moving, as it tells of the tragic fate of children – defenseless victims of World War II.

‘Tears were shed more than once, and more than once there was anger in the statements of the Survivors for the crimes committed by the perpetrators. The fact is that we met wonderful people whom it was a great honour to work with. We put our hearts and a lot of energy into this film. Today, after a long period of work on this production, we can say that we also engaged in it privately, which I do hope will be visible on the screen,’ said dr Mateusz Winkiel, director of the documentary.

To this day, many residents of Łódź are unaware of the existence in the past of such an inhumane place as the Nazi German camp on Przemysłowa Street. In order to bring about a transformation in the historical consciousness of society, the Museum’s staff, headed by dr Ireneusz Piotr Maj, the facility’s director, has set itself the goal of spreading knowledge about the fate of Polish children – victims of totalitarian regimes.

‘Hunger, humiliation, longing, death – it is impossible to imagine the immensity of suffering of the little prisoners of the German camp in Łódź on Przemysłowa Street. It is our duty to ensure that this tragedy is never forgotten,’explained dr Ireneusz Piotr Maj.

Participants of the event also listened to a concert performed by the orchestra and choir of the Stanisław Moniuszko Music School Complex in Łódź, as well as a track titled “Tu się liczył tylko numer” [“It was only a number that mattered here”] performed by the FORTECA band.

The venture was co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the PGE Foundation.

Honorary patronage is held by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage – prof. dr hab. Piotr Gliński and the Ombudsman for Children – Mikołaj Pawlak.

The partners of the conference are: Marshal of the Łódź Voivodeship – Grzegorz Schreiber, Governor of Łódź – Tobiasz Bocheński and Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna [Łódź Agglomeration Railway].

Media patronage for the event is provided by: TVP3 Łódź, Radio Łódź, TV Trwam and Radio Maryja.