Park im. Szarych Szeregów, Łódź

Grey Regiments Park - a park in Lodz, located between Głowackiego, Staszica, Plater, Górnicza, Marysińska and Boya-Żeleńskiego Streets. Area: 15.0 ha.

The park was created in 1961-1964 on the grounds which during the occupation were located within the boundaries of the Jewish ghetto. For the needs of the park, part of the old buildings was demolished and the terrain was leveled. In the 50's the area was very neglected, there was a garbage dump there. The park designed by K. Chrabelski, apart from developing the greenery, also included the construction of a recreational complex.

In the southern part of the park, a swimming pool with a wading pool for children, volleyball and badminton courts, a Jordan garden, and an artificial ice rink were built. Today we can only use the "Promienisty" swimming pool. In the park there is the Trail of memory of the victims of Nazi genocide.

Near the playground there is a monument-boulder that was set up in the park on May 12, 1963 to commemorate the activities of the Youth Division of the People's Guard "Promieniści". The unveiling of the monument took place on the 20th anniversary of the battle that the "Promieniści" fought with the Germans near Głowno. There is an inscription on the monument that reads: The greater part of the park extends on the north side of Boya-Żeleńskiego Street between Staszica, Plater, Górnicza and Marysińska Streets. In the central part of the park, at the level of Bracka Street, there is the Monument to the Martyrdom of Children, the so-called Monument of the Broken Heart, designed by Jadwiga Janus, which was unveiled on May 9, 1971, on the 26th anniversary of the victory over fascism. The monument has the shape of an eight-meter-high cracked heart, in the gap of which stands a figure of an emaciated boy of disproportionate build. The figure was designed on the basis of a photograph by Edward Baran, a former prisoner of the children's camp. There is an inscription on the plate next to the monument: The monument was created to commemorate the children murdered in the so-called preventive security police camp for Polish youth in Lodz. The camp, established in December 1942 in the square of Plater, Bracka, Górnicza, and Sporna Streets, was surrounded by a high wall with searchlights and shooting towers on the corners. It was supposed to be a place of detention for young people caught stealing or whose parents were arrested or executed. An order of the Reich Security Main Office stated that "criminals or neglected children between 8 and 16 years of age" should be sent to the camp. However, it soon turned out that the camp had turned into a regular concentration camp, except that the prisoners were children from 2 to 16 years old, girls and boys. Children over 16 were sent to adult concentration camps. Until January 18, 1945, when the camp was liberated, about several thousand children between the ages of 8 and 16 had passed through the camp. Hunger, overwork, poor sanitary conditions, and the brutal treatment of young prisoners resulted in a high death rate, and less than a thousand children lived to see liberation.

The monument was created at the initiative of the pupils of the School and Educational Center for Deaf Children in Przemysl. The foundation act was laid down on 13 September 1969: Every year on June 1, International Children's Day, at 12:00 noon, ceremonies are held in front of the monument, attended by members of the Circle of Former Prisoners of the Nazi Concentration Camp for Children and Youth in Lodz. Since 1988, "Serce - Dziecku" medals have also been awarded. The Chapter of the Medal consists of junior and senior high school students and each year honors up to 10 adults who have made a special contribution to children. Among the honorees are teachers, educators, and activists of charitable organizations.

In 2004-2005, the park was modernized, including reconstruction of alleys, replenishment of plantings, and restoration of the monument. A paved plaza was created in front of the Broken Heart Monument, also the main alleys were paved and the rest are clay and gravel.

More interesting species in the park include Camperdowne mountain elm, so called weeping elm, common maple of Drummond variety.