Memorial sites and military graves. Selected historic necropolises from the First World War in the Łódź Province

Abstract

In the initial phase of World War I, the vicinity of Łódź became the scene of bloody battles between the German and Russian troops in November and December 1914, which are referred to as the “Łódź Operation”. The remnants of these bloody events are the war cemeteries with the graves of soldiers from both armies, which were built by the German authorities during World War I, and separate groups of graves located within other cemeteries or outside cemeteries. To this day, 176 cemeteries and graves from that time have survived in the Łódź Province. During the PRL (Polish People Republic) period, these graves and the cemetery deteriorated and fell into oblivion. The situation has changed in the 1990s, when a renovation and popularization activity was initiated to recall the “Łódź Operation”. Historic graves and cemeteries have been taken care of and have become an important element of educational programs as well as a tourist attraction. As part of the tourist and historical projects, routes leading to the traces of the First World War and the most interesting cemeteries were developed.