Parks
Vacation travel was a luxury beyond the means of most of Bałuty’s residents, but that did not stop them from seeking refreshment and adventure. When they wanted a change of scenery, they turned to the natural areas and parks close to home.
Bałuty’s children could discover nature through summer camps organized by Jewish congregations or the city administration. Held in the nearby villages, these camps introduced children to a wide range of activities. Sometimes the residents of the Jewish quarter made the hour’s trek to the Łagiewniki forest, northeast of Bałuty. Today, Łagiewniki is incorporated into Łódź and is the largest urban forest in Europe.
Green spaces were notoriously scarce in Łódź itself. Each year, the municipal government planted thousands of shrubs and trees, but these quickly died because of the industrial waste in Łódź’s groundwater. The city did manage to maintain several parks. Some of these, especially Kolejowy (Railroad) Park near the train station, became regular haunts of the Bałuty Jews. Nonetheless, poor Jews (and Gentiles) were not welcome in the more affluent private parks.
Starting in 1937, the Julianów Park became one of the favorite spots for the inhabitants of the northern districts of the city. Julianów was a beautiful space for walks in every season and for water sports in the summer. There Łódź’s Jews could escape the stench and filth of their everyday environs.
