english
Radogost 1939 - 1945
The dramatic history of the Radogost prison started at the beginning of November 1939 in the factory of Michał Glazer at former 55 Krakowska Street. Nowadays, it is the place where a piston ring factory "Prima" is situated at 17 Liściasta Street. Establishing a transition camp at that place was connected with the policy of the German occupying forces who planned to repress and exterminate Łódź intelligentsia - mainly teachers, cultural activists, municipal authorities, civil servants, social and political activists. Polish citizens of German and Jewish origin constituted some proportion of these people.
Since 10 November 1939 till the beginning of January 1940, about 2000 people came through this camp (men and women). Around 500 of them were "tried" summarily and sentenced to death. Immediately afterwards, the "sentences" were executed in the forests near Łódź. The buildings of the future Radogost prison in Samuel Abba's factory at the junction of Zgierska Street and J. Sowińskiego Street were at first supposed to serve as a displacement camp for people from Łódź and its vicinity.
Since the second half of December 1939, the rest of the prisoners from Glazers factory have been transferred to this building and a police prison was established there. At the same time, larger groups of people were displaced to the General-Gouvernement. Since July 1940, the Radogost police prison for men has been officially called The Extended Police Prison (Erweitertes Polizeigefängnis, Radegast).
In August 1943, owing to the reorganization of Łódź police, the Radogost prison was integrated with the penal labour camp in Sikawa, which was reflected in the new name: "Erweitertes Polizeigefängnis und Arbeitserziehungslager", which remained unchanged till the end of Nazi occupation.
Radogost was a male, transition prison. Prisoners were kept here averagely (according to data from 1944) up to two months, awaiting their trials or transports to other prisons and camps.
Radogost was not a place of mass extermination. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that every day people died here as a result of hunger, diseases, exhaustion and sadistic harassment.
From Radogost, people were transported to the places of mass executions in the vicinity of Łódź: Lućmierz forest, Łagiewniki forest and "Okręglik" in Chełmsko forest. Furthermore, a group of prisoners killed in the largest in the Country of the Warta River public execution on 20 March 1942 in Zgierz was sent there from Radogost.
On average, there were from 500 to 1000 prisoners in Radogost at one time. It is estimated that altogether, the number of people who were kept in the Radogost prison during Nazi occupation reached 40000. Most of the convicts committed offences against the interest of the Third Reich. Some of these were: illegal slaughter and smuggling food from the country, illegal crossing the border between the General-Gouvernement and the Country of the Warta River and escapes from the forced labour camps in Germany. They also transported here people arrested in round-ups as well as political prisoners before sending them to for example concentration camps. After the war between the Reich and the Soviet Union broke out, a small group of Soviet prisoners of war arrived at Radogost.
The greatest tragedy was the massacre of its prisoners and setting fire to the prison building during the night from 17 to 18 January, several dozen hours before the Soviet Army entered Łódź on 19 January 1945. At first, the prisoners were murdered in the prison rooms but when they put up resistance, the invaders set fire to the building. Around 1500 people were killed then, only about 30 survived.
The dramatic history of the Radogost prison started at the beginning of November 1939 in the factory of Michał Glazer at former 55 Krakowska Street. Nowadays, it is the place where a piston ring factory "Prima" is situated at 17 Liściasta Street. Establishing a transition camp at that place was connected with the policy of the German occupying forces who planned to repress and exterminate Łódź intelligentsia - mainly teachers, cultural activists, municipal authorities, civil servants, social and political activists. Polish citizens of German and Jewish origin constituted some proportion of these people.
Since 10 November 1939 till the beginning of January 1940, about 2000 people came through this camp (men and women). Around 500 of them were "tried" summarily and sentenced to death. Immediately afterwards, the "sentences" were executed in the forests near Łódź. The buildings of the future Radogost prison in Samuel Abba's factory at the junction of Zgierska Street and J. Sowińskiego Street were at first supposed to serve as a displacement camp for people from Łódź and its vicinity.
Since the second half of December 1939, the rest of the prisoners from Glazers factory have been transferred to this building and a police prison was established there. At the same time, larger groups of people were displaced to the General-Gouvernement. Since July 1940, the Radogost police prison for men has been officially called The Extended Police Prison (Erweitertes Polizeigefängnis, Radegast).
In August 1943, owing to the reorganization of Łódź police, the Radogost prison was integrated with the penal labour camp in Sikawa, which was reflected in the new name: "Erweitertes Polizeigefängnis und Arbeitserziehungslager", which remained unchanged till the end of Nazi occupation.
Radogost was a male, transition prison. Prisoners were kept here averagely (according to data from 1944) up to two months, awaiting their trials or transports to other prisons and camps.
Radogost was not a place of mass extermination. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that every day people died here as a result of hunger, diseases, exhaustion and sadistic harassment.
From Radogost, people were transported to the places of mass executions in the vicinity of Łódź: Lućmierz forest, Łagiewniki forest and "Okręglik" in Chełmsko forest. Furthermore, a group of prisoners killed in the largest in the Country of the Warta River public execution on 20 March 1942 in Zgierz was sent there from Radogost.
On average, there were from 500 to 1000 prisoners in Radogost at one time. It is estimated that altogether, the number of people who were kept in the Radogost prison during Nazi occupation reached 40000. Most of the convicts committed offences against the interest of the Third Reich. Some of these were: illegal slaughter and smuggling food from the country, illegal crossing the border between the General-Gouvernement and the Country of the Warta River and escapes from the forced labour camps in Germany. They also transported here people arrested in round-ups as well as political prisoners before sending them to for example concentration camps. After the war between the Reich and the Soviet Union broke out, a small group of Soviet prisoners of war arrived at Radogost.
The greatest tragedy was the massacre of its prisoners and setting fire to the prison building during the night from 17 to 18 January, several dozen hours before the Soviet Army entered Łódź on 19 January 1945. At first, the prisoners were murdered in the prison rooms but when they put up resistance, the invaders set fire to the building. Around 1500 people were killed then, only about 30 survived.
10/11 kwietnia 1864 r. powstanie styczniowe: rosyjska policja aresztowała Romualda Traugutta, dyktatora powstania. Więziony początkowo na Pawiaku, a później w X Pawilonie Cytadeli Warszawskiej. Skazany na karę śmierci. Wyrok wykonano przez powieszenie na stokach Cytadeli 5 sierpnia 1864 r.