Name: Renovation and reconstruction of the Radegast Station Branch of the Museum of Independence Traditions in Łódź

Client: Museum of Independence Traditions

Location: Łódź, ul. Pamięci Ofiar Litzmannstadt Getto 12

Design Team: Karolina Taczalska, Maciej Taczalski, Mateusz Cyganek, Katarzyna Komoń, Wojciech Stępień, Maria Michnowska

The Radegast ("Marysin") station was established in 1925 during the construction of a railway connection between Widzew and Zgierz. A year later, two viaducts were built and the train tracks were laid. Initially, the station acted as a commodity passing loop stretching between today's Strykowska Street and Stalowa Street.  The station building was completed in 1930.

During World War II, the station was incorporated into the Łódź ghetto (July 1, 1940) under the name of the Radogoszcz Ghetto Reloading Station (Verladebanhof Getto-Radegast). During the occupation, the station was a reloading point for transports of food, fuel, raw materials for the people and workplaces of the ghetto, as well as products manufactured in the ghetto. The Radegast station served as the Umschlagtplatz of the Łódź ghetto.

In 2005, the building was transformed into a memorial complex for the victims of the Łódź ghetto. It was extended by the Holocaust Monument Litzmannstadt Ghetto, designed by “Czesław Bielecki DiM'84 Dom i Miasto Sp. z o.o.” The complex quickly became one of the prominent tourist destinations in the city.

The main goal of the project was to adapt the facility, entered in the register of monuments, to the new exhibition and administrative needs. The works included a  thorough renovation of the building of the Museum of Jewish Martyrdom - Radegast, as well as insulating the roof and the "Tunnel of the Deported" monument. The installations were replaced and heating installed.

Landscaping works aimed at improving the existing condition of the site and adapting the facilities to accommodate the needs of disabled people. A ramp was built to provide access to the Hall of Cities from the north-west, along with a concrete path leading to the station building. Finishing details and streetscaping elements, including a model of the entire complex for the blind, were designed in austere, ascetic style similar to the Litzmannstadt Ghetto Holocaust Monument.  This is emphasized by the materials used, such as concrete, demolition bricks or corroded steel profiles.