The Marek Edelman Dialogue Center in Łódź

The Dialogue Center is an open and engaged cultural institution dedicated to the city’s memory and identity. Our language is culture, art, science, and ethics. We promote Łódź’s multicultural heritage, viewing it as a positive founding myth of a city built on the ideals of a society open to diversity and a culture of dialogue.

Most of our activities focus on the contemporary and multicultural aspects of Łódź, in line with our core values:

MEMORY, EMPATHY, HOSPITALITY

The key context for shaping the vision of the Center for Dialogue is its location in Survivors’ Park, conceived by Halina Elczewska, a survivor of the Łódź ghetto. The Park itself, through the trees growing within it—planted with the intention of preserving the memory of individuals and families who survived the war—reminds us of Łódź’s multicultural heritage and the universal message of Holocaust survivors. Many of them were activists who helped others and preserved the memory of war victims. The lush vegetation and the Łódka River flowing through the park symbolize life, hope, and the continuity of future generations.

Another important source of inspiration in shaping the vision of the Center for Dialogue are the life stories of Marek Edelman—the institution’s patron—and his wife, Alina Margolis-Edelman. Throughout their lives, both fought with empathy and courage against discrimination, racism, and the consequences of the wars of their time.

We want the stories, testimonies, and attitudes of the survivors of the Łódź ghetto and the institution’s patrons—Marek and Alina—to inspire the community gathered around the Center for Dialogue to change the world around us for the better. Both in the context of local social initiatives and campaigns for human rights in the broadest sense. We want them to serve as a call to build a conscious, courageous, and empathetic civil society.

The Marek Edelman Dialogue Center in Łódź organized the (then) Łódź of Four Cultures Festival from 2011 to 2012 and from 2017 to 2023. Since 2024, it has been the main organizer of the event under its new name, the Łódź of Many Cultures Festival, with a new format and a new programming team.