At the initiative of the Museum of the City of Łódź, 2025 is the Year of Women from Lodz Initiators. The year will be concluded with an exhibition at the museum entitled: “Women of Łódź – Initiators”. The exhibition will be open to the public from 26 November 2025.
The exhibition "Women of Łódź – Initiators" is the first comprehensive presentation of women who, along with the city's development and historical transformations, created new groundbreaking initiatives
On the 50th anniversary of its founding and the Year of Women from Lodz Initiators, the Museum of the City of Łódź wishes to restore their rightful place in collective memory. They were trailblazers, demanding a place for women in a world dominated by men. In doing so, they had to overcome existing barriers: stereotypes and legal restrictions.
Some of them were born in Lodz and were an integral part of it their entire lives. Others came to our city, bringing their knowledge and experience. Many of them eventually left the city – for personal reasons or due to the turmoil of history. However, whether they lived here for a lifetime or just a few years – their actions shaped our city.
The exhibition presents the biographies and creative achievements of women from Lodz who initiated, forged new paths, changed and created original phenomena, trends, and institutions. Their stories span various areas of social, intellectual and cultural life. Over 120 figures are presented chronologically and divided into four time zones. They reflect the political changes that impacted the situation of women. After the period of the partition of Poland and the rapid development of industrial Lodz, described in the first part of the exhibition, came a time of work and development, but also the continued struggle for women's rights in independent Poland. These processes were interrupted by World War II, which serves as a reference point for the story of the third part of the exhibition. A special place is devoted to the role of women from Lodz in shaping the city after 1945 – this period is covered in the fourth part.
Stories of the women presented at the exhibition are told through objects, documents, works of art and short biographies, which aim to highlight their most significant achievements. Each of the presented women not only represents their era but can also serve as an inspiration for those living today.
The exhibition also features many women associated with the University of Lodz – both graduates and professors. These include:
- Prof. Marta Kolanowska who is a biologist and a professor specialising in the study of tropical orchids. She has discovered over four hundred new orchid species, one of which was named after the University of Lodz.
- dr hab. Izabela Desperak who is a sociologist and a social activist associated with the University of Lodz. She is the initiator of the annual Lodz “Manifa”, a street demonstration in defense of women's rights that has been held on 8 March for over 20 years.
- Prof. Marta Sikorska who is a historian and a professor. She is a pioneer of research on the history of women from Lodz.
- Dr Małgorzata Kostrzyńska who is a teacher affiliated with the University of Lodz who combines her academic work with social engagement, working to address the problems of homelessness and exclusion.
- Prof. Wielisława Warzywoda-Kruszyńska who is a sociologist and a professor associated with the University of Lodz. After the political transformation in Poland, she initiated research on poverty in Lodz, which has become a model for other research centres.
The exhibition also features historical figures associated with the University of Lodz: Helena Radlińska (1879-1954), Natalia Gąsiorowska-Grabowska (1881-1964), Anna Chrząszczewska (1889-1988), Helena Więckowska (1897-1984), Kazimiera Zawistowicz-Adamska (1897-1984), Janina Kotarbińska (Dina Sztejnbarg-Kamińska) (1901-1997), Gryzelda Missalowa (1901-1978), Stefania Skwarczyńska (1902-1988), Antonina Kłoskowska (1919-2001), Lucyna Fagasiewicz (1920-2003), Ija Lazari-Pawłowska (1921-1994) – women who shaped the foundations of science and academic life in Lodz, simultaneously co-creating the tradition of humanities, education and ethics at the University of Lodz.
The presence of our female scientists and graduates at the "Women of Łódź – Initiators" exhibition demonstrates that the University of Lodz has played a key role in shaping civic attitudes, fostering intellectual courage and promoting equality. Many of the women who transformed Lodz come from this community and they still continue to inspire the city.
The exhibition will be on display at the Museum's headquarters at Ogrodowa 15 until 31 May 2026.
Text: Museum of the City of Łódź
Edit: Magdalena Paszko, Centre for External Relations and Social Responsibility of the University, University of Lodz
Graphics: Museum of the City of Łódź
