Stefan Żeromski Park

Stefan Żeromski Park is a small neighbourhood park in Teofilów, enclosed by Kaczeńcowa Street, Rojna Street, Aleja Urody Życia and Lniana Street. It covers approximately 2.47 hectares and is managed by the City Greenery Authority in Łódź. It is not a historic park with a palace in the background, but green space built into a housing estate of large prefabricated blocks, with a play area, outdoor gym and paths that residents walk daily.

The park was created along with the estate, on the site of a former stream

The park was established in 1973, shortly after the blocks on Lniana Street were completed. Previously, the area was overgrown with alders, and the Jasieniec stream ran from north to south, connecting two small water reservoirs. During construction of the Konopnickiej estate, the stream was filled in and redirected to a collector, and the ground was levelled for future paths. A trace of the water remained in the park's layout: for years a shallow canal and a fountain basin functioned here, which eventually ceased to work properly as water conditions changed.

First an aeroplane, then the sign TEO

The symbol of the park today is a metal sign reading TEO, an abbreviation of the estate's name. It was erected in 2014 on a pedestal where an aeroplane had stood until the nineties. Earlier, from the seventies onwards, the square was decorated with a TS-8 Bies training and aerobatic aircraft, one of those machines that were erected on estates throughout Poland as monuments to technology. The new sign was created on the initiative of residents gathered around Teofilowa Renewal Initiative, who in 2013 submitted a participatory budget project under the slogan of creating a new symbol for the estate in place of the former aeroplane.

What participatory budgeting delivers for improvement

The same mechanism transformed the rest of the park. In 2014, new paths were marked out, benches were added, a play area and outdoor gym were created, and plantings were refreshed. Thanks to this, the park now serves three functions at once: a shortcut between blocks, a play area for children and an exercise space for adults. Many neighbourhood green spaces in Łódź have followed a similar path, although it is difficult to compare them in scale and ecological programme with places such as the Łódź Botanical Garden.

Who is this park for

It is a destination for a walk, not for an excursion across half the city. People come here mostly by chance: after a visit to the nearby Aquapark Fala, on the way back from shopping or simply from the neighbouring block. The tree stock is younger than in city centre parks, so there is less shade, but the ground is flat and easy to walk around with a pram.

Those seeking more space for a longer walk will find it in Park na Zdrowiu, a few stops away towards the city centre.

Practical information

• Address: al. Urody Życia, Teofilów, Łódź. The park is bounded by Kaczeńcowa Street, Rojna Street and Lniana Street.
• Getting there: by public transport to stops near the junctions of Kaczeńcowa with Lniana, Rojna with Kaczeńcowa and Aleksandrowska with Kaczeńcowa. By car, parking is available on residential streets.
• Open area, no gate or opening hours, free entry.
• What to expect: paths, benches, play area, outdoor gym, metal TEO sign on the former pedestal. No catering or toilets on site.
• For a longer outing in this part of the city, it is worth combining the park with other green spaces, for example with Szarych Szeregów Park in Bałuty.