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Today Is Labour Day – Why Do We Always Remember the 1905 Revolution on 1 May in Łódź?

Today's Labour Day is an international holiday of the working class, celebrated annually on 1 May since 1890. In Poland, it has been a public holiday since 1950. It was established in 1889 by the Second International to commemorate the violent demonstrations of May Day 1886 in Chicago, during which workers demanded the introduction of an 8-hour workday.

Opublikowano: 01 May 2026

In Łódź, Labour Day has always been strongly linked to the commemoration of the 1905 Revolution, during which workers, among other things, protested against exploitation by industrialists. However, the 1905 Revolution in Łódź is not just a story of strikes and demonstrations. It was the moment when the city's residents – workers, intelligentsia, Poles, Jews, Germans and Russians – for the first time felt that they were a community of citizens.

Dr hab. Kamil Śmiechowski, Associate Professor at the 91ɫ, recounts how the Łódź residents' revolt propelled the city toward modernity. Solidarity transcended national divisions, the fight for rights and a sense of empowerment. All of this led Łódź to become more than just an industrial city.

Listen to the lecture and see how events from over 100 years ago can still inspire us today.

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