If you are looking for somewhere off the beaten track, Lodz has it. It is the second-largest city in Poland, with its own unique atmosphere. Lodz is sometimes called the Polish Manchester due to its size and the fame of the textile industry that flourished here in the 19th century. Unfairly overlooked, Lodz is worth a visit and definitely deserves promotion. It boasts fine Art Nouveau architecture, vibrant nightlife, and Poland’s most famous film school. A visit to Lodz will undoubtedly leave you with memorable impressions and a better understanding of Poland.
Lodz is the third-largest urban centre in Poland with a population of about 742,000. Although Lodz has a long history (it obtained city rights in the 15th century), its greatest period of growth and prosperity came in the 19th century when it became a centre of the textile industry.
Since that time, the city has faced many difficulties and contrasts, vividly documented in the novel “The Promised Land” by Polish Nobel Prize-winning author Wladyslaw Reymont. He portrayed the multinational society of Lodz, where Poles, Jews, and Germans lived together, against the harsh realities of early Polish capitalism, where the rich exploited the poor. These contrasts are still visible in the city’s architecture, where luxurious mansions coexist with redbrick factories and old tenement houses.
Lodz offers numerous attractions worth exploring:
Today, Lodz is a significant cultural centre, internationally known for its Film School, a cradle for many of the best Polish cinematographers, actors, and directors, including Andrzej Wajda and Roman Polanski. The local Museum of Art houses the finest collection of contemporary Polish art in the country. The city is thriving, with industry and business rapidly developing, moving away from textiles, which have been in decline since 1991.
Lodz was once a small village, first mentioned in historical records in 1332. In 1423 it was granted town rights but remained small and insignificant. It was owned by Kuiavian bishops until the end of the 18th century, when Lodz passed to Prussia as a result of the second partition of Poland. After approximately ten years within the independent Duchy of Warsaw, the city became part of the Russian-controlled Polish Kingdom.
The 19th century brought constant industrial development to Lodz. The first cotton mill opened in 1825, and soon the city grew into the most powerful textile centre in the Russian Empire. Workers arrived from all over Europe, creating a multinational population dominated by three groups: Poles, Jews, and Germans (in the 1930s, the proportions were approximately 50%, 30%, and 15%, respectively). At the peak of its prosperity, the population of Lodz doubled every ten years. Its industrial background also made it a key centre of the socialist movement.
After World War I, Lodz came under Polish administration, becoming a provincial capital. It retained its industrial nature, but the period of intense development ended, mainly due to the loss of the vast Russian market.
Following the Polish defeat in September 1939, Lodz was annexed to the German Reich and renamed Litzmannstadt, after a German general. The local ghetto, established by the Nazis for 200,000 Jews, was liquidated in 1944. Most of its inhabitants were murdered in the camps of Auschwitz and Theresienstadt.
World War II did not destroy the city’s infrastructure, but it completely eradicated its earlier cultural diversity. Pre-war Jewish and German populations were quickly replaced by Polish refugees from all over the country. For a few years after the war, Lodz temporarily acted as Poland’s capital because Warsaw had been destroyed. There were even plans to permanently relocate the capital to Lodz, but ultimately these did not materialize.
The decades under communist rule brought about a revival of the textile industry. However, after the collapse of communism in Poland in 1989, most factories became privately owned, and few managed to survive under the new capitalist conditions.
Today, Lodz is a crucial educational and cultural hub, home to 11 universities and the renowned Film School. The city hosts two major festivals: the Festival of Dialogues of Four Cultures (an arts festival) and the Camerimage Film Festival. Although rarely considered a typical tourist destination, Lodz is appreciated for its unique industrial ambiance, fascinating architecture, and welcoming atmosphere.
| Province: | Lodz |
| Telephone: | +48 42 |
| Accommodation: | Lodz hotels |