Aleksandrow Lodzki is a beautiful town in Lodz Voivodeship. Because it has many monuments, it is of attraction to history and sightseeing enthusiasts. Moreover, Aleksandrow’s location near Lodz makes it a good starting point to this voivodeship capital (see also: trips to Lodz).
Aleksandrow Lodzki may boast of many interesting monuments. While in the town you should visit: St. Rafael and Michael the Archangels Church built in between 1816 and 1818, then-Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church) erected in 1828, a town hall from 1824, then-pastor’s house (from 1848) and the present library as well as a park established in 1824.
An unquestionable town’s attraction is a present Jatki building (Jatki is a place where fairs used to take place) erected in 1998. It is not listed, but its shape and style are similar to those of former Jatki, which stood here from the 1820s to 1988.
Nature lovers, on the other hand, ought to visit the Rabien Moorland nature reserve near Aleksandrow Lodzki. On the area of 42 ha we may see many interesting species of marsh plants.
Aleksandrow Lodzki is a town in central Poland, in Lodz Voivodeship and Zgierz County, populated by approximately 26 000 people.
The town is situated on Lask Highlands, in between the Vistula and the Odra rivers’ basins. There are country roads no. 71 and 72 crossing in Aleksandrow Lodzki’s centre.
Aleksandrow Lodzki was fouded by Rafal Bratoszewski of Sulima coat of arms in the beginning of the 19th century. Bratoszewski was a founder not only of the town, but also of the local parish of Rafael the Archangel. He gave the town the name in honour of Alexander I, the emperor of Russia and the king of Poland, which helped the town to obtain town rights in 1822. After Bartoszewski’s death the Kossowskis of Dolega coat of arms became owners of Aleksandrow.
At the turn of the 20th century numerous knitting factories came into existence in Aleksandrow. This industry has been dominating in the town by now. In 1910 Aleksandrow obtained an electric tram connection with Lodz, which was liquidated only after 80 years.
Until the WW2 outbreak Aleksandrow Lodzki was a town of three nationalities and three religions. The town’s population was composed of Evangelic descendants of German weavers, Jewish merchants and shopkeepers and Polish Catholic workmen and craftsmen.
During German occupation of Poland Aleksandrow was a part of the Third Reich and in 1939 was given the name Alexanderhof and four years later Wirkheim. Germans closed Polsih schools up, banned societies, demolished memorials and victimised Poles. All Jewish inhabitants were displaced in December 1939 and later murdered.
After the war almost all Germans were repatriated.