One of Poland’s biggest cities, Lodz, lies part way between Warsaw and Wroclaw and was once the centre of textile manufacturing in the country. It has transformed into a cultural hub in recent years, with fine museums and arts centres occupying its former factories and numerous film festivals on the calendar.
Things to do in Łódź
Learn about the industry on which Lodz flourished at the Central Museum of Textiles, which occupies the Classicist-style White Factory once belonging to Ludwik Geyer. Get up close to 19th-century machinery and see what a weaving room would have looked like during the period, then discover the changing fashion styles of the 20th century.
One of Lodz’s old textile factories has been transformed into Manufaktura, a modern arts centre, leisure complex and shopping mall. Admire the red-brick buildings within which Wladyslaw Reymont’s famous novel “The Promised Land” was set, then step through the monumental arch that leads to the old spinning mill. In addition to more than 300 stores, the complex features a multiplex cinema and a branch of the Museum of Art in Lodz.
In the adjacent Poznanski Palace, you’ll find the City Museum, which displays artefacts detailing the city’s past and exhibits about some of its most famous residents. Wander through the opulent apartments once belonging to the 19th-century textile baron Izrael Kalmanowicz Poznański, with the grand ballroom and Baroque dining room among the highlights.
Getting around Łódź
Lodz Wladyslaw Reymont Airport is a 15-minute drive from the city centre and has flights to destinations across Europe. Trains connect from major cities throughout Poland to the Lodz Kaliska, Lodz Widzew and Lodz Fabryczna railway stations while buses and trams travel throughout Lodz. The centre of Lodz can easily be explored on foot.