Lodz is a city of contrasts that intrigues with almost every step. Full of factories and at the same time very green, eclectic but also avant-garde Lodz dazzles with the lavishness of factory owners’ palaces and astonishes with artistic installations.
Today it is a city which is being discovered all over again. A city of festivals and art events located in the very heart of Poland, at the crossing of two main highways, you could say that all the roads lead to Lodz.
Although the history of the city spans over 600 years, the dynamic development of Lodz came a little less than 200 years ago. From a small town in the beginning of the 19th century, it quickly became the “promised land”, giving many thousands of families hope for a better tomorrow.
Around the city, you can find numerous traces of the multicultural melting pot of the working class. A cultural mosaic in the early half of the 20th century, Lodz become the cinematic capital of Poland after the Second World War, opening another important chapter of its history. In 2017, Lodz was inducted into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and named UNESCO City of Film.
Nowadays, Lodz, the country’s third-largest city, is one of the major academic centres in Poland. As a post-industrial city, it bets on modern services, science, innovative branches of production and the creative sector. For over ten years now, the city has been experiencing rapid development. Entire blocks of the historical centre are being revitalised, and in the heart of the city, the new centre of Lodz is growing.
Lodz’s potential shows in the plans for the organisation of such events as European Universities Games 2022 or Expo Horticultural 2024. In Lodz, you can find one of the biggest municipal forests in Europe, covering an area of about 1,200 hectares. The most valuable part of the forest is protected as a natural reserve.
Compared to other Polish cities, Lodz stands out with a great number of palaces and villas. All of them were built in the 19th or early 20th century and represent different architectural styles. Former palaces serve today as offices, institutions and museums, such as the Museum of the City of Lodz in the Palace of Izrael Poznanski. Herbst Palace – a branch of Museum of Art – is an example of a wealthy factory owner’s former residence with antique furnishings. The most beautiful villas and palaces create a tourist trail, allowing visitors to discover Lodz – also famous for Art Nouveau architecture.
Come, stay over, get to know it and get a taste of it!
