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Lodz Travel Guide

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Łódź [1] is Poland's second biggest city and an important industrial centre. The city, dubbed the Polish Manchester, has been famous for its textile industry, flourishing especially during the fin de siècle. The movie Promised Land [2] based on a novel by the Nobel laureate Władysław Reymont, depicts those times. Łódź is the capital of the Łódzkie Voivodship.

Contents

Understand

Łódź has a plenty of interesting architecture
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Łódź has a plenty of interesting architecture

The exact origin of the city's name is unknown but the word łódź means «boat» in Polish. This is referred to in the emblem and when you hear the dwellers of Łódź (łodzianin m łodzianka f pl. łodzianie) calling themselves «the boat people», this is the reason.

A settlement on the area of present-day Łódź was first established in the 14th century and in 1423 it has been granted a town charter, along with the right to have a marketplace. However, the real development of Łódź starts with the industrial era at the beginning of the 19th century when the city was chosen to be the heart of the rapidly-growing textile industry. The population of Łódź soared from some 4k people in the 1830s and 40k in 1865 to over 300k inhabitants at the turn of the century, which was an unprecedented growth on a worldwide scale.

The rapid development of Łódź in the second half of the 19th century was brought about by the rise of enormous industrialist fortunes. New inhabitants, craftsmen and merchants came to Łódź; markets and town fairs came to life. The profits obtained from prosperous textile mills opened up practically unlimited possibilities for their owners. The city residences became expressions of the riches and power of the local tycoons. They were usually situated next to the owner's factory.

Andrzej Wajda's movie The Promised Land portrays Łódź's 19th century heyday.

Ever since the industrial revolution bringing a massive influx of workforce, Łódź has been a city almost equally divided between four cultures - Polish, Jewish, German and Russian. The day before the outbreak of World War II, Łódź was inhabited by approximately 672,000 people, among whom 35% were Jewish and some 15% were German.

During the Nazi occupation, Łódź was incorporated directly into the Third Reich. The city was renamed to Litzmannstadt, and Piotrkowska Street was called Adolf-Hitler-Strasse. Although the city was not destroyed in the aftermath, the material losses were serious as the machinery, raw materials and finished goods have been taken away by the fleeing Nazis.

The day before the liberation, about 80,000 Germans left Łódź in panic. At the beginning of 1945, the number of population was estimated at 300,000.

After the fall of communism, Łódź was short of luck and did not get on the path of rapid growth together with some other Polish cities. This is attributed mainly to the lack of a visionary mayor and to the proximity of Warsaw sucking all the skilled labour with its more competitive salaries. It can be equally blamed on the economic structure of the city, based on uncompetitive state-owned enterprises that could not survive in the market economy. However, there are signs of this changing now with the EU structural funds and the adjustments in highway building plans which put Łódź in a very advantageous position.

Łódź today may not have the glitz and glamour of its heyday, however there is a certain beauty and charm in its partially renovated façades and leitmotivs, not to mention its large artistic traditions, even if not immediately evident. For a different and eye-opening experience of the world and its cultures, Łódź is certainly a recommended destination.

Above all, Łódź can be a highly rewarding place to visit if one is prepared to do a little research beforehand. Luckily, this task has been made easier through websites such as Virtual Łódź [3]

Get in

By plane

Łódź Lublinek (LDZ) [4] used to be a charter-only airport for many years but it is now changing with Ryanair [5] flying to:

  • Dublin (DUB) (every other day)
  • London Stansted (STN) (every day)
  • Nottingham East Midlands (EMA) (every other day)

Besides, LOT [6] maintain a connection with Warsaw (but you may prefer to take a train instead as it's just some 100 km) and there are numerous sky taxis operating (see the airport's website).

Łódź Fabryczna railway station
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Łódź Fabryczna railway station

By train

See also: Poland - Get in - By train.

  • Łódź Fabryczna is a centrally-located terminal station for domestic trains (but the announcements are in English too).

By car

The nearby city of Stryków will soon become an important highway junction and when it happens Łódź will probably have the best road connections among all Polish cities. The people in the city are very enthusiastic about it [7], despite the fact that the development plans have been changing constantly over the last decade so there is no real guarantee even now that they will be carried out. For now:

  • The  A2   E30  is finished to Poznań and partly to Berlin (there is a 100-km gap before the border), substituting  2 
  • A small part of  A1  around Łódź, which is planned to substitute the  1   E75  road between Gdańsk and Katowice, the most congested road in Poland, is also ready.

The planned  A8  highway to Wrocław has been downgraded in plans to  S8  expressway.

By bus

Polski Express [8] runs daily services from Warsaw (stops at the airport and in the centre), and from other parts of Poland, including Gdańsk and Toruń.

Eurolines [9] traffic Lodz from Berlin and other european cities.

Get around

The Ultimate Tram

Łódź was one of the first cities in Poland to have trams in 1898 and today it has the longest tram link in Europe between Chocianowice and Ozorków (34 km).

Public transport is operated by MPK Łódź [10]. The descriptions on bus stops are in Polish only. See the Polish phrasebook if you feel uncomfortable. The schedules are here

Taxis are another option, and they are quite cheap for a Westerner. However, one should be sure that there is a taxi sign atop the cab and that the driver has a permit. 9622, 6400400 and 9191 are some of the known companies and they all have exactly same prices.

Rickshaws. On Piotrkowska Street, you can travel any distance with them for 2.50 zł per person. It gets to 4.00 zł in the night and most of the rikshaw drivers will take you out of Piotrkowska if you offer to pay more.

See

Piotrkowska Street
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Piotrkowska Street
  • Piotrkowska street.[11]
  • Księży Młyn. [12]
  • Jewish cemetery. [13]
  • Litzmannstadt Ghetto was the second largest Jewish Ghetto in Poland after the Warsaw Ghetto. The Ghetto is both referred to as the Lodz Ghetto and the Litzmannstadt Ghetto, named after the German General who captured the city. The city was renamed Litzmannstadt in honor of the General during the German occupation. The Litzmannstadt is different from many of the other large Ghettos, because it was the last Ghetto to be liquidated due to the high productivity of the slave laborers and no armed resistence was ever formed.
  • Old Market Square Was once incorpoarted into the Ghetto. It now serves as a venue for concerts and fairs.
  • The Decalogue Memorial is a tribute to the coexistence of Poles and Jews. The memorial is located close to the Old Market Square.

Museums & Art Galleries

  • Muzeum Sztuki, ul. Więckowskiego 36 (Corner. of ul. Gdanska) (, fax: +48 (42) 632 99 41), http://www.muzeumsztuki.lodz.pl. Hours: Monday: closed, Tuesday: 10 - 17, Wednesday: 11 - 17, Thursday: 12 - 19, Friday: 11 - 17, Saturday: 10 - 16, Sunday: 10 - 16. Admission: Adults: 7,00 zł, Families: 13,00 zł; Temporary exhibitions: Adults: 4,00 zł, Reduced ticket: 3,00 zł; Free admission on Thursdays.
  • Muzeum Historii Miasta Łodzi (Museum of History of City Lodz), ul. Ogrodowa 15 (Corner ul. Zachodnia), ☎ +48 (42) 6540323 (, fax: +48 (42) 6540323), http://www.poznanskipalace.muzeum-lodz.pl/angielski.html. Hours: Monday: Closed, Tuesday: 10.00 - 16.00, Wednesday: 14.00 - 18.00, Thursday: 10.00 - 16.00, Friday: 10.00 - 14.00, Saturday: 10.00 - 14.00, Sunday: 10.00 - 14.00. Various beautiful rooms with exhibitions dedicated to some of the most famous people from Lodz including writer Julian Tuwim, pianist Artur Rubenstein, and collections of items from the daily lives of those who have lived in Lodz throughout the years.


Do

Cinemas

  • Cinema City, ul. Karskiego 5 (Located in Manufaktura), ☎ +48 (42) 664 64 64 (, fax: +48 (42) 664 64 02), http://www.cinema-city.pl/. Comfortable, big theater with 14 cinema halls and 1 big IMAX hall offering projections of 3D movies. Movie selection contains the lastest american hits with Polish subtitles.
  • Kino Charlie, ul.Piotrkowska 203/205, ☎ +48 (42) 636 00 92 (), http://en.charlie.pl/. A nice cinema with mostly interesting programme of (often European and Asian) films, not as commercial as Silver Screen.
  • name, ul. Zachodnia 81/83, ☎ +48 (42) 632-18-59 (), http://www.kinocytryna.mnc.pl. Hours: Open 24/7. They have similar repertoire to Charlie (mostly non-American films). If you order in advance they will show a film of your choice. Breakfast is included in the price of a ticket for early morning (3.30 - 4 a.m.) films. Tickets are either 12 PLN minus 1 PLN discount for each yellow piece of your clothing, or 15 PLN for a pair with a lemon..
  • Silver Screen, ul. Piłsudskiego 5, ☎ +48 (42) 639 58 00, http://www.silverscreen.com.pl/. Silver Screen is just couple tram stops away from Lodz Kaliska train station and offers movie selections usually in English with Polish subtitles. This is one of the better movie theaters in Europe and rivals the theater at the Sony Center on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. Of course, as with all mega film complexes it is more expensive than the local cinemas.

Theatres

  • Teatr Jaracza on 27 Jaracza St. is considered one of the best drama theaters in Poland. They play Tuesday to Sunday mid September till mid June. On its 3 performance halls you can see modern Polish and international drama as well as the classics.[14]

Learn

  • The School of Polish for Foreigners in the University of Łódź - Offers courses in Polish for periods of one month, five months, and two nine month programs. [15]
  • The Leon Schiller's National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre (Panstwowa Wysza Szkola Filmowa Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. L. Schillera), ul.Targowa 61, ☎ +48 (42) 634-58-20 (, fax: +48 (42) 674 81 39), http://www.filmschool.lodz.pl. One of the most famous filmschools in the world, many famous filmmakers such as Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polanski or Krzystof Kieslowski studied here. And also today there is a very active student community with students from Poland and from abroad.


Work

Numerous international companies have operations in Lodz, since Lodz is the the second largest city in Poland and has an high number of technically skilled labor.

Buy

Galeria Lodzka.
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Galeria Lodzka.
  • The main commercial street in Lodz is Piotrkowska Street, which is supposedly the longest commercial street in the world with a length of four kilometers.
  • Galeria Lodzka, Al. Piłsudskiego 15/23, ☎ +48 (42) 639 1500 (fax: +48 (42) 639 1520), http://www.ece.de/pl/shopping/center/gll/gll.jsp. The largest single collection of shops is the Galeria Lodzka - a large mall on ul Pilsudskiego - where you can find almost anything from the latest fashions and expensive perfume, to modern electrical equipment and groceries.
  • Baluty Market in the district of Baluty in the north of the city, big open air market, every saturday you can buy here everything from vegetables, over clothes to life pets. Not romantic, but an experience!
  • Zielony rynek ("The green market") on Plac Barlickiego (8 minutes away from Piotrkowska St.) is a great place to buy fresh fruits and vegetables as well as bread, meet, homemade honey and other products.

Eat

Budget

  • Orfeusz, ul. Narutowicza 43, ☎ +48 (42) 631 98 06. Hours: Daily: 11 - 23. International restaurant with traditional Polish and Italian cusine. There is also a salad bar and a big choice of dishes à la carte. 10 - 32 PLN.
  • Da Grasso, ul. Piotrkowska 88, ☎ +48 (42) 630 09 75 (, fax: +48 (42) 632 80 09), http://www.dagrasso.pl/. Daily: 11 - 22, except Sundays when they start at noon and Friday nights when they work till 1 a.m.. Their big pizza is more than enough for 2 hungry people. 15-25 PLN.
  • Green Way, ul. Piotrkowska 80, ☎ +48 (42) 632 08 52, http://www.greenway.pl. A vegetarian fast food chain has one restaurant. A soup 3 PLN, second plate 6-9 PLN..
  • Hot Point, ul. Piotrkowska 101, ☎ +48 (42) 633 85 63. Hours: Mon. - Sat.: 11:00 - 23:00, Sunday: 15:00-20:00. Offers soups for 2-3 PLN, pankaces for as little as 1,80 PLN, salads, pasta and meat dishes including traditional Polish schabowy for 7 PLN. You can hava a small lunch here for 4,50 PLN. In summer you can also eat outside. 4 - 14 PLN.

Mid-range

  • Piotrkowska Klub 97, ul. Piotrkowska 97, ☎ +48 (42) 630-65-73 (, fax: +48 (42) 632-47-14), http://www.97.com.pl/. Piotrkowska Klub 97 is said to be David Lynch's favorite restaurant in Lodz. Good quality food and wines. There is a Milonga - a tango evening in one of the halls most of Monday nights (starting around 1930)
  • Cafe Tuwim, ul. Pomorska 18, ☎ +48 (42) 631 14 71. Hours: Daily: 10:00 - 22:00. The only glat-kosher restaurant in the city About 30 PLN for one course and a drink.

Splurge

  • Esplanada, ul. Piotrkowska 100, ☎ +48 (42) 6305989 (, fax: +48 (42) 6308866), http://www.esplanada.pl/english.htm. Founded in 1920 Esplanada is an exclusive restaurant with a long history, Titanic-like interior and live music every night. You can look up their interiors and check the menu on their website.


Drink

Kawiarnia Syrena
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Kawiarnia Syrena
  • Pub Lodz Kaliska, ul.Piotrkowska 102, ☎ +48 (42) 630 69 55 (, fax: +48 (42) 630 69 55). One of the most popular pubs in Lodz, an institution! Named after the artist group "Lodz Kaliska". Decorated with pieces of art. On weekends very crowded. A must see are the womens toilets on the first floor!
  • Studio 102, ul. Piotrkowska 102, ☎ +48 (42) 632 15 34 (), http://www.s102.com.pl. Directly opposite Lodz Kaliska lies a much more laid back and down to earth establishment. Good music and an interesting gallery of pictures on the walls provide welcome refuge from the firday night throngs.
  • Jazzga, ul. Piotrkowska 17, ☎ +48 (42) 630 27 44 (), http://www.jazzga.info/. Musically off the beaten track. This eclectic venue attracts a wide variety of musicians/performers/DJs ranging from local bands to bearded Japanese psychedelia outfits via German jazz ensembles. Expect the unexpected!
  • Peron 6, ul. Piotrkowska 6, ☎ +48 (42) 639 80 19 (), http://www.peron6.pl. Offers a wide selection (160 in total) of beers from all over Poland and the world at varying prices. Recommended by the EU Beer Consumers' union.
  • Rolling Stone, ul. Moniuszki 6, ☎ +48 (42) 633 65 41. A self-styled "English Pub". Here you can sit back on oak pews and laugh at caricatures of the Royal Family and Keith Richards to the sound of The Cure. Is much bigger than it looks from the outside.
  • Mala Litera (Bookshop-Cafe), ul. Traugutta 9 (Exactly in the half-way from Lodz Fabryczna train station to Piotrkowska St. if you walk straight west (as where the tracks would go)), http://www.malalitera.pl. It is an artistic bookshop with books mostly in English, big range of CDs (mostly classical and ethnic music) and a small cafe. It is one of few places in Lodz where they know how to make a good macchiato. Concerts and meetings with artists are often organized in the evenings.
  • Kawiarnia Syrena, Piotrkowska 66. Also known as "u Husajna" o "chez Hussein" offers good coffee, huge ice-cream desserts, milkshakes and truly international atmosphere.
  • Niebieskie Migdały, Sienkiewicza 40 and ul. Piotrkowska 200, ☎ +48 (42) 609 511 484, http://www.niebieskie-migdaly.pl/. Offers a wide selection of reasonably priced teas in very pleasant, quiet and comfortable surroundings. Indeed, after five minutes you'll soon forget that you're in Poland's second largest city.


Sleep

Accommodation in Lodz is different from other Polish cities, because a high end hotel here is more like a mid-range hotel in Warsaw or Krakow. Additionally, more modern chain hotels which could be "Budget" hotels in Warsaw may be Mid-range hotels, since they expect to be paid a certain rate in Warsaw and that rate was carried over to the Lodz market.

Budget

  • Hostelling International Youth Hostel, ul. Legionow 27, ☎ +48 (42) 6306680 (, fax: +48 (42) 6306683). Check in time: , Check out time:. Clean and affordable rooms starting at about 24 PLN ($8 per person) per night

Mid-range

Splurge

Contact

Internet

There is a number of Internet cafes on Piotrkowska and nearby streets.

  • Cafe del mondo on the first floor of 55 Piotrkowska St. building with 3 PLN / hour is popular among foreign students.
  • Internetowa Kawiarnia Spadochronowa - Skydiving Internet Cafe [16] on 41 Narutowicza St. is 5 minutes walk away from Łódź Fabryczna station and works 24/7. 1 PLN / 15 minutes. There are a pub and a pizzeria [17] in the same place.

Stay safe

Watch out for pickpockets. A common trick for thieves is to operate in groups and create artificial crowds on buses and trams which distract their victims' attention prior to being pickpocketed.

Beggars

Łódź hasn't been developing as rapidly as some other more successful Polish cities recently and it has some of the poorest urban areas in Poland, but those issues are handled by the government and (especially) the NGOs.

Do not ever give any money to beggars. This applies worldwide.

  • They may be thieves who are just waiting for you to take out your wallet on your own so they could do the rest.
  • The beggars you see in the tourist areas could be "professionals", making up to $1-2k/month during the season (which is quite a salary in Poland).

If you want to help consider donating to an accountable charity, like the Polish Red Cross or Caritas Polska. If you still want to give something to a beggar, offer buying food for them (and notice their reaction).

Cope

Get out


Plac Wolności
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Plac Wolności
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