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Łódź (Lodz) developed in the 19th century within a few years from a village to the largest textile metropolis in Central Europe. With its approximately 700,000 inhabitants, the capital of Łódzkie Voivodeship (Lodz region), with its factories, palaces and workers’ settlements, is a unique testimony to the time of the Industrial Revolution.
The government of the tsarist Kingdom of Poland declared the small town in 1820 as an industrial site to be developed according to plan. As a result, huge textile factories and factory settlements appeared. Industrialization was accompanied by a sharp impoverishment of workers. The Nobel Prize winner Władysław Reymont set a monument to this time with his novel “Ziemia Obiecana” (Promised Land). It was filmed in 1974 by Andrzej Wajda. During the Second World War, one of the largest ghettos was created in Łódź. Of the Jews, who once made up a third of the total population, the Red Army found just 900 alive after liberation.
After the Second World War, Łódź made a name for itself as the film capital of Poland. The film school founded there in 1948 has produced numerous world-class directors and cinematographers, such as Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polański or Krzysztof Kieślowski. Today, Łódź is a fascinating city that has undergone a transformation from an industrial to an art and cultural metropolis. Trade centers, galleries and museums have moved into the sprawling factory complexes.
What is Lodz Poland known for?
Is Lodz in Poland or Ukraine?
Was Lodz ever part of Germany?
Is Lodz Poland worth visiting?
