Taking a trip to Łódź? Check out what to see!
Situated in the heart of Poland, Łódź is a city that is increasingly popular with tourists from all over the world. The thorough revitalisation, which has lasted over two decades, has meant that Łódź has numerous attractions to offer – far beyond the famous Piotrkowska Street. This post-industrial city is enchanting with both religious and industrial architecture, and there are many traces of the many national and ethnic groups that once inhabited the city. In its heyday, Łódź was inhabited by Poles, Jews, Russians and Germans. Check out the most interesting places in Łódź and join a walk with the Walkative! guide to see its most important sights!
Łódź – the most famous tourist attractions
For years, the biggest attraction in Łódź has been Piotrkowska Street, which is one of the longest promenades in the whole of Europe (approx. 4.2 km). The vibrant Piotrkowska is surrounded by shops, restaurants, cafes, gardens, pubs and music clubs. Fairs and festivals also take place here, and tourists like to visit places such as the Passage of Roses and the Birth of a Day courtyard. On Piotrkowska, you will also find the Avenue of the Stars, referring to Łódź’s film heritage, and the Monument to Łódź Citizens of the Millennium with the names of the founders.
A visit to Łódź will be a delight for lovers of street art. The walls of many buildings are decorated with impressive murals, which form Poland’s largest gallery of street art. You can find works by Polish and foreign artists such as Proembrion, M-City, Etam, Osgemeos, Eduardo Kobra, Inti, Aryz or Remed.
Due to its dynamic development during the industrial revolution, Łódź is sometimes referred to as the “Polish Manchester” – at one time it was home to around 600 factories and plants. Łódź’s industrial heritage can be admired, for example, in the Central Museum of Textiles and the Factory Museum in Manufaktura. Manufaktura is, by the way, a showpiece of Łódź and one of the most recognisable buildings in the city. It is now a centre of entertainment, culture and art.
In the city you will also find many palaces built by the people who established factories and made fortunes here. One of the most famous of such places is the palace of the Łódź industrialist Izrael Poznanski.
While visiting the city, it is also worth seeing numerous religious buildings, such as the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, which is modelled on the German Ulmer Münster. It is impossible to miss this building as it is the tallest building in Łódź (104.5 m) and one of the tallest churches in the country.
An important place on the map of Łódź is the site of the former ghetto, the Litzmannstadt Ghetto. Jews, who made up one third of the pre-war population of the city, were imprisoned by the Nazis in the Lodz Ghetto, which was one of the largest in occupied Europe during World War II. There they were forced into slave labour for the Third Reich army. From the Lodz Ghetto they were then transported via the Radegast station to their deaths in the death camps Kulmhof in Chelmno nad Nerem and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Free walking tour – visit Łódź with a local guide!
Looking for a guide to show you the greatest attractions of Łódź? Come with us on a free walking tour and see the highlights of the city! A free walking tour of Łódź is an offer for those who want to decide for themselves how much they will pay for a tour. Walkative! provides an experienced, passionate guide and you price his/her knowledge and commitment. Our free tour is designed for individual tourists, small groups of friends, families and couples. Join our tour and have an unforgettable experience! Remember that Łódź is just one of many Polish cities you can visit with us. Walkative! free tours are to be found also in places such as Lublin, Bydgoszcz, Warsaw, Krakow, Toruń, Wrocław, Sopot, Gdańsk, Zakopane or Poznań.