… And they will say: “Why are you thinking about Łódź? Nobody goes to Łódź!” Most of the times I listen and value the advice of the locals, but I am so glad that this time I bought my bus ticket to Łódź, Poland, in advance, so I couldn’t change my mind about going there. It’s true I bought it because it’s close to Warsaw, so I could squeeze one more Polish city into my travel itinerary. But as it turns out, it’s a perfect place for a one day trip and absolutely one of the best off-the-beaten-track destinations in Poland although it’s hard to pronunciate its name.
Here are TOP 5 reasons (in no particular order) why visit ŁÓDŹ:
1. Ulica Piotrkowska street
Europe’s longest pedestrian street, with length little above five kilometers, Ulica Piotrkowska does amaze! It’s filled with colorful buildings, a lot of adorable coffee places, restaurants, stores, statues of famous Polish people, they even have Łódź ‘s Walk of Fame with stars of famous Polish cinema artists and directors. There you can find names like Roman Polański, Jerzy Kawalerowicz and Pola Negri. You will find their stars on the both sidewalks in front of the oldest hotel in the city the Grand Hotel. On the street there is also the Turn of the Millennium walk, where they have 12.859 names of Łódź residents engraved into the paving. The street stretches from the Independence Square to the Liberty Square and while walking you can admire beautifully restored neo-renaissance and art nouveau buildings, however, you also find buildings that are decaying. If a five kilometer walk is too much for you, they have rikshas that drive on this route.
2. The statues
Along Ulica Piotrkowska you will find many interesting statues. They are all great spots for taking pictures. Although that is not their primary meaning, they are dedicated to important habitants of Łódź. My favorite is the statue of Arthur Rubinstein, famous Polish American classical pianist, who you can join playing the piano. Then you have Jaracz’s Chair – a statue of Stefan Jaracz, a star of the Polish stage, Julian Tuwim’s Bench – a Jewish writer and poet, the statue of the Industrialists – three important man Izrael Poznański, Karol Scheibler and Ludwik Grohman sitting around a table signing an agreement, the statue of the Lamp Man, which was made for the 100th anniversary of the first electric streetlight in the city, and there are more.
3. OFF Piotrkowska
Once a cotton mill building of the former Ramisch factory, today a hip place for local businesses. OFF Piotrkowska is a complex of bars, clubs, local designer stores, studios, alternative music venues. Hence the name, you will find OFF Piotrskowska on Piotrskowska 138/140.
4. Manufaktura
Manufaktura is an old textile factory complex turned into a shopping mall, restaurants, an art gallery, a museum, a cinema and a hotel. Its red brick walls perfectly combine with more modern design of the main shopping hall, there are fountains, giant sign saying Manufaktura, interesting art all around and well, you just can’t miss all of this.
5. Graffiti
I am not a particular graffiti art lover but huge street art murals of Łódź definitely amazed me. They are everywhere, in all sizes and one more interesting than other. Just walk around the city and enjoy all the art it offers.
Visited: September 2015
