What is there to see in Łódź Province?

Łódź with Piotrkowska Street, Manufaktura, Księży Młyn and EC1; Łowicz, Nieborów Palace, Arkadia Park, Piotrków and Sulejów Abbey.

What are the lesser-known places in Łódź Province?

The workers' district of Księży Młyn and the fortified abbey of Sulejów.

Why is Łódź called the Polish Manchester?

Because in the 19th century it became, within a few decades, the largest textile centre of the Russian Empire, with factories as huge as the English ones.

Is Łódź worth visiting?

Yes, for its industrial architecture, museums, murals and very lively nightlife; it combines easily with Warsaw.

What to eat in Łódź Province?

Zalewajka, prażucha, Łowicz cheeses and smoked sausages.

Travel
Poland
Łódź Province

Guide to Łódź Province · Łódź, Łowicz, Arkadia, Nieborów, Sieradz and hidden gems

The factory city in the heart of Poland.

Łódź, the Polish Manchester, with 19th-century textile mills turned into museums, shopping centres and lofts, the four-kilometre Piotrkowska Street and the tycoons' palaces; Łowicz with its striped folk costumes, the palace of Nieborów and the romantic park of Arkadia; but also a workers' garden suburb and the film school where Polański and Kieślowski studied.

places on the map: 14places on the map
hidden gems, with their stories: 2hidden gems, with their stories
ready-made itineraries: 3ready-made itineraries
towns and villages: 5towns and villages

Why go

Five reasons to choose Łódź Province

Łódź
A city unique in Europe, with the best-preserved industrial architecture in Poland.
Cinema
Home of the school that trained Poland's great film directors.
Folklore
The costumes and paper cut-outs of Łowicz, still a living tradition.
Palaces and parks
Nieborów and Arkadia, 18th-century jewels.
In the centre
An hour from Warsaw and well connected to the whole country.

Atlas

Map of Łódź Province

14 hand-picked places: 5 towns and villages, 0 nature spots, 9 places of history and art. The gold star marks the hidden gems. Tap a point to open its card.

14 places

Places few people know

Two places in Łódź Province few people know

They don't top the most-visited lists, but each has a story to tell and a good reason for the detour.

★ History and art · Łódź

Księży Młyn

Łódź

A 19th-century workers' district of brick houses, with the great spinning mill and the owner's palace, still almost as it was.

The story

Karl Scheibler, a textile industrialist from the Rhineland, built a complete district around his spinning mill: workers' housing, a school, a hospital, shops, a fire station and the family villa, around what was then the largest textile factory in the Kingdom of Poland. The workers' houses are still lived in, the mill has become a loft building, and the Herbst Palace, built for Scheibler's daughter, is a museum with period interiors.

Full page, why go and what's nearby →

★ History and art · Piotrków and the Pilica valley

Sulejów Abbey

Sulejów

A fortified 13th-century Cistercian abbey on the Pilica, with walls and defensive towers, where you can also stay the night.

The story

The monks came from France in 1176 at the invitation of Duke Casimir the Just and built a Romanesque stone church and a cloister. In the 15th century the monastery was surrounded by walls with towers to defend it from raids. Today the church is still in use and part of the complex is a hotel, with the cloister museum and the river below the walls. Around it, the Pilica valley is peaceful and good for canoeing.

Full page, why go and what's nearby →

Itineraries

Three itineraries, one to two days

Łódź is the natural base: Łowicz is an hour away by train, the Pilica valley an hour by car.

2 days

Łódź

Factories, tycoons' palaces, cinema and memory.

Where to stay: ŁódźStops: 5

D1
Piotrkowska and Manufaktura
Piotrkowska Street, Manufaktura and the Poznański Palace, EC1 in the evening.
Piotrkowska Street Manufaktura EC1 and the film museum
D2
Księży Młyn and remembrance
Scheibler's district, then the Jewish cemetery and Radegast.
Księży Młyn Jewish Cemetery and Radegast Station

Full itinerary, day by day →

On foot

Active Łódź Province: hiking

Trails with route maps, elevation profiles and downloadable GPX.

Hiking1 trail1 hidden gem · grades T

From Zgierz to the Ciosny juniper reserve T · 9.6 km

All hikes →

Find trails and spots near a town →

History

From village to industrial metropolis

1423
Łódź gets its charter
Łódź receives town rights, but remains a small farming village for four centuries.
1820
Industry
The government of the Kingdom of Poland decides to make it a textile centre; German, Jewish and Polish weavers arrive.
1900
The metropolis
Łódź passes three hundred thousand inhabitants: it is the “promised land” of Reymont's novel.
1940-1944
The ghetto
The Germans confine more than 160,000 Jews in the Litzmannstadt ghetto.
1948
The film school
The National Film, Television and Theatre School is founded.
1990
The crisis
With the end of communism the textile mills close.
2006
Manufaktura
The Poznański factory is reborn as a shopping and cultural centre.

Tips

Before you go

The things that don't change from year to year. Opening hours, prices and bookings change often: always check them on the official websites.

When to go

All year round

May · JunCorpus Christi in Łowicz

Jul · Augfestivals in the city

SeptemberLight Move Festival

Wintermuseums and the baths at Uniejów

Łódź is a city to visit all year round; the Corpus Christi procession in Łowicz, in May or June, is the chance to see the traditional costumes.

Getting around

Train and car

Fast trains link Łódź with Warsaw in just over an hour; the small airport has few flights.

There are frequent trains to Łowicz; Nieborów, Arkadia and the Pilica valley are easier by car.

Food and drink

What to try

Zalewajka sour soup of fermented flour and potatoes, a Łódź workers' dish.
Prażucha a mash of flour and potatoes, served with bacon.
Ser łowicki cheese and dairy from the Łowicz cooperative.
Kiełbasa smoked country sausages.
Pierogi z kapustą dumplings filled with sauerkraut and mushrooms.

Traditions

Festivals not to miss

Corpus Christi May or June · Łowicz, procession in costume.
Light Move Festival September · Łódź, festival of light.
City birthday late July · Łódź.

The festival calendar for all of Poland →

FAQ

Questions travellers ask

What is there to see in Łódź Province?: Łódź with Piotrkowska Street, Manufaktura, Księży Młyn and EC1; Łowicz, Nieborów Palace, Arkadia Park, Piotrków and Sulejów Abbey.
What are the lesser-known places in Łódź Province?: The workers' district of Księży Młyn and the fortified abbey of Sulejów.
Why is Łódź called the Polish Manchester?: Because in the 19th century it became, within a few decades, the largest textile centre of the Russian Empire, with factories as huge as the English ones.
Is Łódź worth visiting?: Yes, for its industrial architecture, museums, murals and very lively nightlife; it combines easily with Warsaw.
What to eat in Łódź Province?: Zalewajka, prażucha, Łowicz cheeses and smoked sausages.

The factory city in the heart of Poland.

Five reasons to choose Łódź Province

Łódź

Cinema

Folklore

Palaces and parks

In the centre

Map of Łódź Province

Two places in Łódź Province few people know

Księży Młyn

Sulejów Abbey

Three itineraries, one to two days

Łódź

Piotrkowska and Manufaktura

Księży Młyn and remembrance

Łowicz, Nieborów and Arkadia

Łowicz, Nieborów and Arkadia

The Pilica valley

Piotrków and Sulejów

Inowłódz

Active Łódź Province: hiking

From village to industrial metropolis

Łódź gets its charter

Industry

The metropolis

The ghetto

The film school

The crisis

Manufaktura

Before you go

All year round

Train and car

What to try

Festivals not to miss

Questions travellers ask

All the places, area by area

Łódź

Łowicz and the north

Piotrków and the Pilica valley

Sieradz and the west

Itineraries