Is Łódź THE place to be for creative people?

Street Art in Lodz, Sainer Etam Crew

Unless you live in Poland or take a deep interest in films, the likelihood that you know about Łódź is probably quite small, despite it being Poland’s 3rd largest city. So I want to tell you a little more about this fascinating place.

Little under a year ago I visited the city and wrote an article called Łódź: The Black Sheep of Poland or So it Seems… and was really surprised by the response it received. One of the most heartening aspects of writing about Łódź was reading all the comments left by Polish people who lived or had lived in the city. It was clear to see that although underrated, Łódź leaves an indelible impression on those who come into contact with it. (If you’re wondering, Łódź is pronounced ‘Woodge’ and not ‘Wootch’ as some people might say (cough, David Lynch)).

The reason why more people haven’t heard about Łódź is simply because it’s not the kind of city featured in the travel section of a glossy fashion and lifestyle magazine. It doesn’t have a beach, colourful Main Square or markets filled with exotic trinkets and fragrances of a faraway land like other cities have.

Quite frankly, Łódź can be a hard sell. Magazines and tour operators alike prefer to feature destinations that are an easy sell. The kind of places that look beautiful from the get go. As a result fascinating places like Łódź never make it into the bucketlist.

However, Łódź has a lot to offer, especially if you’re creatively inclined, so here are some of the things that creative types, probably like yourself, will enjoy.

Piotrkowska street Lodz photo

A city for film lovers

I discovered Łódź through my love for David Lynch, a director who’s up there with the likes of Stanley Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Many scenes from his film Inland Empire (2006) were shot in Łódź. Being a huge fan of Lynch, I wanted to embark on a Lynchian pilgrimage to see not only where the film was shot, but notably, the place he called his favourite city in the world.

Surely if it inspired one of the most creative minds of the 21st Century then it could offer me something too?

Oh it certainly did. Surprisingly however, instead of solely reminding me of Inland Empire like I thought it would, images of his early film Eraserhead (1977) also came to mind. Exploring Łódź was like entering the dark, industrial landscape of Eraserhead. 

Industrial scene from Eraserhead

Still taken from film: Industrial scenes like this in Eraserhead reminded me of Łódź.

This photo was taken in Lodz last December at minus 15 degrees!

This photo was taken in Lodz last December at -15 degrees.

Industrial Lodz

Many of the buildings are still left in a state of severe decline, but admittedly, they look very cinematic, at least for me they do…

Hotel Grand - Film location

When I arrived in Łódź I excitedly headed to my hotel which was a primary focus of my trip  because it was the Hotel Grand, a place where several scenes of Inland Empire were actually shot!

At first I didn’t in my wildest dreams ever expect to stay in the same hotel that was featured in the film, but it wasn’t as expensive as I thought it would be, and although I didn’t stay in the Rubenstein Suite where the scenes were taken, the hotelier was more than happy to show me inside the room.

Hotel Grand Lodz, Inland Empire

Above is a scene from Inland Empire, and below I’m sitting in the same suite but at a different angle. Like its name, the Grand Hotel does have an old-fashioned grandeur to its appearance but it’s mixed with a sense of decline and degeneracy that over the years it’s never been able to relive its former glory. It’s nothing which a new lick of paint couldn’t fix but in a way I’m not sure if it needs it because, as it is, it has bags of character.

Want to follow in the footsteps of David Lynch? Explore Łódź and book your stay at the Grand Hotel.

Cinematography Museum

photoplasticon cinematography museum Lodz

Going back to its film roots, the Cinematography Museum is a must for anyone interested in film and behind-the-scenes production, the highlight of the museum for me is an original 19th century photo-plasticon which gives you a real sense of how Poland appeared in a different age.

Photoplasticon inside the Cinematography Museum in Lodz Cinematography Museum in Lodz inside Cinematography Museum, Lodz

Prestigious film school

Adding to the growing list of why I wanted to visit, it’s also home to one of the world’s most prestigious film schools where another of my favourite directors studied, none other than Roman Polanski. However, after reading his autobiography I discovered he didn’t see his future in Łódź and had bigger plans, a desire still adopted by many young people of Łódź who seek employment in more economically thriving places:

When I was young and studied at Łódź Film School, I had only one thought in my head: to leave. I had never imagined my future in Poland I always wanted to leave for the world, to get to know other countries, meet new people. I always assumed that the Earth belongs to me as much as to other people.

Art museum & galleries

Museum Sztuki, art gallery in Lodz

It’s not just its important film heritage that attracts creative types to Łódź but its burgeoning art scene.

Did you know that Łódź is home to one of the oldest museums of Modern Art in the world? It is without any exaggeration when I say Muzeum Sztuki is the best museum of contemporary art I’ve ever visited, surpassing all galleries I’ve been to in London, Berlin and Paris.

In case you’re thinking about visiting, you’ll discover there are two museums of modern art (I know, this city really spoils you). If you’re pushed for time, I would recommend the one located inside the Manufaktura which spans four floors.

Inside you’ll be able to see all forms of art by Picasso, Max Ernst, Hans Arp, Louise Bourgeois and Marina Abramovic to name only a few. I could easily have spent the whole day in there and it probably still wouldn’t have been long enough.

Andrzej Szewczyk inside Muzeum Sztukii

Muzeum Sztuki in Lodz

Muzeum Sztuki, art gallery MS2 in Lodz

New businesses and start ups cropping up

Addressing the problem of young people leaving Łódź, new business initiatives have been cropping up. As a result, the city has been going through a sort of renaissance recently with new start ups cropping up that champion creative thinking.

manufakura, cotton mill, lodz

An important example is the Manufakura, a whooping cotton mill left dilapidated after the demise of the hugely successful industrial era but recently converted into an impressive culture and entertainment complex.

Similar, but on a smaller key is Off Piotrkowska, again a converted cotton mill but less commercial and more local (think East London or East Berlin), encouraging independent shops, design companies and publishing houses.

Street art in Łódź

Last but not least, my favourite aspect of Łódź’s regeneration is in the form of its street art which has become a prominent characteristic of its landscape, a colourful motif of the city’s artistic freedom. These new creative visions for the city are giving it a new identity, a reason for the young people to stay and new people to visit.

Lodz street art, Urban Forms

Street Art in Lodz by Galeria Urban Forms

Urban Forms, Street Art in Lodz

History of Łódź Museum

Another museum which I highly recommend visiting is the History of Łódź Museum. It is beautiful, set inside a former palace and highlights include a lithograph and painting by Marc Chagall and a room dedicated to the pianist Arthur Rubenstein who was born on Piotrkowska Street, the longest shopping street in Europe.

Rubenstein is considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, especially noted for his interpretation of Chopin and in homage there is a statue of him playing a piano on the street he was born.

Inside the History of Lodz Museum Chagall painting inside the History of Lodz Museum Arthur Rubinstein, Lodz Museum history_of_lodz_museum

History of Lodz Museum, a former palace

Finally, even without all the museums there is something special about Łódź, when all you have is a wintry landscape of leafless trees and a light fog. Jewish Cemetery, Lodz Piotrkowska Street Lodz Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Łódź For more inspiration on things to do in Łódź, read here.

Are you interested in visiting the creative city of Łódź? 

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20 Responses

    1. Hi thanks for the links! It reminds me of a narrow alley leading to art spaces, book shops, bars and street art on Rosenthaler Straße in Berlin. Has the same vibe too…

        1. Hi! Thank you so much for linking up to some of these places – I wish I had known about these eateries, but will store this information for my next visit. Ironically, Off Piotrkowska appears to have a more dynamic eating and urban culture than the name which precedes it! These will undoubtedly be useful and enticing for people reading this who are planning a visit to Lodz.

          Thanks again,

          Shing

  1. I feel so embarrassed and ashamed as although I am Polish and spent 18 years there I have never made it to Lodz. For some reason, this city seemed to be so boring to me in comparison to Warsaw, Krakow or Wroclaw which are my favourite places in the whole country. Now I see Lodz can be a lot of fun and Lodz Museum is a very interesting place!

    1. Agness, I’ve lived in England for more years than I’d like to admit (in my head I’m still seventeen) and I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t been to places like the Lake District, Cornwall or Bath.

      Next time you’re back in Poland you should definitely go, it’s got a vibe that I can’t really put into words. I can’t tell you how lucky I think you are to have Poland as your motherland.

    1. Hi! I’m happy that Lodz has been catching your attention more recently 🙂

      Thanks for the link on Krakow (I read the Guardian every day but this article slipped past me!) I didn’t know there were two literary festivals held in the city every year – it would be so interesting to make it to at least one! (You’ve shown me that I really need to learn a thing or two about Polish literature!)

      I enjoyed reading the comments too, and the nod to Lodz which one reader made!

      1. Łódź is THE industrial revolution in Poland. Essentially it is most visable and best remembered face.

        Industry of XIXth century Warsaw was wiped out during the first and second WW and Polish companies so active in places such as Baku (oil fields of Caucasus), Syberia (it was the land of opportunity in early XXth century) or western Ukraine only remain in literature (novels of Stefan Żeromski or recently ‘Lód’ by Jacek Dukaj), faint memories of local people and in historical books.

        Gdynia, the young neighbour of Gdańsk is similar in some way. It is the face of dynamism and progress in pre-second world war Poland and of modernist architecture.

        This part of Pomerania is really worth visiting.

  2. Love the street art, it’s very cool. I definitely see why you recommended Lodz now! I’m very keen to go after reading this post =) Also I’m super into film/travel combos, so would have to catch up on those Lynch films that I haven’t seen yet!

    1. Just seen this comment Charlie, oou let me know what you think of Lynch’s films if you get round to watching them! I suggest starting with Blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive!

    1. Sorry for the late reply Piotr, I’ve only just seen your comment! Thank you for the photos, the main street looks so alive! When I visited last summer it was undergoing major roadworks so its great to see the new and improved look!

  3. Hi there !
    I’ve come across your blog by pure chance – thank you so much to put this special city on the map for Poles and non-Poles 🙂 I was born in Switzerland and lived in Brasil, France and Belgium before moving to Lodz for professional reasons. I have known this city since more than 20 years now and seen all the changes, the last 6 years as a resident. And it seems crazy but I love it here:) Lodz is a city you have to discover walking slowly and looking around all corners… it is not giving its secrets and views away easily…
    It is the last big city in Europe that has not yet been transformed in a uniform ” historic city center with big shopping malls around”. It has incredible memory of the people that built it, Jewish, Polish,German,Russian and many others. It’s past glory in full decay , ugly , sad workers homes from the begin of the century till the communist era , restored parts , transformed factory buildings, Lofts mix with creativity, galleries, eateries, musea, … and this mix can be seen and felt nowhere else. Grand projects of architecture are being planned and some built, EC 1, a former power plant restored, one of the most modern crazy railway stations etc. Photographers and artists from the world over come here once… and come back to discover more before it is gone… it is true that economically it had and still has a hard time. Not so long ago it took you 2,5 hours to drive to Warsaw – which is 130km away.
    Once again thank you for showing “my adopted city” to the world ! Andreas

    1. Hi Andreas! I really enjoyed reading your comment, and many of the things you have drawn attention to are the reasons why I find this city endlessly fascinating, “It is the last big city in Europe that has not yet been transformed in a uniform ” historic city center with big shopping malls around”. It has incredible memory of the people that built it, Jewish, Polish, German, Russian and many others” – this is so true.

      I look forward to visiting Lodz again, and seeing the changes which have been made.

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