Prior to World War II Jewish community constituted 1/3 of Lodz inhabitants. It was something of a miracle that part of them left the city after the war had begun; however, many who stayed went through very hard times. In February 1940 in the area of the Old Town and Bałuty, i.e. the poorest part of Lodz, one of the biggest ghettos in Europe, which was the camp of slave work since its beginning, was created. Among other things, clothes for the Reich soldiers were manufactured there. Labor force was needed, which is why it was one of the longest-existing ghettos. It was closed in the summer of 1944.

Many of the ghetto inhabitants did not endure being locked up and inhuman conditions in which they were supposed to live and they died of cold, hunger, and exhaustion, whereas part of them were transported to the extermination camps in Chełmno on Ner and Oświęcim-Brzezinka. Out of over 200 thousand Jews who went through the Litzmannstadt Ghetto, only 5 – 12 thousand survived (exact numbers are now known). They are commemorated by the Survivors’ Park with the Monument of Poles Saving Jews, opened on the 60th anniversary of the liquidation of the ghetto. In the park, there are over 600 “memory trees” planted by those who survived the Litzmannstadt Ghetto.

Prepare yourself before you visit Radegast Station. It’s a site of great historical importance but is emotionally harrowing nonetheless. A broken column whose shape evokes a crematorium chimney is the entrance into the Tunnel of Memory, a sombre site filled with photos of Holocaust victims. This is the most shocking and heart-breaking part of Radegast Station, through which some 145,000 people, mainly Jews, passed on their way to concentration camps and their met their inevitable fate. The wooden station building, with a row of matzevahs (tombstones) in the background, houses a model of Litzmannstadt Getto – the Łódź Ghetto. Of the more than 200,000 Jews imprisoned there, sadly very few survived. They are commemorated in the Survivors’ Park with the Monument to Poles Who Saved Jews and more than 600 “trees of memory” planted by survivors. Other remembrance sites include the Jewish Cemetery (Poland’s largest), the Children’s Martyrdom Monument and the Romani Forge, situated on the site where the Germans set up a camp for Roma and Sinti people. 

The largest (over 40 ha) Jewish necropolis in Poland and one the biggest ones in Europe was established in 1892 on the land donated to the local municipality by Izrael Poznański. The cemetery was maintained by the donations from the society of Lodz, supported by rich industrialists whose lavish tombs can be admired up to this day. We can see here the graves of Julian Tuwim’s and Artur Rubinstein’s parents as well as the monumental mausoleum devoted to the memory of Izrael Poznański.

During World War II the cemetery was used to bury the Jews from the Litzmannstadt Ghetto. Up to this day, from the side of Bracka Street, there is a so-called Ghetto Field with anonymous gravestones. After the war, the buildings of the synagogue and mikveh were demolished and the only object referring to the days where regular burials were organized here is the funeral house that still remains. In 2015 the cemetery was entered to the list of Historic Monuments.

The Survivors’ Park, located in Wojska Polskaiego Street, is a park with exceptional history. It was created in 2004, during the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the liquidation of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto through the initiative of Halina Elczewska, a woman who survived the war. The park consists of around 600 trees commemorating the people who survived the Holocaust. Every tree is assigned to a particular survivor and along the main alley of the park we can also find plates with their names. Additionally, the park also has an 8-meter tall Memorial Mound with a bench – a statue of Jan Karski, Marek Edelman Center for Dialogue, and the Monument of Poles Saving Jews. This monument, erected at the pond, has a shape of tall walls forming the David Star and an eagle springing to flight. On the walls there are names of people who have been honored with the title of the Righteous among the Nations.

A unique glass and concrete building of the Marek Edelman Center for Dialogue at the Survivors’ Park in Lodz was opened in 2013. The place has a symbolic meaning – the trees in this park were planted by Holocaust survivors.

The Center’s mission is to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue as well as present the content of different cultures, particularly those close to the history of the city. Special emphasis is placed in the Jewish culture; however, the organized exhibitions, panels, workshops, and lectures also refer to German, Russian, Ukrainian, Romani, or Armenian themes.

The Center conducts educational activities spreading knowledge about different cultural and religious practices. It supports the idea of tolerance and combating discrimination, as well as initiates discussions on the topic of living in a multicultural and multispecies world.

Located in Wojska Polskiego Street, the Romani Forge is a place which commemorates the camp for Gypsies and Sinti that this place used to house for a short period of time. In November 1941, over 5 thousand Romani people originating from the Austrian-Hungarian border area were placed on this small territory designated from the Litzmannstadt Ghetto. Due to inhuman conditions and no possibilities of maintaining basic rules of hygiene, the camp was quickly overcome by the epidemics of typhus. This forced the occupants to liquidate this “ghetto inside the ghetto”, which occured on 12 January 1942.

The building of the forge standing on the territory of the former camp for Romani people became a museum in 2009. Currently it remains under the care of the Museum of Independence Traditions and it features the exhibition entitled “And the Violin Stopped Playing” documenting the extermination of Gypsies and Sinti during World War II.

On the outskirts of the Grey Ranks park, there is a special monument commemorating part of the history of Lodz during World War II. Children’s Martyrdom Monument, also called the monument of the Broken Heart, is dedicated to Polish children who died or were murdered while being imprisoned in the camp in Przemysłowa Street. The camp was intended for children between 8 and 16 who were supposedly captured committing a crime and, in reality, were descendants of Poles locked up in Nazi prisons.

The monument was unveiled on 9 May 1971 and it has a shape of a heart broken in the middle with a figure of an emaciated child and an empty space outlining the form of small human being. The plate placed next to the monument reads: “You were stripped of your life, today we only give you memory”.

Reicher family synagogue is the only Lodz synagogue that has survived the war and is still open every day. It is located in the second backyard of the tenement house at 28 Rewolucji 1905 r. It made it through the war thanks to the cunningness of the owner, Wolf Reicher, who made a false contract of sale of the building to his German business partner. It survived the times of occupation as a salt warehouse.

The synagogue was established at the turn of the 19th and 20th century in a small brick building designed by the known architect from Lodz Gustaw Landau-Gutenberg. The interior boasts restored stuccoes, paintings and polychromes referring to the traditional Jewish synagogue style. Currently the building of the synagogue is managed by the Jewish Religious Community.

Manufaktura is a favourite spot for both locals and visitors. This showstopping red-brick, multi-storey shopping mall and leisure centre has been brought to life thanks to an epic renovation project of former industrial textile factories. In addition to several bars, restaurants and cafes, the complex includes a theatre and cinema, the ms2 Art Museum and the Factory Museum, which recounts the long and interesting history of the site. The enviable list of attractions also includes a climbing wall, bowling alley, an urban beach with deckchairs and a zip line offering a bird’s-eye view of Manufaktura for braver visitors. You also get a really great view from the glass-enclosed swimming pool in the loft-style Andel’s hotel. This isn’t for the faint-hearted though; the pool is found on the rooftop of the hotel, 25 metres above ground, where a cast-iron firefighting water tank once stood, in the former spinning mill of Poznański’s factory.  

Piotrkowska Street - equally popular is Piotrkowska Street – Poland’s longest promenade, lined with boutiques, clubs, pubs and statues of famous Polish artists; the most spectacular of which portrays Artur Rubinstein playing the piano. This is an obligatory photo opportunity you won’t be able to resist! Vibrant by day and buzzing at night, no matter what time of year you visit, Piotrkowska Street is the chosen venue for dozens of events, which include: the Hokus Pokus Festival of Street Art and Magic; the Light Move Festival; the Songwriter Festival and the Łódź of Four Cultures Festival, to name just a few. Keep your eye out for Łódź’s very own walk of fame, known here as the Avenue of Stars. 

The traditional sights are definitely worth visiting but be sure to check out the city’s alternative scene as well, Łódź is actually known as something of a Mecca for hipsters! Places to head to include Off Piotrkowska and Piotrkowska 217.  If you’re partial to a good monument, Łódź doesn’t disappoint: check out the Citizens at the Turn of the Millennium, Citizens of the New Millennium and Identity monuments.  

There can be no talk of Łódź without mentioning the movie industry, of course. Graduates of the renowned Łódź Film School include Roman Polański, Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Kieślowski. The staircase where the future artists used to once sit now features plaques with their names. 

The city’s backstreets have themselves been used as locations for over 200 films, both national and international, and the city plays proud host to the prestigious Drama School Festival. 

The Se-Ma-For studio, which has won two Academy Awards and specialises in animated cartoons for children, (e.g Peter and the Wolf), is where Tomek Bagiński’s Cathedral was made, as well as his Animated History of Poland, which promoted the country at the World Expo. Łódź’s film tradition is presented at the Film Museum (which is currently closed under renovation until the end of 2020). There is also a special film trail dedicated to avid fans. 

Łódź and street art go hand in hand. So much so in fact, that the Łódź Tourism Organisation has produced a map dedicated specially to finding pieces of street art. It includes more than 150 murals, sculptures and art installations made from metal bars, car parts, pieces of mirror and even moss, all dotted around the city. The map is a great guide, enabling visitors to admire many large-sized works of art featured on the walls of buildings, by street artists from both Poland (Proembrion, M-City, Etam) and abroad (Osgemeos, Eduardo Kobra, Inti, Aryz, Remed). These myriad murals have been created over the years, for example during the Urban Forms Gallery Festival and, before that, the International Graffiti Festival. Save enough camera battery for the biggest wow factor of all: the first 3D mural in Poland and one of just three in the world by Italian artist Awer, found on the wall of the building at 93 Pomorska St in all of its multicolour glory.