Łódź - Art Nouveau

Łódź is first mentioned in 1332, when Władysław the Hunchback, Duke of Łęczyca, transferred the village of Lodzia to the bishopric of Włocławek. In 1423 the village was officially granted town rights, but for centuries it remained a small, remote settlement.

In 1793 Łódź was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. At that time the town had 190 inhabitants, 44 inhabited dwellings, a church and a prison. After the Congress of Vienna, the town became part of Congress Poland, a client state of the Russian Empire.

In 1820, the government designated Łódź and its surroundings for centrally planned industrial development. The first phase involved the creation of a new city center and the construction of housing estates.

The craftsmen who settled were mostly immigrants from Saxony, Silesia, and Bohemia. The first steam-powered loom in Poland was put into operation here in 1839.

The abolition of customs duties enabled the town to export its goods to Russia without hindrance. In 1865, a railroad line was opened, providing a train connection to larger markets.

By the end of the century, one of the largest industrial complexes in Europe had been built here. The life of the workers was marked by social grievances. In June 1905 about 100,000 unemployed workers went on mass strike, barricading the streets and clashing with the troops. 151 demonstrators were killed and thousands wounded.

In 1914 the city was occupied by the Germans. At the end of WWI, the textile industry came to a standstill and the population declined as German workers left the city.

The Great Depression closed western markets to Polish textiles while the Bolshevik Revolution put an end to the trade with the East.

During the invasion of Poland in September 1939, German troops moved in and renamed the city "Litzmannstadt" after a German general and NSDAP member.

The city was immediately Germanized, Polish and Jewish institutions were closed. Low-wage forced labor was introduced. Polish intellectuals were sent to concentration camps or murdered.

Nazi authorities established the Łódź Ghetto, which was home to more than 200,000 Jews from the region who were systematically sent to German death camps. In 1945, only 877 Jews were still living here.

Today, Lodz is the third largest city in Poland.

Most of the buildings here are "new", but there are still some Art-Nouveau buildings in the center.