Lodz In Your Pocket - January - April 2019

Events

Sightseeing

Restaurants

Nightlife

Shopping

Hotels

Maps

Łódź No. 39, January – April 2019

City Guide The Promised Land: Łódź’s Industrial Heritage

p.6

‘The Great War’ Exhibition

p.17

Piotrkowska North and South p.20–25

CORPORATE STAYS made to measure

apartments short-term rental long-term lease

Contents

Łódź Feature The Promised Land

p.6

Arrival & Transport

10

Traditional Polish Dishes

50

City Basics

13

Restaurants

52

What’s On 14

Nightlife

64

Sightseeing

Activities & Leisure

68

Essential Łódź 19 Piotrkowska North 20 OFF Piotrkowska 22 Piotrkowska South 24 EC1 26 Hollyłódź 28 Jewish Łódź 30 Street Art 36 Museums 38

Shopping

70

Directory

75

Hotels

76

Manufaktura

40

Cafés

48

Maps & Index City Map City Centre Map Street Index Venue Index Features Index

80-81 82-83 84 85 86

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3

Foreword Aloha and Happy 2019! Welcome to the exciting world of Łodź (pr. Woodge) In Your Pocket. This central city is not the first place people choose to visit in Poland. In fact, most don’t know much about it. But the word is out, Łódź is definitely worth visiting. Those who find themselves in the city are in for a treat as they reap the benefits of seeing a city on the rise, yet still not fully on the travellers’ radar. From culture and fashion, design and architecture, to technology and education – Łodź is on the cutting edge. While Winter in Łodź can be both brutal and beautiful, it is the perfect time of year to explore the city on foot (industrial heritage on p.6 or general wanderings up and down the main street, pp.20-25), or check out the city’s many indoor attractions, gastronomical offerings and social scene, all found in this guide. One of the best ways to get a feel for what’s going on, apart from reading Łodź IYP, is to attend some of the many events and exhibitions taking place over the next few months. Check out our What’s On section (page 14) for full details of cultural events and festivals. As always, let us know how you got on in Łódź on our Facebook page (/Lodzinyourpocket) and/or show us what you’ve seen during your time in the city by using the hashtag #Lodzinyourpocket on social media, or if you prefer, just use good old fashioned email: poland@inyourpocket.com.

Andrew Elliott, who has close ties to Poland, has been living here since 2016 when he finally decided to make the big leap from Scotland to get a more in-depth grasp of this fascinating country. Personal interests include astronomy, current affairs, food & drink, photography & videography! He even has a slight penchant for history.

25

E S S E N TI A L C I TY G U I D E S

years

COVER STORY There’s nothing quite like a fish eye effect to give a new perspective on something you may have walked past hundreds of times before.

This view of the main entrance to Manufaktura (p.40) looks warped, but is still no less impressive than usual. Photo by whitelook, AdobeStock

PUBLISHER & STAFF Publisher IYP City Guides Sp. z o.o. Sp.k. ul. Karmelicka 46/51, 31-128 Kraków iyp.com.pl poland@inyourpocket.com Circulation 10,000 copies published 3 times per year Writer & Editor: Andrew Elliott Sales Consultant: Bartosz Matyjas (+48) 784 966 824 Events & Marketing: Monika Boguszewska-Stopka (+48) 728 879 494 Events Editor: Jason Neale Research: Agata Janik, Mateusz Gofroń, Dominika Sosnowska Layout & Maps: Tomáš Haman Social Media & Marketing: Juan Sarabia Copyright Notice Content and photos copyright IYP City Guides Sp. Z o. o Sp. k. unless otherwise stated. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

The brand name In Your Pocket and maps are used under license from UAB In Your Pocket (Bernardinu 9-4, Vilnius, LT, tel. (+370-5) 212 29 76).

Europe’s largest publisher of locally produced city guides

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Łódź In Your Pocket

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Dysponujemy 4 salami konferencyjnymi z pełnym wyposażeniem.

Just part of the once mighty Księży Młyn (Priest’s Mill, p.8) which covered 15% of the city! | Photo: Fotopolska.eu

The Promised Land What was once a country backwater with fewer than 1000 residents mushroomed into Europe’s largest industrial city by the end of the 19th century, and it was all down the Industrial Revolution, its perfect location, and of course, politics. Read on the find out more.

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Łódź In Your Pocket

The Promised Land If you‘re a first time visitor to Łódź, you‘ve come at a truly interesting time. It‘s not that Łódź hasn‘t been worth visiting up until now, but the last decade has seen the city going through a major transformation, modernising at a quick pace, while focusing on the ace up its sleeve – it‘s industrial heritage. This knack for change is nothing new in Łódź‘s history; in fact, it‘s pretty much the reason it exists as an important city in the first place. The Industrial Revolution sparked Łódź‘s initial rapid development, and it‘s now post-industrial urban redevelopment that is making the city an exciting and dynamic destination once again.

Manufaktura

So how did this once small village turn into one of the most important industrial cities in Europe? It‘s time for a history lesson!

The first written record of a settlement here dates back to 1332, under the name Łódzia; 10 years later it was granted city rights by King Władysław Jagiello. Łodź essentially remained a small country backwater with a population of only about 800 through various political upheavals Poland experienced throughout the centuries - changing hands between the Prussians, Russians, and even being caught up in the Napoleonic Wars in the Duchy of Warsaw - before real change finally began in the 19th century.

In 1815, following Napoleon‘s retreat from Russia, Łódź was incorporated into the Russian-controlled Congress Poland.

Although this far from pleased local Poles, economically it turned out to be a game changer. In 1820, state official Rajmund Rembieliński, who was interested in economic and urban expansion, set about redesigning the city‘s layout (which has since remained almost unchanged to this day), and crucially included transportation arteries.

The city‘s cause was further aided when in 1825, statesman, philosopher and writer Stanisław Staszic started a campaign to turn Łódź into a centre of manufacturing. He drew the conclusion that Łódź was the perfect location to become a manufacturing hub, not least due to the numerous rivers and streams, which would provide water for the factories, but also for the abundance of timber from nearby forests.

The first cotton mill opened in 1825 and in 1839 the first steam-powered factory in Poland and Russia officially opened. A massive influx of workers from as far afield as Portugal, England and France came to the city, though the mainstay of the town’s population was made up of Poles and Germans, including many Jews. Those who lived in the surrounding rural areas saw Łódź as a means to move away from the tough settings they were accustomed to, so much so that Łódź became known as a land of milk and honey. Polish author and Nobel laureate Władysław Reymont put it thusly in his famous late-19th century Łódź-based novel Ziemia Obiecana (The Promised Land): „For that ‘promised land’ – for that tumour – villages were deserted, forests died out, the land was depleted of its treasures, the rivers dried up, people were born. And it sucked everything into itself. And in its powerful jaws

© fotopolska.eu

it crushed and chewed up people and things, sky and earth, in return giving useless millions to a handful of people, and hunger and hardship to the whole throng.“ Despite the tough conditions encountered by workers in Łódź, many still preferred their new lives in the city to working on farms. Within a matter of decades the city grew into the biggest textile production centre in the Russian Empire. In 1850, the customs barrier between Congress Poland and Russia was abolished, a move which saw Łódź’s economic influence grow further - the city enjoyed its most intense industrial growth between 18701890, during which time vast fortunes were made by the major industrialists. By the end of the 19th century, Łódź‘s population reached 300,000, and with it, not only did the city see prosperity, but growing inequality and dissatisfaction amongst the working classes, which came to a head in 1905 when the city’s residents rose up in open revolt. Over 300 workers and protestors were killed as the Tsarist police force regained control of the city. By the outbreak of WWI Łódź was one of the most densely populated cities on the planet with a population of approximately 13,000 people per square kilometre. By 1915, the city came under German occupation though three years later the end of the war heralded Polish independence. The city lost nearly 40% of its population owing to the post-war influenza epidemic and a huge social migration of its German inhabitants. Łódź’s textile trade faced collapse after losing both Russian and German markets, with strikes and civil unrest becoming a feature of inter-war Łódź. The city‘s ‘golden age’ was well and truly over.

Textile Museum

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The Promised Land

Villa Gallery/Kindermann Villa

© Sławomir Miejski

WHAT TO SEE Following another World War and decades of stagnation during the Communist era, the ghosts of Łódź‘s industrial past are now being gradually revived and recalibrated to the needs of a modern 21st century metropolis. Today the third-largest city in Poland, it should come as no surprise that Łódź‘s top attractions are all directly tied to the old days of industry.

So what to see? The most obvious choice is Manufaktura (p.40), however, the city is also full of the former villas of the industrialists which have now been turned into museums, schools, or used by the local authorities. The most famous examples are the NeoBaroque palace of Manufaktura‘s owner, Israeł Poznański, which is now home to the Museum of the City. To gauge how rich Poznański was not only in finances, but in family, you need to also see his lavish Poznański mausoleum in the Jewish cemetery (p.33) – not exactly modest! Another of the city‘s most outstanding architectural monuments is the Herbst Palace, once home to the Herbst and Scheiber industrial families, located at the former Księży Młyn factory (which once accounted for 15% of the total area of the city). Leopold Kindermann‘s Art Nouveau villa on ul. Wolczańska 31/33 (J-6) is also worth seeing, even if only viewable from the outside.

You can easily contrast such extravagance with the very modest former worker tenements (still lived in today), which can be found across from the main entrances to Manufaktura at ul. Ogrodowa 24/26 (I-3) and the former Księży Młyn factory complex on ul. Tymienieckiego 25A. This is a city littered with post-industrial sites just waiting to be explored. We hope to show you the main sights throughout our guide.

KSIĘŻY MŁYN & HERBST PALACE Księży Młyn (Priest’s Mill) was first mentioned in 1484 in reference to a mill built on the Jasien River in 1387.

The original complex was burnt to the ground on May 9, 1822 and 3 years later the Polish cotton-spinning specialist Krystian Wendisch began building a new mill on the site, which was by this time a 2km street called 8

Łódź In Your Pocket

Przędzalniana (Spinning Mill Street), on what’s now ul.

Tymienieckiego. The mill went through ups and downs and the land changed owners many times until it entered its golden age.

In 1854, the 28-year-old Belgian-German Karol Scheibler arrived in Łódź. From a wealthy family who made their fortune in cloth, Scheibler opened a modern factory and was soon leaving the competition behind. In October 1870 Scheibler bought the mill for 40,000 rubles and began radically transforming what was by now a 500ha area. Here Scheibler built not only mills, but an entire gasworks to light his factories and the neighbouring workers’ houses too - the first private gasworks in the city. In 1878 Scheibler added a direct train connection with the city’s main train station and a number of warehouses. By now the southern end of the complex was known as Manufaktura Księży Młyn. In 1874 tragedy struck, and the main mill burnt down.

Not discouraged, Scheibler invested even more money into what was turning rapidly into an entire city within the city.

In 1875 Scheibler added several two-story houses for his workers and opened a school for their children.

In 1881 Karol Scheibler died. Księży Młyn continued to grow, with the opening of a hospital (again another first, this being the first factory hospital in Poland), and on June 20, 1884, Łódź’s first voluntary fire brigade unit was founded inside Scheibler’s factory. WWII destroyed most of Księży Młyn, although some of it survived including the original Residence - today home to the Herbst Palace Museum. The design of the interiors and the new arrangement of the rooms were based on documents from the Office of the Head Conservationist and archival photographic material that was uncovered. New sources of information have have enabled preservationists to restore the interiors to what they might have looked like when the Herbst family lived in the Palace. The remainder of the entire complex has been converted into apartments and a host of cafes and restaurants.Qul. Tymienieckiego 25A. Open 11:00 - 17:00, Closed Mon. Admission to one out of three permanent exhibits is 15/8zł, students under 26 pay just 1zł; Thu free for all exhibits. Combined tickets available for MS1, MS2 and Herbst Palace for 30/20zł.

VILLA GALLERY/CHIMERA GALLERY Villa Gallery, otherwise known as ‘Kindermann’s Villa’ is one part of the City Art Gallery which has a long history dating back to 1924 - the oldest cultural institute in Łódź. The building used as the HQ since 1975 is a fine Art Nouveau villa, built between 1902/03 by local architect Gustaw Landau-Gutenteger for the industrialist Leopold Kindermann. Day-to-day, the gallery presents Polish and international comprehensive exhibitions across the mediums, and since 1979 it has held the international exhibition of graphic art. One tip from us, even before going in for a visit, take in the extraordinary detail of the building from the outside - inside it just gets better with the organic flow of every little detail on the windows to the fine marble fireplace.QJ‑6, ul. Wólczańska 31/33, tel. (+48) 42 632 79 95, www.mgslodz.pl. Open 11:00 - 18:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon. Tickets 6/4zł, Thu free. N

Arrival & Transport

Łódź’s iconic ‘Unicorn Stables’, otherwise known as the Central Tram Stop. | © Aleksandra Piechorowska

With Łódź being Poland’s third largest city, links to the outside have finally improved. Budget flights opened the city right up and local bus, tram and train upgrades make it easier than before to get around.

BY TRAIN With the city lying in the centre of the country, Łódź is a crossroads for many of the rail networks covering the country. To handle the traffic Łódź has three stations - Kaliska (generally for east/west routes) and Widzew (north/south routes). The third major station is the new Łódź Fabryczna, which is the biggest and most central of the three. It is also currently a dead end with all trains terminating here, although that will change once the connecting tunnel to Łódź Kaliska is finished in 2022.

With the opening of Fabryczna the main Łódź - Warsaw line has also undergone a major overhaul and high speed

Łódź Fabryczna

10 Łódź In Your Pocket

connections will now whisk you to the capital in under 90-minutes. You can take trains directly from Łódź to most major Polish cities but the speed on many can be slow and minor delays are standard. At present a 250km journey to Kraków will take anywhere from two and a half to four hours. Gdańsk, 370km away, will take around 5 and a half hours. It is worth checking the useful website www. rozklad-pkp.pl for the best connection. ŁÓDŹ FABRYCZNA TRAIN STATION On December 12, 2016 the first train rolled into the newly designed Łódź Fabryczna after a 5 year hiatus. This was a monumental and indeed historic moment for the city and the region as the new station not only offers new connections and modern conveniences, but it is the very heart of the city’s plan to rejuvenate the entire city centre. Łódź Fabryczna is one of the most modern railway stations in Poland. The pristine and polished granite floors of the wast wing meet a giant polished black ‘obelisk’ which houses several ticket offices where you can buy tickets for PKP Intercity, Regional Transport and Łódź Agglomeration Railway trains (ŁKA).

The east wing of the station is different in character from the west wing and is flanked by facades of large white townhouses which are a nod to the old Fabryczna station and instead of a single glass canopy they are covered by glass buttresses.

In the townhouses there are ticket offices a commuter rail (ŁKA) Passenger Centre and in the north-east part there are lockers as well as ATMs an infopoint (InfoDworzec) for all transportation and tourist queries, and the regional Bus Station.QL‑6, Pl. Sałacińskiego 1, tel. (+48) 22 391 97 57 (from foreign mobile phones), www.pkp.pl.

Arrival & Transport ŁÓDŹ WIDZEW TRAIN STATION Łódź Widzew enjoyed more traffic while Łódź Fabryczna was being upgraded. Now that Fabryczna has reopened it still sees continued traffic as a commuter hub for all points East and North. Widzew was recently modernised and now has an automated ticket machine, waiting room with toilets, press kiosk, café and snack bar plus unreliable Wi-Fi. If you want to save on cab money and take a tram to the city centre, walk the 200 metres to the Puszkina - Rondo Inwalidów tram stop (from ul. Służbowa walk to ul. Adamieckiego and turn right onto ul. Rokicińska and you’re there) - take trams 3 or 8 to get to Piotrkowska Centrum in 20 mins. If you don’t want to walk far, just outside the station, catch buses 75A, 75B or 75C from Dworzec Łódź Widzew bus stop and get off at the Piłsudskiego - Konstytucyjna bus stop, then catch trams 8 or 10B to Piotrkowska Centrum. The journey takes around 30 mins.Qul. Służbowa 8, tel. (+48) 22 391 97 57 (from foreign mobile phones), www.pkp.pl. Open 24hrs.

Note that, due to system maintenance, seat reservations cannot be made from 24:00 to 01:00.

BY BUS Most Bus travellers to Łódź are dropped off at the Łódź Fabryczna Bus station although some may still be routed to Łódź Kaliska Station which is a 15-20 minute trip from the centre. ŁÓDŹ KALISKA BUS STATION Express and international buses depart from Łódź-Kaliska (there is parking in front of the post office) and international tickets can be purchased from the booking office which is open Mon-Fri 06:30-17:15, Sat 09:00-13:00 & Sun closed (the domestic ticket office is open Mon-Fri 06:30-17:15 and Sat-Sun 08:30-16:00). There is no luggage storage, but you will find toilets and kiosks for transport tickets. In addition to Kaliska there is another bus station, Dworzec Północny PKS, located at ul. Smugowa 30/32 where you can catch more local buses. Note that all buses to Warsaw leave from Kaliska. Bus schedules should be checked via the fantastic e-podroznik.pl transport service. To get to the city centre, you can take a taxi or tram 10 to get to the neighbourhood of Piotrkowska. Make sure to check the latest tram and bus prices on www.mpk.lodz.pl before your trip and plan your journey times using the JakDojade schedule/route planner app.QF‑9, Al. Włókniarzy 227, tel. (+48) 42 631 97 06, www.pks.lodz.pl.

BY PLANE As Poland’s third largest city Łódź gets its fair share of air passengers, and with a brand new terminal the experience of flying in to and out of the city has gotten increasingly more pleasant (well, as pleasant as flying can be, anyway). ŁÓDŹ WŁADYSŁAW REYMONT AIRPORT Łódź Władysław Reymont Airport (Port Lotniczy Łódź im. Władysława Reymonta) opened a new terminal in June 2012 that significantly enlarged the airport’s capacity and which now handles all arrivals and departures. Inside you’ll find Hertz, Enterprise, Europcar, Sixt, Avis and Panek, ATMs to withdraw Polish currency and several places to grab food and drink or a cup of coffee. You can also do some shopping in the well stocked duty-free shops.

Getting to/from the Airport: The Airport is located around 6-10km from Łódź city centre. By car it’s around 20 minutes and by public transport is about 20-40 minutes. Taxis hover outside the arrivals terminal and a journey to the centre is around 20-40zł. Two taxi companies, Taxi 400 400 (42 640 04 00) and Taxi Plus (800 50 05 00) are permitted to pick up from the airport and can be trusted. The bus stop is directly outside the main entrance with bus no.s 65A and 65B (running every 20-30 minutes) taking you to Łódź Kaliska Train Station, from where you can then take tram 10B straight to the main street ul. Piotrkowska (tram stop ‘Piotrkowska Centrum’). A single 40 minute ticket (valid for 60 minutes until end of 2019 due to network redevelopement) costs 3.60zł (reduced 1.80zł).Qul. Gen. Stanisława Maczka 35, tel. (+48) 42 683 52 55, www.lotnisko.lodz.pl.

BY CAR In the last decade, the road quality issues in Poland have been improving thanks to EU directives and funding, however, the work is definitely ongoing. Generally, you will most likely stick to high-speed and good quality motorways or expressways, but do remember, once you leave these roads onto old single lane roads, you will be driving amongst anything from a sports car to a tractor.

Indeed, despite the overall road improvements, Poland is still one of Europe’s leading nations in road fatalities. lodz.inyourpocket.com 11

Arrival & Transport Poland has strong drink-driving laws: 0.2‰ is the maximum blood/alcohol limit, so forget about having even a single beer. EU citizens may use their home driving licenses as long as they are valid, however citizens of countries that didn’t ratify the Vienna Convention (tsk, tsk Australia and America) will find their licenses invalid. Carry your license and passport at all times when driving.

The speed limit is 50km/hr in cities (60km/hr between 23:00 and 05:00), 90km/hr outside urban areas, 120km/hr on dual carriageways and 140km/hr on motorways. All cars are required to carry a red warning triangle, first aid kit, replacement bulbs and a national identity sticker. A new law was introduced in April 2007 making it compulsory to have headlights switched on at all times.

The Polish Fiat, or ‘Maluch’ - produced in PL from 1972-2000; considered a family car during the communist era.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

ARRIVING BY CAR Connecting Łódź with the outside world are the E75 running north, the E30 going north east, the west bound A2, the south running E75, and road number 72 heading to the east. Once in Łódź, if you’re parking on the street you’ll be paying one of two rates from 8:00 18:00 (Mon - Fri): Zone A: 1,50zł (first 30mins), 3zł (first hr), 3,50zł (second hr) 4zł (third hr) 3zł (fourth and every additional hr). Zone B: 1zł (first 30 mins), 2.50zł (first hr), 3zł (second h), 3,50zł (third h) 2,50zł (fourth and each additional hr).

Łódź can boast a well-developed network of bus and tram routes that traverse the city. The comprehensive website at www.mpk.lodz.pl features full English content, including timetables, general information and ticket prices. Tickets (bilety) can be purchased from automated machines at stops and some onboard machines, which must be validated upon boarding the tram or bus by validating them in the machines (kasowniks) next to the doors. Failure to do so will result in a 108zł fine (if paid in 7 days; after it goes up to 270zł) if you’re caught by ticket inspectors. Due to redevelopment of the transport network in the city, the ticket options have temporarily changed and will remain as follows until the end of 2019:

GUARDED PARKING QJ‑2, ul. Łagiewnicka 1/3, tel. (+48) 42 657 67 84.

2.80zł (1.40zł) 20 minutes (now valid for 40 mins) 3.60zł (1.80zł) 40 minutes (now valid for 60 mins)

GUARDED PARKING QM‑4, ul. Sterlinga 21, tel. (+48) 791 55 33 32.

One day passes (valid till 23:59 that day) can be purchased from kiosks (Zone I: 11zł / 5,50zł Zone I + II: 13,20zł / 6,60zł).

Both trams and buses usually operate from 05:00 until 23:00 after which night buses (marked with an N) serve the city.

CAR RENTAL AVIS Avis, the global leader in car rentals, offer short and long rental cars, vans and chauffeur driven vehicles, including everything from small city cars to shared vans. Over 1,000 models are available with all equipped with air conditioning, airbags and ABS to ensure both comfort and safety. Flexible terms of cooperation from experts in professionalism, convenience and safety. City centre location. Also available at the airport upon request (with the same opening hours).

QH‑9, ul. Łąkowa 29 (DoubleTree by Hilton Łódź), tel. (+48) 607 03 63 08, www.avis.pl. Open 08:00 - 16:00, Sat 09:00 - 17:00, Closed Sun. EUROPCAR Europcar is one of the biggest car rental companies and offers eight different categories of vehicles to choose from.

The airport location makes it easy to nab a car and dash.

Qul. Gen. Stanisława Maczka 35 (Airport), tel. (+48) 42 253 14 04, www.europcar.com.pl. Open 10:00 - 18:00; Sat, Sun 10:00 - 16:00. Outside of these hours open by prior arrangement.

12 Łódź In Your Pocket

TAXIS Taxis in Łódź are generally trustworthy although you should guard against unscrupulous drivers by going for taxis which have clearly displayed prices. As a yardstick, rates should be around 6zł the moment you get in and then around 2zł per kilometre.

You should expect to pay approximately 50% more at night and on Sundays and public holidays. A standard day fair to/from the airport from the centre of Łódź will cost around 20-40zł.

TALIXO This global transport service (operating in over 750 cities) connects you to the best local taxi and limousine fleets.

Their simple online reservation system allows you to get a ride that matches your needs, whether it’s a child seat or just a super fly ride. Specialising in airport transfers, their system can track your flight, ensuring that your Englishspeaking driver will be there (looking snappy with a personalised sign), whether you land ahead of or behind schedule.Qtel. (+48) 30 346 49 73 60, www.talixo.com/ iyp-lodz/.

City Basics FACTS & FIGURES

LANGUAGE SMARTS

TERRITORY Poland covers an area of 312,685 square kilometres and is the ninth biggest country in Europe. It borders the Baltic Sea (528km) and seven countries, namely (moving clockwise) the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad (210km), Lithuania (103km), Belarus (416km), Ukraine (529km), Slovakia (539km), Czech Republic (790km) and Germany (467km).

Attempting discourse in the Polish language can be terrifying and humiliating, but fortunately for you many Poles, particularly young people, have a healthy command of the English language. Though you can probably get by without it, learning a few key Polish phrases will nonetheless smooth your time in Łódź and may even win you friends and admirers.

LONGEST RIVER The river Vistula (Wisła) is Poland’s longest river at 1,047km and flows through Kraków and Warsaw before reaching the Bay of Gdańsk (Zatoka Gdańska).

HIGHEST POINT The highest peak is Rysy (2,499m) in the Tatra Mountains to the south of Poland.

POPULATION (2017) Poland - 38,858,000 Warsaw - 1,763,615 Kraków - 766,739 ​Łódź - 690,422 ​Wrocław - 637,683 ​Poznań - 541,561 ​Gdańsk - 464,829 ​Katowice - 296,262 LOCAL TIME Poland is in the Central European (CET) time zone (GMT+1hr). When it’s 12:00 in Łódź it’s 06:00 (AM) in New York, 11:00 in London, 12:00 in Paris and Berlin and 19:00 in Tokyo. Polish summer time (GMT+2hrs) starts and ends on the last Sundays of March and October.

MARKET VALUES Prices in Poland are still fairly competitive despite increases over the last couple of years particularly in the prices of cigarettes. Here are some typical everyday products and prices. Market values as of January 10, 2019 based on €1 = 4.30zł McDonald's Big Mac Snickers candy bar 0.5ltr vodka (shop) 0.5ltr beer (shop) 0.5ltr beer (bar) Loaf of white bread Pack of Marlboro cigarettes 1 ltr of unleaded petrol (98) Local transport ticket (1 journey)

10.70 zł 1.89 zł 23.99 zł 3.50 zł 8.00 zł 2.69 zł 16.00 zł 5.07 zł 4.40 zł

€ 2.49 € 0.44 € 5.58 € 0.81 € 1.86 € 0.63 € 3.72 € 1.18 € 1.02

On the downside, Polish is officially recognised as one of the most difficult languages for native English speakers to learn. On the upside, however, unlike in English, words in Polish are actually spelled the way they are pronounced.

This is a great help once you know how to pronounce each letter/combination of letters. While many letters represent the same sounds as they do in English, below we have listed those particular to Polish, followed by some basic words and phrases. Powodzenia (Good luck)!

Basic Pronunciation

‘ą’ sounds like ‘on’ in the French ‘bon’ ‘ę’ sounds like ‘en’ as in the French ‘bien’ ‘ó’ is an open ‘o’ sound like ‘oo’ in ‘boot’ ‘c’ like the ‘ts’ in ‘bits’‘ ‘j’ like the ‘y’ in ‘yeah’ ‘w’ is pronounced like the English ‘v’ ‘ł’ like the ‘w’ in ‘win’ ‘ń’ like the ‘ny’ in ‘canyon’ ‘cz’ and ‘ć’ like the ‘ch’ in ‘beach’ ‘dz’ like the ‘ds’ in ‘beds’ ‘rz’ and ‘ż’ like the ‘su’ in ‘treasure’ ‘sz’ and ‘ś’ like the ‘sh’ in ‘ship’ ‘drz’ like the ‘g’ in ‘George’ ‘r’ is always rolled

Polish Words & Phrases Yes No Hi/Bye (informal) Hello/Good day (formal) Good evening (formal) Good-bye Good Night Please Thank you Excuse me/Sorry

Tak Nie Cześć Dzień dobry

(Tahk) (Nyeh) (Cheshch) (Jen doh-bri)

Dobry wieczór Do widzenia Dobranoc Proszę Dziękuję Przepraszam

(Doh-bri vyeh-choor) (Doh veet-zen-ya) (Doh-brah-noats) (Prosheh) (Jen-koo-yeh) (Psheh-prasham)

My name is...

Mam na imię...

I’m from England.

Jestem z Anglii Do you speak English? Czy mówisz po angielsku?

I don’t speak Polish. Nie mówię po polsku.

I don’t understand.

Nie rozumiem.

Two beers, please.

Dwa piwa proszę.

Cheers!

Na zdrowie!

Where are the toilets? Gdzie są toalety?

You are beautiful.

Jesteś piękna.

I love you.

Kocham cię.

Please take me home. Proszę zabierz mnie do domu.

Call me!

Zadzwoń do mnie!

(Mam nah ee-myeh…)

(Yehstem zanglee) (Che moo-veesh po an-gyelskoo?)

(Nyeh moo-vyeh po pol-skoo.)

(Nyeh row-zoo-me-ehm.)

(Dvah peevah prosheh.)

(Nah zdrovyeh!)

(Gdjeh sawn toe-letih) (Yes-tesh pee-enk-nah.)

(Ko-hahm chuh.)

(Prosheh za-byesh mnyeh doh doh-moo.)

(Zads-dvoan doh mnyeh!)

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What’s On

The Great War Exhibition (p.17) | Photo: Piotr Tomczyk

EVENTS BY DATE 26.01 12:00-20:00, 27.01 12:00-18:00 » VEGE FESTIVAL

Restaurants, producers, manufacturers, and lovers of vegan and vegetarian options come together for a weekend gathering. You will have the opportunity to eat from restaurants in Łódź and Poland, purchase unique and rare food products not sold on the market, and buy clothes and products that fall into the vegan ethos. QPiotrkowska 217, ul. Piotrkowska 217, tel. +48 603 21 83 91, Admission free.

02.02 19:30 » METALLICA SYMPHONY

One of the best Metallica cover bands SCREAM INC. will be performing hits from the popular rock group alongside the ‘Orion’ orchestra. The concert will include symphonic arrangements made famous on releases like the “Metallica S & M” album. The show is over two hours of rock and metal fused with a symphony orchestra. QH‑9, Wytwórnia Club, ul. Łąkowa 29, tel. (+48) 42 639 55 55, Tickets 120-130zł, www.eventim.pl.

12.02 19:00 » SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS

One of the most well-known musicians on the rock and roll scene, a phenomenal guitarist and a great composer, Slash will be back in Poland accompanied by Myles Kennedy of The Conspirators, to promote his latest album “Living The Dream”. An icon of the music scene and one

14 Łódź In Your Pocket

of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. His songs, style, and performances in bands such as Guns N ‘Roses, Slash’s Snakepit, Velvet Revolver and solo adventures have inspired and entertained millions. Named # 2 on Time’s list of 10 Best Electric Guitar Guitarists of All Time, and #1 on Total Guitar’s 100 Best Riffs, for his riff in “Sweet Child O’Mine”, Slash was recently placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and has sold over 100 million albums worldwide with the band Guns N’ Roses.QE‑9, Atlas Arena, Al. Bandurskiego 7, Tickets 220-280zł, www. eventim.pl.

16.02 20:00 » THE DUMPLINGS

The Dumplings are an electro-pop duo known for combining catchy, memorable tunes with new and creatively constructed electronic beats accented with deep bass. Having performed hundreds of concerts at some of the world’s top-notch music festivals across Poland and in Paris, Tokyo, Mexico, London, and Texas; this spring, they’ll be touching down in Łódz and are sure to bring an exquisite performance along with them.QH‑9, Wytwórnia Club, ul. Łąkowa 29, tel. (+48) 42 639 55 55, Tickets 55-60zł, www.eventim.pl.

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What’s On 18.02 19:00 » SUKHISHVILI GEORGIAN NATIONAL BALLET

The National Ballet of Georgia was founded in 1945 as the Georgian State Dance Company, a Soviet-era name that was shed in time. The group managed to popularise traditional Georgian dance and music at such prestigious venues as the Met, La Scala, and the Coliseum.

And now for a mind-blowing fact for all you Doctor Who fans: it was a performance by Sukhishvili Ballet that inspired Terry Nation to create Daleks - apparently the long-skirted female performers looked mighty robotic?QM‑5, The Grand Theatre, Pl. Dąbrowskiego, tel. (+48) 42 633 31 86, Tickets 119-199zł, www.eventim.pl.

19.02 19:00 » DINO D’SANTIAGO

One of the stars of Portugal will be performing as part of Marcin Kydryński’s Siesta on the Road event. Dino D’Santiago has won a Portuguese Golden Globe, along with two Cape Verde Music Awards. QH‑9, Wytwórnia Club, ul. Łąkowa 29, tel. (+48) 42 639 55 55, Tickets 8090zł, www.eventim.pl.

02.03 20:00 » NOSOWSKA NA TŁUSTO I BASTA

Kasia Nosowska is the leader of the rock band Hey. A big deal in these parts, they have won lots of Fryderyks, the Polish Brit or Grammy if you like, including Best Female Singer, Best Songwriter and Best Alternative Album. The forty-something singer has also been awarded the Golden Cross of Merit for her contributions to music and culture.

The concert will include new material from her upcoming album this fall. QH‑9, Wytwórnia Club, ul. Łąkowa 29, tel. (+48) 42 639 55 55, Tickets 99-149 zł, www.goodtaste.pl.

10.03 18:30 » LADY PANK

35 years after releasing their first album, Lady Pank’s work has become a bible for Polish rock fans. Their concert will include tracks from their album “LP1” as well as many other hits from their years of performing. Some surprises are planned for the show as well as an insight into the turbulent times of their career in the 1980s.QE‑9, Atlas Arena, Al. Bandurskiego 7, Tickets 59-139zł, www.eventim.pl.

10.03 19:00 » JULIA PIETRUCHA - FROM THE SEASIDE 2

From TV, to film, and now music—Julia Pietrucha is a multitalent that has been capturing the hearts of Polish people (and not only) for some time now. If the big screen wasn’t enough, she’s been taking over the airwaves ever since her 2016 debut album Parsley, which was more than well-received by critics and sparked the inception of an ever-growing musical fanbase. The success of her debut album also landed her a spot at the really-big-deal Open’er Festival in 2017, and as they say, the rest is history. With delicate melodies featuring a dash of folk accompanied by sounds of the ukulele, mandolin and trombone—and a last name that’s reminiscent of Poland’s favourite garnish—what’s not to love?QK‑5, Artur Rubinstein’s Łódz Philharmonic, ul. Narutowicza 20/22, tel. (+48) 42 664 79 79, Tickets 69-129zł, www.goodtaste.pl.

15.03 20:00 » FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE

After the release of her first album Lungs, featuring songs “Dog Days Are Over”, “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)”, and “You’ve Got The Love” Florence + The Machine became a bonafide pop star, topping charts around the world and taking home many awards for her first album. Her second album was released to equal acclaim, resulting in a tour lasting over two years, and a subsequent withdrawal from the entertainment world to focus on her private life. With the expected release of a new album, a European tour begins again, and fortunately does not overlook Poland as a stop!QE‑9, Atlas Arena, Al. Bandurskiego 7, www.eatmytickets.com.

24.03 20:00 » KRZYSZTOF ZALEWSKI

The vocalist, musician, and composer is known for his stage presence leaving many audiences hoping for more. Krzysztof Zalewski had his breakthrough with the release of his album in 2016 titled “Gold” which had humble beginnings in the clubs of Poland and progressing to some of the largest concert halls in the country. During this current tour you will be able to hear old favourites along with new material from his upcoming album. QH‑9, Wytwórnia Club, ul. Łąkowa 29, tel. (+48) 42 639 55 55, Tickets 79-129zł, www.goodtaste.pl.

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What’s On 02.04 19:00 » MOSCOW CITY BALLET GISELLE

A romantic story in which the real world collides with the world of phantoms, a beautiful peasant woman falls in love with a prince not knowing his true identity. When Giselle dies of a broken heart, she is summoned by a group of supernatural women to avenge her pain. The target is, of course, Giselle’s lover who she manages to save due to her never-ending love for the man. Adolphe Adam’s ballet is a typical romantic ballet that has a distinctive and easy to remember melodic motifs. Moscow City Ballet performances are known for their dazzling costumes, impressive choreography, the magic of lights, and captivating stage design. The ballet company is embarking on a winter tour of Poland celebrating their 30-year anniversary. QM‑5, The Grand Theatre, Pl. Dąbrowskiego, tel. (+48) 42 633 31 86, Tickets 129-169zł, www.eventim.pl.

08.05 18:00 » LENNY KRAVITZ

Songwriter, producer, multi-instrumental talent, and of course—one of the biggest names in rock of our time— Lenny Kravitz is coming to Poland and bringing some of his freshest tracks with him. The man needs no introduction, but some stats never hurt anyone: Kravitz has released 11 studio albums, 58 singles, won 4 Grammy awards, and gone multi-platinum on an international level, selling millions of copies of his albums worldwide. His trademark out-of-the-box style is founded on creatively incorporating soul, rock, and funk influences of the 60s and 70s into an aesthetic that never goes out of style.QE‑9, Atlas Arena, Al. Bandurskiego 7, Tickets 195-425zł, www.livenation.pl.

31.05 20:00 » ANDRÉ RIEU - AND HIS JOHANN STRAUSS ORCHESTRA - WORLD TOUR

The Johann Strauss Orchestra’s main thing, as you’d expect, is the waltz, a form André decided to pursue after the enthusiastic reception of his performance of Franz Lehár’s Gold and Silver Waltz at university. The Orchestra was founded by the conductor and violinist in 1987, and has expanded several times from its original twelve members, touring around Europe, North America, and Japan, and winning two World Music Awards in the process.QE‑9, Atlas Arena, Al. Bandurskiego 7, Tickets 280-490zł, www. eventim.pl.

EXHIBITIONS UNTIL 18.02 » ZBIGNIEW CYBULSKI. THE LEGEND.

This special exhibition is devoted to the film lover, rebel and romantic idealist, Zbigniew Cybulski. The legendary actor will be showcased through film stills, including a unique cycle of photos for “Ashes and Diamonds” and panorama shots from “The Saragossa Manuscript”. QM‑8, Museum of Cinematography, Pl. Zwycięstwa 1, tel. (+48) 42 203 22 36, Free entrance, www.kinomuzeum.pl. Open 11:00 - 18:00, Tue 10:00 - 17:00, Wed, Fri 09:00 - 16:00. Closed Mon. 16 Łódź In Your Pocket

What’s On UNTIL 31.03 » FOR FREEDOM

Freedom and affiliation were the starting inspiration points for the students entering their creations. The exhibition includes scarves, fabrics, and blankets that carry a symbolic value. The hope is to examine the importance of textiles used in conveying a meaningful message. QK‑12, Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, ul. Piotrkowska 282, tel. (+48) 42 683 26 84, Admission 12/8zł. Thu free for permanent exibitions., www.cmwl.pl. Open 09:00 17:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 19:00. Closed Mon.

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UNTIL 17.03 » JERZY ANTKOWIAK‘S WORK AND POLISH FASHION

60 years after the creation of the fashion brand Moda Polska (Fashion Poland), a creative light in the shadow of conformist communism, an impressive archive of clothing will be put on display at the Central Museum of Textiles. Established in 1958, the company was to serve the fashion education of Polish, while representing the PRL clothing industry on the international stage.

The main designer Jerzy Antkowiak‘s guidance made the brand a sensation by revealing his own personality of a courageous visionary and artist, offering extravagant costumes even in the difficult times of martial law while consistently managing the brand until 1997.

The exhibition will include the presentation of clothes, accessories, souvenirs, and drawings from the Antkowiak, museum, and private collections. QK‑12, Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, ul. Piotrkowska 282, tel. (+48) 42 683 26 84, Admission 12/8zł. Thu free for permanent exibitions., www.cmwl.pl. Open 09:00 17:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 19:00. Closed Mon.

UNTIL 17.03 » THE GREAT WAR

What effect did the ‚Great War‘ have on the modern art and how was this experience depicted from both sides of the fight? Hosted by The Museum of Art, the exhibition provides a catalyst for this discussion of World War 1. Comprising of works from museums across Europe and North America, the exhibition invites the audience to reflect on these different approaches and their consequences for culture. QI‑3, Museum of Art in Łódźms², ul. Ogrodowa 19, tel. (+48) 42 634 39 48, Admission to permanent exhibits 15/8zł, students 26 and under pay just 1zł. Thu is free for all exhibits. Combined tickets available for MS1, MS2 and Herbst Palace for 30/20zł., www.msl.org.pl. Open 11:00 - 19:00, Tue 10:00 - 18:00.

Closed Mon.

22.03 - 09.06 » UNITED PANGEA

Prepared in cooperation with Edith-Ruß-Haus für Medienkunst in Oldenburg, The next stage of the „For beyond that horizon lies another horizon“ project.QI‑5, Museum of Art in Łódź - ms¹, ul. Więckowskiego 36, tel. (+48) 42 633 97 90, Admission to permanent exhibitions 10/5zł, students under 26 pay just 1zł. Thu is free for all exhibits. Combined tickets available for MS1, MS2 and Herbst Palace for 30/20zł., www.msl.org.pl. Open 11:00 - 19:00, Tue 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon.

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E S S E N TI A L C I TY G U I D E S

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Freedom Square is the gateway to Łódż’s main thoroughfare.

Łódź Sightseeing Despite a long association with industry and being the City of Film and Cinema, Łódź has not only revitalised these aspects of its image, but has outgrown these basic labels to become so much more. There’s a lot to be discovered here, so let us help you sift through this city’s bag of tricks. Read on over the next few pages...

Essential Łódź

Piotrkowska street

MAx 92, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Most trips to Łódź will most likely begin on one street in particular: ulica Piotrkowska (J-4/K-10, pp.20-25). Measuring a little under five kilometres, it ranks as Europe’s longest pedestrian street and is lined with restaurants, beer gardens, hot-dog stands, and a mix of Neo-Renaissance and Art Nouveau buildings. Starting at the Tadeusz Kościuszko statue (J-4) the street stretches southwards with crews of all-yearround rickshaws (5zł from end to end) spiriting travellers to the destination of choice. Check out the courtyard at Piotrkowska 3 where you’ll find Róża’s passage (p.20), a fantastic piece of urban art with mirror shard mosaics covering the buildings.

It may seem unlikely but Łódź is also Poland’s answer to Tinseltown. Having produced directors like Wajda, Polański and Kieślowski the Polish Hollywood (p.29) has made an undeniable impact on world cinema. Opened in 1986 and housed inside Karol Scheibler’s extraordinary 19thcentury palace, the Museum of Cinematography (p.29) is essentially two unique attractions in one. The museum itself offers an extremely well-presented history of Polish cinema and takes plenty of hats off to the multitude of Polish film greats who studied in the city before going on to greater things, as well as numerous changing exhibitions. This is the only museum of its kind in Poland, and a rewarding experience for fans of Polish cinema.

Museum of the Factory in Manufaktura

Poznański was Jewish by birth and you can visit his fearsome mausoleum (the biggest Jewish tomb in the world) at Europe’s largest Jewish cemetery (p.33), founded in 1892, it contains over 180,000 tombs. Łódź is famous for its Jewish heritage, though this was all but wiped out in WWII when the city became the home of the notorious Litzmannstadt Ghetto. Over 230,000 Jews were confined here, with over 200,000 eventually transferred to death camps. Jews were transferred to camps from Radegast Station (p.32) and today visitors can view three cattle trucks that have since been preserved. But the suffering was by no means exclusive to Jews, as a visit to the Museum of the Tradition of Independence (p.39) will show. Found inside what was once a former Tsarist prison, this museum offers a chronological journey through the misfortunes Łódź suffered under the rule of Imperial Russia, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, offering an often disturbing insight into life under occupation and rule during each of these periods.

Jewish Cemetery

Jarosław Klamka CC BY-SA 3.0

If you wish to experience a more interactive museum, the former power station turned cultural centre EC1 (p.26) houses the planetarium and science and technology centre. If, however, you’re a bit exhausted after all these museum visits head to OFF Piotrkowska (p.22) to unwind.

This is yet another Post-Industrial enclave of former factory buildings that have been converted to bars, restaurants and cafes. Unlike Manufaktura, OFF is decidedly more alternative and plays host to many of the city’s more cutting edge festivals, fairs and concerts.

The industrialist Łódz is most famous for however is none other than Izrael Poznański, and his palace is now home to the Museum of the City of Łódź (p.42). His factory has since been developed into the Manufaktura shopping and leisure complex, and it’s here you’ll also find the official museum of the site - Museum of the Factory (p.42).

Plac Wolności

Photo by Kozłowski, Kaczmarkiewicz

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Piotrkowska North The most popular part of the street is no doubt OFF Piotrkowska (p.22), with its many bars, cafes, restaurants and all round good feel places. In more recent years Łódź entered the Guinness Book of Records for a time as possessing the largest mural in the world, now deemed one of the largest in Europe. Painted by the Design Futura group in November 2001, the mural took two months to complete and is apparently very symbolic. The ‚city of Łódź‘ mural Features Plac Wolności and the Kościuszko monument, Old Town Hall, an old tram and the city’s emblem on the side of a boat, the work combines the traditional with the modern and is well worth having a look at. Find it in the car park at ul. Piotrkowska 152, and just around the corner you will find another mural by Spanish artist Aryz and Brazilian brothers Os Gemeos.

Splitting Łódź into two, ulica Piotrkowska stands out as the commercial and social heart of the city. Measuring just under five kilometres, it ranks as Europe’s longest pedestrian street and is lined with restaurants, beer gardens, street food stands, and a mix of neo-renaissance and art nouveau buildings; the majority now restored to their former glory. There‘s no doubt the northern half is the busiest section of the street, and most visitors will start their Łódź escapades here. Starting at the Tadeusz Kościuszko statue at the northern end of the street at Plac Wolności, the street stretches southwards with crews of all-year-round rickshaws (5zł per person from end to end) spiriting travellers to the destination of choice. Pretty much all of Łódź’s major industrialists kept residences on this street, as if their palaces were not enough, and many of the buildings boast intricate details on their facades; ranging from reliefs of dolphins to dragons to demons. ​​​​​​ Łódź’s most recognizable hotel can be found halfway down Piotrkowska. Constructed in 1887-1888 the neorenaissance Grand Hotel (J/K-6) was originally the work of Ludwik Meyer, though the building saw sweeping renovations (including an extra floor) in 1913, courtesy of the architect Dawid Lande – a man whose designs deeply influenced the appearance of Piotrkowska.

Directly outside the hotel is the ‘Walk of Fame’ – starshaped plaques celebrating Poland’s most famous cinema artists and directors. Other highlights to keep an eye out for include pianist Artur Rubinstein’s statue, and the ‘Turn of the Millennium’ walk: running from Piotrkowska 98 through till 146 you’ll find 12,859 names of Łódź residents engraved into the paving. Elsewhere monuments of famous characters related to Łódź (the aforementioned Rubinstein, Polish writer and Nobel Laureate Władysław Reymont (K-8) and writer and poet Julian Tuwim (K-7) etc.) can be found dispersed around the street. You‘ll also find a statue to one of Poland‘s most famous bears, Miś Uszatek (J-6), one of 9 Fairytale Łódź statues found around the city.

20 Łódź In Your Pocket

At the intersection of Piotrkowska, at al. Piłsudskiego, the officially named central tram stop (Dworzec Tramwajowy Centrum) is affectionately known by locals as ‚Stajnia Jednorożców‘ (Unicorn Stables) due to its colourful mosaic roof.

Róża’s Passage

RÓŻA’S PASSAGE Walking through the courtyard from Piotrkowska 3 (or from ul. Zachodnia 56) really highlights how such a simple idea can have a big impact. Róża’s Passage brings light and intrigue to this once gloomy spot with a rundown hotel later turned into residential flats, by creating funky mosaics that reflect natural light via thousands of mirror shards. The effect is stunning and truly transforms the surrounding buildings. Creator Joanna Rajkowska (also responsible for the palm tree in Warsaw!) chose the name after her daughter, Róża, who at a young age was diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer. Following chemotherapy, she was again able to see. Róża’s Passage underwent the same journey, as, in the author’s own words, [it went] “from not seeing to seeing”.QJ‑4, ul. Piotrkowska 3. Courtyard open daily 08:00 - 22:00. Admission free.

Piotrkowska North ARTHUR RUBINSTEIN’S PIANO Szytenchelm’s idea of adding Julian Tuwim to Piotrkowska proved so popular he expanded on it, adding the figure of Artur Rubinstein to Piotrkowska 78 - the address where he once lived - a year later. Weighing one ton, and depicting the pianist dwarfed behind a winged piano, the sculpture created a storm. A music box was part of the original parcel, and with the insertion of a two złoty coin visitors could choose a piano tune which would then be played. The tourists loved it, the critics hated it – not to mention the residents who lived directly above the incessant fairground noise. Local art figures slammed the installation, citing amateur workmanship and shoddy proportions. Ewa Rubinstein, the pianist’s daughter, threw her toys right out of the pram and at one stage threatened to boycott the city unless the statue was removed.

Moved to voice her anger to the President and Prime Minister she was eventually placated by the permanent removal of the music box, and rumours persist of the statue’s impending demise.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 78.

FAIRYTALE ŁÓDŹ What started off as a novelty turned into a downright obsession with monuments. Unveiled between 2009-15, 9 Łódź Bajkowa (Fairytale Łódź) monuments are dotted around the city, depicting cartoon characters created by the famous Se-ma-for animation studio in Łódź. The more known (and first to be unveiled on October 24, 2009) is Miś Uszatek, a fictional cartoon bear, who has been entertaining Polish kids since 1957, and stands proudly on ul. Piotrkowska 87 with his trademark floppy ear.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 87.

JULIAN TUWIM’S BENCH Łódź-born Julian Tuwim (1894 - 1953) was a Jewish writer and poet who studied law and philosophy at Warsaw University and was the co-founder and leader of the Skamander group in 1919. A major figure in Polish literature, best remembered for his contribution to children’s

Miś Uszatek

Courtesy of Łódź City Council

literature, Wojciech Gryniewicz’s comical statue dates from 1999, and was based on a design by Marcel Szytenchelm - it was to be the first of many statues of eminent citizens to be unveiled on Piotrkowska. A favourite meeting spot, children like to sit on his lap and it’s considered good luck for lovers to rub his nose.QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 104.

WŁADYSŁAW REYMONT’S TRUNK Polish writer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1924. Brought up in the town of Tuszyn, close to Łódź, his early life proved inauspicious, with his only formal certificate of education being a qualification as a journeyman tailor.

Refusing to make use of such a skill he ran away from home to join a travelling theatre, though financial practicalities forced him to return to his family where he worked for a while as a gateman at the railway crossing near Koluszki.

The job failed to grasp his imagination and he worked for a while as a medium alongside a German spiritualist, before once again joining a theatre group. The publication of his work Korespondencje in 1892 saw another career turn and he travelled to Warsaw to pursue a life of writing. Over the following years he became one of Poland’s most prolific and admired writers, and his book Chłopi beat the likes of Mann, Hardy and Gorky to claim the Nobel Prize. Like his book Ziemia Obiecana, Chłopi is a moral tale presented to a background of gritty, industrial-age Łódź. He died the following year in 1925. The statue you see is yet another work credited to the prolific hand of Marcel Szytenchelm and was unveiled in 2001.QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 137. lodz.inyourpocket.com 21

OFF Piotrkowska Situated just off ul. Piotrkowska (hence the name) between numbers 138-140, the complex has taken over the beautiful old cotton mill buildings of the former Ramisch factory (K-8). Originally from Czechoslovakia, the Ramisch family relocated to Łódź in the 1830’s and in 1850 purchased the first plot of land on which construction of the factory began; adjoining plots were purchased as the empire expanded. By 1909 the factory, in the very heart of the city, was firing on all cylinders. Production continued right up until 1990, after which the buildings and their rich heritage were all but forgotten about and the area fell into a sad and dilapidated state.

Towards the end of 2010 the massive potential of the area was spotted by the young and very enthusiastic artistic visionaries of the city, and a whole host of bars, clubs, alternative music venues, studios, independent design companies and publishing houses started appearing in the area.

There’s always something unique going on at OFF

While Manufaktura is undoubtedly the rich and sanitised version of the ultimate shopping experience in postindustrial Łódź OFF Piotrkowska is an altogether different, unique and alternative proposition.

Reminiscent of similar places in London or Berlin, OFF continues to attract new and off-beat local businesses with their pulse on current trends and fashions. The past, the present and the future all coexist magically without the need for the kind of massive investment which would ultimately strip the place of its ramshackle glamour. On the makeover point, it should be mentioned that the current developer/investor has already drawn up plans for a total upgrading and renovation of the area in the style of a miniManufaktura; here’s hoping that never goes ahead!

To enter this gem of a place, head through the gate in the ugly sandstone coloured wall at ul. Piotrkowska 138 (K-8) into the large space of wasteland, which looks like a cleared minefield, pass Asian fast food huts, the drunken downand-outs and head towards the huge red brick buildings, you can’t really miss them! This is the alternative beating heart of the city which, unsurprisingly enough, also plays host to the fantastic Fotofestiwal every June. NOT to be missed.

RESTAURANTS DOKI GASTROBAR This towering domino stack of sheik shipping containers is perhaps the perfect visualisation of how trendy OFF Piotrkowska has become. We don’t mean this in a bad way at all. And their stylish street food menu manages to hit on all the trendiest foods that many of OFF’s other establishments have brought to the city. Hamburgers and frites - check, steaks - check! Tapas - check, Seafood - check, Vegan and Vegetarian dishes - check... craft beer - check… bespoke cocktails - check. Not only is this now the place to be seen but climb the domino stack and enjoy your savoury snack and bubbly beverage in their heated rooftop terrace view over all that frontside OFF has to offer.QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 138/140, tel. (+48) 42 307 31 01. Open 12:00 - 24:00, Sat 10:00 - 02:00, Sun 11:00 - 01:00. €€€€.

T­6­W 22 Łódź In Your Pocket

OFF Piotrkowska NÓŻ For any Polish speakers reading this, don’t be put off by the name ‘Nóż’, meaning ‘knife’ in Polish - you are not being invited to a dangerous knife party. You are, in fact, welcomed into a Spanish restaurant, specialising in tapas and other delights. The interior of the restaurant, found in OFF Piotrkowska, has a nice Mediterranean feel to it, fitting nicely into the industrial frame of the building. There’s even a nice neon inside to go with Łódź’s forward thinking art scene. Back ot the food: it’s great. Choose from tapas to paella, and don’t miss out on the wines, some of which are exclusive to Nóż.QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 138/140, tel. (+48) 794 44 00 44. Open 09:00 - 22:00, Thu 09:00 23:00, Fri, Sat 09:00 - 24:00. €€. T­E­6­W

NIGHTLIFE BRUSH BARBER SHOP ‘Never run with scissors!’ goes the old saying, and if it doesn’t already exist, I’m sure ‘don’t drink alcohol and use scissors!’ would be a good one too. Why the safety lessons from us?

Well, because by day, this is a pretty damn cool barber shop, and by night, a cocktail bar! A strange mix, but this is Łódź, and this is OFF Piotrkowska, where an eclectic mixture of venues have become the norm. The cocktail menu is colourful, to say the least, and be rest assured the transition to cocktail bar is done expertly - you won’t find a single hair in your drink!QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 138/140, tel. (+48) 795 77 05 77. Mon-Tue 08:00-18:00, Wed 08:00-00:00, Thu 08:00-23:45, Fri-Sat 08:00-02:00 & Sun 18:00-23:00.

FOR GENTLEMEN, PUNKS & DIVAS

DOM This is the place you want to head to if you’re a techno fiend!

The club itself looks like squatters have taken over an empty industrial space: it’s nothing but concrete, a simple bar in an open room. The sparseness here works; the focus is on the rotating DJs and nothing more.QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 138/140. Open 13:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 13:00 - 06:00. E­W SPALENI SŁOŃCEM Unpretentious and care-free, Spaleni Słońcem (‘Burnt By the Sun’) has a great Kreuzberg feel to it. The industrial fixtures and fittings were bought from one of the local textile mills and installed to create a genuine factory feel to the bar.

The bar itself is made up from a huge workshop chest of drawers and the wall murals, by local art star Jan Jubaal Wasiński, are a contemporary take on the realist paintings of 19th century Polish artist Józef Chełmoński. They have new cocktails on offer and the beer menu includes a range of Łódź Brewery electric soups plus peanuts and other great vegan snacks.QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 138/140, tel. (+48) 721 29 87 33. Open 14:00 - 01:00, Mon 18:00 - 01:00, Tue, Thu 14:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 14:00 - 03:00. 6­W

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Doki Gastrobar Restaurant Łódź ul. Piotrkowska 138/140 lodz.inyourpocket.com 23

Piotrkowska South

The White Factory, now the Central Museum of Textiles (p.25)

For many tourists and first time visitors to Łódź walking down ul. Piotrkowska pedestrian strip can seem like a never ending journey. When you finally reach al.

Piłsudskiego in the middle, the main artery heading eastwest, it can feel like a real relief. Well, we have good and bad news. Piotrkowska not only keeps going but it has even more alternative culture, terrific gastronomy and more post-industrial complexes for you to explore! So muster your strength, strap on your boots and head to what feels like the unfairly neglected Piotrkowska South. Łódź has become synonymous with post industrial cool.

It is already one of the biggest success stories in Poland if not Central Europe of how a post industrial city can and should recover and adapt after the collapse of heavy industry, textiles and manufacturing in the 20th century.

The transformation of the Manufaktura complex was just the starting point and the revitalisation of former disused factory buildings across the city has only spread. Many of the abandoned buildings being converted into exclusive lofts or commercial real estate (ie. the Lofts at Księzy Młyn). However another trend has taken hold over the last decade which is quite unique to Łódź and that is the development of factory and courtyard complexes into thriving gastronomical, artistic and nightlife venues and full blown destinations. OFF Piotrkowska, in the northern half of the street, is the best case example of what kind of synergy and energy can manifest when local business minds, property developers, artists and gastronomic visionaries come together. But OFF grew slowly and organically and is now in its 8th year of operation!

PIOTRKOWSKA 217 Piotrkowska 217, which is conveniently also the address to tell your friendly rickshaw/taxi driver if you don’t feel up to a brisk walk or bike south, is a former iron smelting factory with a similarly illustrious history to other factories in town, however on a slightly smaller scale. Okam Property Developers purchased the space over five years ago and quickly set out renovating many of the former machine halls and former workshops in the complex. Right out of the gates Okam declared they wanted P217 to be a creative zone for artists and entrepreneurs and they have stuck to their guns ever since. Unlike OFF however, which focused more on nightlife and alternative urban culture (here’s looking at you hipsters), P217 focuses first and foremost on food. And not just any old food – but street food from around the world.

Before Okam had even finished renovating P217 they organised the very first Łódź Street Food Festival in January of 2014. Today, P217 contains a host of quality venues from cafes, restaurants, bars and leisure venues where you and the kids can get your skates on or even learn about old sowing techniques in tailored workshops (you are, afterall, in the former textile capital of Poland!). There’s also space for hosting events, exhibitions, conferences or special occasions. Make sure to check their site for the latest info on upcoming events.

QK‑10, ul. Piotrkowska 217, www.piotrkowska217.pl.

ART FACTORY This is a cultural centre that packs a punch. Not only is it a former industrial site, once part of Karol Scheibler’s Księży Młyn complex (yes, it was that big!), converted into an art hub in 2014, the Art Factory is home to the Łódź Are Center and Art Inkubator. The site is home to small businesses, start-ups and art spaces, so it’s not unusual that its large open floors can be used as a club per se (definitely don’t come strutting this way looking for DJs and discoballs) but also various shows. This is an absolutely essential part of the Łódź cultural landscape. Expect to find regular world class concerts, fine art and photography exhibitions (Fotofest!), theatre projects and everything in between.

There’s even a cafe available for visitors, for those just wishing to take a peak at the architectural mix of old and new (a must). Check out their website for all news on upcoming events and exhibitions.QL‑11, ul. Tymienieckiego 3, www. fabryka-sztuki.com.pl. Open 09:00 - 17:00, Tue 09:00 18:00, Wed 09:00 - 19:00, Closed Sat, Sun.

You can easily spend many hours in Piotrkowska South, starting at the fantastic Piotrkowska 217 then working your way to the Art Factory to experience the vibrant revitalisations of former industrial sites. Heading further south, you come to the gem of the White Factory, lovingly converted into a textiles museum.

For the more adventurous amongst you, a walk or bike ride east to the Karol Scheibler’s former ‘city within a city’ at his former palace (now the Museum of Cinematography) and the textile factory complex of Księży Młyn is a must.

24 Łódź In Your Pocket

Art Factory

Piotrkowska South EAT & DRINK

Łódź Street Food Festival

CENTRAL MUSEUM OF TEXTILES IN ŁÓDŹ To understand exactly what Łódź is all about, and to really get under the city’s skin, a visit to the Textile Museum is a good place to start. Although everything is displayed in Polish only, the two floors of exhibition rooms containing a mind-boggling array of steam-driven looms, fabricprinting machines, contrasting recreations of how the workers and their factory-owning bosses lived and worked, original paintings of Łódź in its 19th-century heyday, lace, rugs and other paraphernalia connected to the textile industry speak volumes about the city that’s often referred to as the Manchester of Poland. The icing on the cake: the museum is housed inside Ludwig Geyer’s mammoth 19th-century White Factory (Biała Fabryka), an extraordinary building worthy of a journey in itself.

QK‑12, ul. Piotrkowska 282, tel. (+48) 42 683 26 84, www.cmwl.pl. Open 09:00 - 17:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 19:00. Closed Mon, Last entrance 30 minutes before closing. Admission 12/8zł. Thu free for permanent exibitions. U KOŁOWROTKI As if Łódź didn’t already have top cool credentials already, it now has a roller skating venue. No longer is roller skating all about watching people awkwardly fall over (that fun element will always exist), but it has now become a varied recreational activity! Oh? Kołowrotki in Łódź was created by two friends, so it’s not a monotonous business idea, but one born of passion, and it shows, for what they offer is rather expansive - from roller skating lessons, fitness classes on wheels (check online for availability), parties for all ages (children to adults taking part in integration sessions or hen/stag parties) to plain ole skating around for the fun of it with sessions running 1h 15m. Located in a former factory building, the location too is pretty cool, tucked out the way in a corner of Piotrkowska 217. Admission is 18/16zł, and skate hire is 8zł and 1zł for a helmet; additional protective gear is 2zł.QK‑10, ul. Piotrkowska 217, tel. (+48) 661 74 40 31, www.kolowrotki.com.pl.

Open 12:00 - 20:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 21:00, Closed Mon. Admission 18/16zł.

ALL STAR KLUBOKAWIARNIA We’re kind of on the fence about All Star - it’s like one of those student union hangouts that you’re just hoping that weird group of seniors aren’t at. Similar to what you’d find at Off or Niebostan, but down at Piotrkowska 217. They have a packed concert and event schedule plus a pretty standard selection of cocktails and array of spirits on offer to go along with the standard beer selection and newly added pizza menu. In warmer weather they have a grassy area nearby so it’s worth dragging a couple of friends down there for the ‘chill of it all’, from autumn, the opening hours may change, so check ahead.QK‑10, ul. Piotrkowska 217, tel. (+48) 723 78 16 00. Open 15:00 - 23:00, Mon 15:00 - 21:00, Thu 15:00 24:00, Fri 15:00 - 02:00, Sat 12:00 - 02:00, Closed Sun. E­W BISTRO KORZENIE Find this neat vegan bistro in the increasingly vibrant courtyard at Piotrkowska 217 - as well as a few cafes, restaurants etc. the courtyard is also home to the sporadic ‘Street Food Festival’. The menu changes every 3 weeks and presents vegan dishes from around the world (try the pizza!), a noncorporate soft drinks selection, fresh original recipe cocktails and cakes, or in the colder months, a nice mulled wine or winter teas. Formerly a print house, the interior is now filled with a variety of tables and chairs lovingly restored by the owners. A friendly and casual atmosphere where four-legged friends are also most welcome!QK‑10, ul. Piotrkowska 217, tel. (+48) 530 03 33 27. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Mon, Tue, Wed 12:00 - 21:00, Sun 13:00 - 20:00. €. U­6­W KURONEKO - JAPANESE RESTAURANT The Piotrkowska 217 movement is slowly gaining a head of steam and the cause is greatly helped by the edition of this Japanese restaurant. Their delicious and highly affordable sushi has quickly become their calling card, although the aromatic ramen has to be a close second (with the bronze going to the shrimp Namaharumaki appetizer), all made by a Japanese chef, giving that authenticity we love. The simple and straightforward menu makes it easy and fast for you to choose which set or dishes you like and the laid back atmosphere lacks the normal rigidity of many Japanese places. They have a great selection of both Japanese beers and Polish microbrews (all with Japanese themes no less). The friendly staff made for an even more pleasant meal and the start of a great night.QK‑10, ul. Piotrkowska 217, tel. (+48) 42 634 41 63, www.kuroneko.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00. €€.

T­U­W lodz.inyourpocket.com 25

EC1

EC1 Łódź, making waves in the city centre.

The second stage of one of the most monumental architectural, industrial, scientific and cultural structures in Europe is now complete. The complex is known to us mere mortals as EC1 and the east and west wings of this impressive space are now open for business. The mere presence of these glorious structures has dramatically changed the landscape of Łódź’s city centre which is only enhanced by the revitalisation of the equally impressive Łódź Fabryczna train station (p.10).

So how did the centre arise? Much like the rest of Łódź’s revitalisation. The story goes like this: In February 2007 Łódź city authorities finally decided to do something about the dreadful state the city found itself in (the phrase ‘post-industrial wasteland’ comes to mind). In co-operation with the World Arts Foundation they handed the job of

Red brick mixed with modern architecture - lovely!

26 Łódź In Your Pocket

drawing up the master plan to Rob Krier, a Luxembourgborn architect with a string of accolades to his name. What he came up with was a complete restructuring of the area between ul. Kiliński, Kopcińskiego, Narutowicza and Tuwima. He consulted with many Polish and international designers and prominent artists (David Lynch was originally attached to the project), and his final design, while revolutionary and modern, also incorporates many of the industrial elements that define the city’s architecture.

EC1 itself is actually the local name for the former electric factory (Elektrociepłownia 1). Originally constructed in 1907, the plant supplied power to the city up until 2001, after which it was allowed to fall into disrepair.

The project to breathe life back into the EC1 complex was divided into several stages with the plant and surrounding areas split into sections with the aim to provide a real cultural experience; a place, if you will, to think and to experience – a city within a city. As we mentioned earlier, EC1 East is the first building to be opened to the public. It serves as a cultural space hosting workshops, art exhibitions and other various cultural events. In this part of the factory there is also a Planetarium (p.27), already visited by over 200,000 people since opening and voted top spot in the National Geographic’s 7 Wonders of Poland competition 2016. Also, EC1 East is home to the National Centre for Film Culture and next to it, the Łódź Film Commission.

The adjacent EC1 West will, as of January 2018, house Poland’s largest interactive Science and Technology Centre (p.27), which will primarily host a permanent exhibition consisting of interactive devices and displays that

EC1 will enable the public to take part in activities, experience, observe and study the phenomena of various physical and chemical reactions as well as examine many biological structures up close. There will be selected exhibits covering other disciplines too, such as the humanities, archaeology palaeontology and the social sciences. If that’s not enough, it will also have a 3D Omnimax Cinema complex which will be one of the most advanced in all of Europe, projecting films in stunning 4k resolution.

Revitalisation work has already begun on EC1 South East, which were once workshops, and will become the future home of the Comic and Interactive Narrative Centre, the only educational and cultural space in Poland that will be fully dedicated to comics and computer games.

3D spherical cinema - not a UFO!

- the intricacies of the universe, where you’ll learn during the ‘Micro World - Macro World’ exhibition within the mightily impressive spherical 3D cinema. Yes, that big silver golf ball!

Entering feels like a mix between being Professor X entering Cerebro, or an excited contestant dashing into the Crystal Maze. And on that note, remember the most important thing: have fun, and open your mind to the experience.QL‑6, ul.

Targowa 1/3 (entrance from ul. Wojciecha Jerzego Hasa), tel. (+48) 539 99 76 93, www.ec1lodz.pl. Open 09:00 17:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 20:00, Closed Mon. Last entrance 2 hours before closing. Admission 22,50/16,20zł, Sat, Sun 30,60/21,60zł. Family tickets available.

Fans of industrial machinery, rejoice! It’s all part of the Centre for Sci & Tech.

And that will be that, everything is set to be completed, and up and running by 2020. The full cost of the project is set to be 265m zł (€62m) with 85.6m zł (€20m) coming from EU funds. The full name for the entire complex gives credence to its true scope: EC1 Łódź - the City of Culture.

Even though it is yet to become fully operational (Death Star references are wholly appropriate), the current state of the project is more than worth your time; at the very least you can poke around and take some great selfies.

Head to ec1lodz.pl to see photos and stunning visualisations of what is yet to come. And as the site’s revitalisation progresses, you may just stumble into a concert, wander onto a film set, or discover a new form of cold fusion in this brave and emerging City Within A City.

CENTRE FOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EC1 Finally, in January 2018, the Centre for Science and Technology opened for business! Time for the fun to begin for children and adults alike - remember, this was once a fully operational power station (from 1907-2000), so the majority of the giant machinery you see lying around is original. Indeed, so important is this hardware, the majority of it features in the main exhibition ‘Producing Energy’, which takes you through the step by step process of how electricity is produced, right from the coal arriving to the former station, right up until energy is produced for you to boil the kettle and turn on your light switches. Venture onward for the truly fascinating stuff

PLANETARIUM EC1 The Planetarium is one of the most modern and technically advanced spherical projection cinemas in all of Central Europe.

The screen has a diameter of 14 metres and the camera will display images with a stunning resolution of 8K. Inside the theatre there is space for 110 spectators. Part of the mission of the Planetarium is to accommodate school groups during the day, but in the afternoon it is open to the general public showing a mix of classic and cutting-edge astronomical shows.

In the evenings they open the theatre up for artistic projects and experiments mixing breathtaking images with live music (check out Pink Floyd’s The Wall Laser Show).QM‑6, ul.

Targowa 1/3, tel. (+48) 42 233 50 55, www.planetariumec1. pl. Open 08:30 - 19:00, Sat, Sun 09:30 - 20:00, Last show and last entrance at 18:30. Closed Mon. Admission 18/13zł, Sat, Sun 20/14zł. Family tickets available.

Prepare to be dazzled by 8k resolution screenings!

lodz.inyourpocket.com 27

Hollyłódź

Museum of Cinematography | Archiwum UMŁ

It may seem unlikely but Łódź is Poland’s answer to Tinseltown. Stop sniggering at the back: having produced directors like Wajda, Polański and Kieślowski the Polish Hollywood has made an undeniable impact on world cinema.

HISTORY The story starts in 1948, with the foundation of the National Film School. With Warsaw lying in ruins, the capital’s major opera, theatre, and other miscellaneous artist groups found themselves decamping to the nearest large city: Łódź.

Suddenly home to Poland’s principal actors, performers and directors, the decision to base the country’s first film school here may seem odd today, but at the time was completely natural.

From its early beginnings the school had two distinct departments: film direction and cinematography. Initially the curriculum was limited to simple group productions, but soon films directed by individuals started to become the norm, all filmed using 35mm industry-standard cameras. Among the first batch of students were Andrzej Munk and Andrzej Wajda, the latter scooping an honourary Oscar in 2000 for his career achievements in film. In an era dominated by Big-Brother-is-Watching-style paranoia the school became a haven for the avant-garde, and the small screening rooms would regularly pack out not just with students, but the rank and file proles looking to enjoy the latest European cinema. It was in this liberal climate that the school also proved to be the first place in Poland to host jazz jam sessions, officially outlawed by the communist authorities.

28 Łódź In Your Pocket

The Wajda generation would go on to shape Polish film with a series of edgy films taking a heavy influence from the Italian neo-realists. The films produced in the late 1950s were in direct opposition to official guidelines, and films like Wajda’s Ashes and Diamonds used screen talents like Zbyszek Cybulski, a charismatic, hot-wire actor often labelled ‘The Polish James Dean.’ Roman Polański entered the school in 1954, and four years later propelled the school to international fame when he won an award at Expo 58 (The 1958 Brussels World’s Fair) for his film Two Men and a Cupboard. Alas the golden years soon proved to be numbered.

The late 1960s saw several anti-Zionist actions launched by the government, and as a result the school lost several of its rising stars in the Jewish exodus that followed - including rector Jerzy Toeplitz, who would later become the cofounder of Australia’s first film school. The film school soon regained its balance however, and has since produced luminaries such as Krzysztof Kieślowski, cameraman Sławomir Idziak and Krzysztof Zanussi.

Though the school itself isn’t open to tourists, visiting film buffs have two primary points of interest: firstly the Museum of Cinematography and secondly the Łódź Walk of Fame - a collection of star shaped plaques right outside the Grand Hotel on Piotrkowska honouring the greatest talents in Polish cinema.

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Hollyłódź WHAT TO SEE MUSEUM OF CINEMATOGRAPHY Opened in 1986 inside Karol Scheibler’s extraordinary 19thcentury palace, the Cinematography Museum offers visitors two unique attractions in one. The museum itself offers a wellpresented history of Polish cinema and takes plenty of hats off to the multitude of Polish film greats who studied in the city before going on to greater things, as well as numerous changing exhibitions. This is the only museum of its kind in Poland, and though badly signposted (don’t be surprised to find yourself directed to blind alleys or opening secret doors to reveal private offices), it represents a rewarding experience for fans of Polish cinema. The collection features over 50,000 items including over 12,000 film posters, art exhibits and projectors and camera equipment of every kind.

Standouts include the recently renovated Fotoplastikon - a giant drum-like contraption popular in the early 20th century for showing 3D films, and the excellent exhibit devoted to animated photography featuring plenty of vintage stopmotion characters and accompanying clips. The newest exhibit in the permanent collection is called “Palace Full of Fairy Tales” and is devoted to the heroes of Polish cult cartoon shorts and features (Moomins, Reksio).

The palace itself is a dream, featuring room upon room of delights, including the city’s first electric lift, some beautiful tiled stoves, a Turkish smoking room and many other treats besides. Built in 1856 to serve as residence for industrialist fat cat Karol Scheibler the palace contains interiors designed in Venice, Berlin and Dresden, including ceramic tiled stoves and dramatic oak panelling. Even if film is not your scene, this place deserves visiting just to see how the other half once lived. They offer guided tours in English and Polish for 80zł.

Please note, the museum is planning a renovation soon, therefore, check online to see if they are open!QM‑8, Pl. Zwycięstwa 1, tel. (+48) 42 203 22 36, www.kinomuzeum.pl.

Open 11:00 - 18:00, Tue 10:00 - 17:00, Wed, Fri 09:00 - 16:00. Closed Mon, Last entrance 30 minutes before closing. Admission 10/7zł. Tue free for permanent exhibits. ŁÓDŹ WALK OF FAME Borrowing the idea from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Łódź has created its own strip of sidewalk featuring star-shaped plaques honouring the best of Polish cinema (can a giant Hollywoodesque “Łódź” sign be far off?). The stars are on either side of Piotrkowska right outside the Grand Hotel and include names like Roman Polański, Jerzy Kawalerowicz and Pola Negri.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska. ŁÓDŹ FILM SCHOOL There isn’t much you can do other than stand outside the gates and gawk, but the ‘Leon Schiller National Higher School of Film, Television & Theatre’ (as it’s technically called) is where Hollyłódź was born, and since it’s right next door to the Museum of Cinematography it’s worth a casual walk past. Students still stream in and out of the campus, and you might catch a glimpse of the next Kieślowski.

QM‑9, ul. Targowa 61/63, tel. (+48) 42 634 58 00, www.filmschool.lodz.pl.

FAMOUS ALUMNI KRZYSZTOF KIEŚLOWSKI Rejected twice by the Łódź Film School, Krzysztof Kieślowski finally landed a spot on his third attempt and spent his tenure from 1964-1968 focused on documentary filmmaking. Much of his work tended to focus on everyday life in Poland and the lives of average citizens, including Workers ‘71, which featured workers talking about the mass strikes of 1970. Yet fictional filmmaking, which he transitioned to in the mid-1970s, is what made his name. Personnel, his first feature film, earned him a top prize at the Mannheim Film Festival, and he followed up with movies like The Scar, Camera Buff, Blind Chance and The Decalogue. However, his biggest success came with the Three Colours trilogy, a series of French/Polish films released in 1993 and 1994 that Kieślowski directed and co-wrote. The trilogy netted Kieślowski heaps of recognition, including multiple Academy Award nominations and a Palme d’Or nomination at the Cannes Film Festival. Kieślowski died in 1996 and is buried in Warsaw’s famed Powązki Cemetery.

ROMAN POLAŃSKI Many people know director Roman Polański more for his personal life - including a marriage to Manson Family victim Sharon Tate and his evasion of charges in the United States for unlawful sex with a minor - than for his body of work. But Polański has consistently churned out successful movies following his stint at the Łódź Film School, and his first feature film, Knife in the Water, was nominated for an Academy Award. Polański followed up with box-office successes like Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown, the latter of which received 11 Academy Award nominations. Polański’s most personal work came in 2002 with The Pianist, which told the story of Polish Jew Władysław Szpilman, whose escape from the Warsaw Ghetto closely paralleled Polański’s own experience surviving the Kraków Ghetto. The film, which premiered in Warsaw, was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and earned Polański a nod as Best Director and the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

ANDRZEJ WAJDA Director Andrzej Wajda, who passed away at the age of 90 in October 2016, had the lengthiest filmography of all Alumni. Four of his films - The Promised Land, The Maids of Wilko, Man of Iron and Katyń - were nominated for Academy Awards, and Wajda himself received an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar in 2000. Many of his films focus on war, which makes sense considering Wajda’s background: his father, a Polish cavalry officer, was murdered by the Soviets in 1940 during the Katyń massacre. Wajda tackled the painful topic in his 2007 film Katyń, which tells the story of the massacre through the eyes of the mothers, daughters and wives of the executed soldiers. lodz.inyourpocket.com 29

Jewish Łódź

One of three bridges in the former Litzmannstadt Ghetto (p.33). | © fotopolska.eu

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Jewish Łódź By the time Hitler launched his depraved campaign to expand Germany’s borders, the Jewish population of Łódź stood at 233,000 – approximately one-third of the town’s inhabitants, and a figure only surpassed by the capital, Warsaw. To trace the beginnings of Łódź’s Jewish heritage one must go back to the mid-18th century, a time when Łódź was little more than a sleepy hamlet. A census taken in 1793 noted the presence of eleven Jews out of a population that numbered 190, a figure that was to rise to 98 by 1809. By the 1840s over one-fifth of the city’s population was Jewish, and this would grow once more when in 1862 laws requiring Jews to live in the north of the city were repealed.

Regardless, most Jews remained based around the Bałuty area (G-3) where cultural and religious life thrived; in the years leading up to the war Łódź could count 80 prayer houses, 31 Jewish primary schools, at least five newspapers and numerous theatre and exhibition spaces.

This world came crashing down on September 1,1939, with the news that the Nazis had launched their invasion of Poland. Within eight days the city’s streets reverberated with the sound of jackboots, the triumphant Nazis greeted as heroes and liberators by the ethnic Germans of Łódź. Almost immediately the Nazis set about imposing restrictions on the Jews: on September 18th a decree was issued prohibiting the withdrawal of more than 250zł per week from bank accounts, and over the course of the next month Jewish businesses were forcibly signed over to the Germans. Persecution gathered pace following Himmler’s visit on October 28 – in the week that followed the city’s main artery, ulica Piotrkowska, was made off-limits to Jews, and scores of intellectuals were rounded up before being executed in the Łagiewnicki Forest (G-1). Then, on November 9, the decision was taken to absorb Łódź into the Reich, thereby leaving it under the command of committed Nazi Artur Greiser. The terror escalated yet further, and within days synagogues were alight and bodies hanging in the street. On November 14 a curfew was imposed on Jews, and for the first time anywhere in the Third Reich Jews were compelled to wear a Star of David on their arm – failure to do so was punishable by death.

The New Year brought with it a fresh set of trials. On February 8, 1940, newspapers broke the news that Jews would be resettled in a separate ghetto in Bałuty. After two months of transition the area was sealed on April 30, 1940, following the completion of a barbed wire wall surrounding the area.

No one except a few authorised officials could get in or out, and approaching the wall from either side brought instant death from a guard’s bullet.

Conditions inside the ghetto were poor - Jews lived an average 3.5 people to a room - though not nearly as bad as in the smaller and more crowded Warsaw or Krakow ghettos. Jews were also left more or less in peace for the early months of the ghetto’s existence, after the Nazi’s appointed Chaim Mordechai Rumkowski – a

prominent Jewish businessman – to run the ghetto on their behalf. He was given the pompous title Judenälteste (Elder of the Jews) and Rumkowski remains a controversial figure to this day. For a start few people know why he in particular was chosen by the Nazis to run the ghetto, and whispers seem to indicate he either bought or scammed his way into the position. Yet he began well: he tried to preserve as much normality as possible, setting up schools, a bureaucracy, printing ghetto money (which bore his image) and constructing a rudimentary sewage system. He also convinced the Germans to provide raw materials for the ghetto’s factories: the goods made at these factories were then bartered back to the Germans in exchange for food.

Yet the food was never enough for the 230,000 ghetto inhabitants, and people quickly began dying of malnutrition and disease. When the Nazis dumped as many as 30,000 Jews from other parts of Poland here in the autumn of 1941 conditions became intolerable. Worse was to come, however: in January 1942 deportations to the death camps began. Over the next three years around 200,000 Jews left the ghetto for the death camps. As the years and selections continued Rumkowski grew more maniacal; he saw the only way for survival to be the creation of a tireless, indispensable workforce. Those who couldn’t work were nothing but a drain on the meagre food reserves. And so it was that Rumkowski entered folklore in 1942 for imploring his people to surrender their children to the Germans.

No other ghetto in the Third Reich survived as long as the one in Łódź, but ultimately Rumkowski’s spurious efforts to ensure survival were to prove futile. In May 1944 Heinrich Himmler ordered the liquidation of the Łódź Ghetto, and over the course of the next few months the last 77,000 Jews were loaded into cattle waggons and sent to the gas chambers of Chełmno, Nerem and Auschwitz. Rumkowski left on the penultimate transport to Auschwitz, and according to some accounts was burned alive in a crematorium by workers who had recognised him. Historical records suggest that 5,000 - 12,000 ghetto habitants survived to see the end of the war.

USEFUL CONTACTS JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTRE & SYNAGOGUE Open for prayer and religious services plus a number of other services provided. The Jewish Information Office on site can help you find information about your Jewish roots in Łódź, how to find a family grave, or how to contact the rabbi, find out about times for Shabbat prayers and meals, or simply find about events being organised by the Jewish community in the city, which all are welcome to attend.QK‑3, ul. Pomorska 18, tel. (+48) 42 633 51 56, www.kehilalodz.com. Open 09:00 - 15:00, Fri 09:00 - 13:00, Closed Sat, Sun. lodz.inyourpocket.com 31

Jewish Łódź POST WAR JEWISH ŁÓDŹ Many Jews who survived the Holocaust descended on Łódź at the end of the war and a new, thriving community sprang up. Though there were two major waves of statesponsored emigration to Israel (in 1948 and 1957-8) there remains a thriving Jewish community of around 5,000 people in the city, primarily based around the synagogue on ul. Pomorska 18 (C-2). Of all Poland’s cities, few have been as understanding and remorseful as Łódź when dealing with the legacies of the Holocaust.

THE GHETTO The Łódź ghetto was one of the largest Jewish ghettos set up in Nazi-controlled Europe. It stretched over much of the north-central part of the city, comprising the area north of Staromiejski Park (C-1), and out as far as the Jewish Cemetery (G-2) to the east of the city. The area was chosen to host the ghetto as most of the city’s Jews already lived in the district; indeed - as opposed to Kraków or Warsaw – there was little swapping of homes that fell on the wrong side of the wall between Jews and gentiles. The Łódź Ghetto is also commonly known as the Litzmannstadt Ghetto – on May 5, 1940 the city of Łódź was renamed ‘Litzmannstadt’ in honour of the German general who (unsuccessfully) attempted to occupy Łódź in World War I. TRACES OF THE GHETTO The area which once formed the ghetto is today covered with Socialist Realist leftovers, as well as whole swathes of buildings that seemingly haven’t seen a lick of paint since the Germans left. It’s a real rundown part of the city, and frankly, you’d be advised to keep the camera hidden. On the plus side, the intrepid explorer will be rewarded by a moving trip back in time. Filled with forgotten courtyards and derelict doorways, it’s not hard to feel the ghosts of the past as you walk the streets of Łódź’s now silent Jewish quarter. Before setting off it’s worth bearing in mind a couple of points: firstly, you will be covering a distance of approximately 10 kilometres, so it’s probably best not to attempt this in the middle of summer with a computer bag strapped to you. Finally, while it is often suggested to start at the Rynek before concluding your tour at Radegast Station (the train station where Jews were deported) - a logical route for those who wish to follow the chronological history of the ghetto - it’s certainly not the most practical.

Radegast is in the middle of nowhere, so to get the most out of your day we suggest starting the tour here by taking tram no.6 from stop Piotrkowska Centrum (or anywhere along Al. Kościuszki and ul. Zachodnia street, which run parallel to Piotrkowska street) to the end of the line at Doły, a journey of roughly 30 mins. The tram journey alone takes you through the district of Bałuty, giving you a feel for the area - this is also the same route you will follow back during the tour, and handy if you get tired of walking; just jump back on the tram and continue with the tour or return to the city centre. Once at Doły, continue along ul. Strykowska and turn left onto ul. Inflancka (crossing the road). Keep to your right until you see the signs and path leading to Radegast.

32 Łódź In Your Pocket

WALKING TOUR 1 RADEGAST STATION

Radegast Station

Photo: M.Kawczyński, Courtesy of Łódź City Council

As with many Holocaust sites across Eastern Europe, Radegast Station, from where as many 200,000 Łódź Jews left for the death camps of Chełmno and Auschwitz, has been thoughtfully restored as a place of remembrance.

Three original Deutsche Reisebahn cattle trucks stand poignantly at the station’s platform with their doors open, as if another trainload of Jews is imminent. Though most visitors are tempted to enter the wagons, almost none actually do. Elsewhere there are large signposts, in the shape of headstones, denoting the destinations of the trains which left here: Stutthof, Ravensbruck, Chełmno, Auschwitz. There are also plaques commemorating the Jews of Vienna and Luxembourg, who were transported to the death camps after transiting through the ghetto. There are now two permanent exhibitions in the museum: “Litzmannstad Getto 1940-1944” and “Kufer Rodziny Schwarz” and one temporary exhibintion “Our Stolen Childhood 1939-1945” about martyrdom of kids in Łódź. Continue along the alley to see some poignant murals of children (you’ll see more later at stop no. 3) from the Jewish ghetto before returning in the direction of Doły tram stop as it is near here you will enter the Jewish Cemetery. Please note, the museum is closed for renovation until early 2019, however, it is still possible to visit the outdoor memorial.QAl. Pamięci Ofiar Litzmannstadt Getto 12, tel. (+48) 42 291 36 27, www.muzeumtradycji.pl. Exhibits can be viewed 09:00 - 17:00; Wed, Thu 10:00 - 18:00; Sat, Sun 10:00 - 16:00.

Closed Fri. Admission free. For groups of 10 or more guided tours in English are 30zł. Please book in advance by calling (+48) 42 291 36 27 or (+48) 795 41 20 02.

Jewish Cemetery

Courtesy of Łódź City Council

Jewish Łódź 2 JEWISH CEMETERY Once approaching the Doły tram stop, walk down ul.

Zmienna, a quiet side street that leads straight to the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe, which holds 180,000 graves, with many laid to rest inside ostentatious tombs that are works of art themselves (including the biggest Jewish mausoleum which belongs to Israel Poznański).

Less ceremonious was the burial of the 45,000 or so Jews who died in the ghetto – you’ll find them interred in the so-called ‘Ghetto Field’ in the south of the cemetery.

This is where the ‘clean-up squad’ of around 800 Jews who had remained to clear the ghetto were forced to dig their own graves. The Nazis, surprised by the speed of the Soviet advance, didn’t have time to carry out the execution, and the empty graves have been left as eerie reminder. We recommend you pick up ‘The Children of Bałuty’ (stop no.3 of the tour) mural map from the ticket office. As you exit, continue down Zmienna as it curves around the cemetery onto ul. Bracka and onward to ul.

Przemysłowa.Qul. Bracka/ul. Zmienna, tel. (+48) 42 656 70 19. Open 09:00 - 15:00, Closed Sat. Admission 10/8zł, children under 12 free; free first Sunday of every month.

3 THE CHILDREN OF BAŁUTY

The Children of Bałuty (Dzieci Bałut) records, in mural form, the real images of children (created using archive images of the time) that were interned within the children’s camps during WWII in the district of Bałuty, around ul. Przemysłowa.

All confined within the Jewish Ghetto territory, the separate sub-camps were for, respectively, Jewish, Polish and Roma children. Between 05-12 September 1942, 15,681 people - ill, old and the majority of the children were deported to, and murdered, in the Kulmhof camp (in Chełm). The murals are found in many locations around the former ghetto and can be found using the map you picked up at the Jewish Cemetery, alternatively, you can download an interactive app from their site, detailing all mural locations. Now get back to ul. Bracka and continue walking toward the park. Of the former camps, today only a former admin building remains at ul. Przemysłowa 34, though the 4 Child Martyrs Monument can be found in Park Szarych Szeregów, at the entrance near ul. Bracka. Depicting an emaciated figure staring through a cracked white heart, the monument is dedicated to the 1,600 children who were processed through the camp once found here. Beatings and hard labour were standard, and it is estimated over 130 children died while in custody, many

due to starvation. Head through the park and along ul.

Głowackiego to reach ul. Wojska Polskiego, and cross to reach the park ahead.Qul. Przemysłowa 12, www. dziecibalut.pl.

5 SURVIVORS’ PARK The Survivor’s Park (Park Ocalałych) is a pleasant, and indeed, essential part of the Bałuty area, and likewise a worthwhile detour. The Marek Eldelman Dialogue Center is located here, which promotes a secular approach to teaching Łódź’s multiethnic history, along with teaching the virtues of tolerance while fighting racism and xenophobia. The park is also home to the monuments to Jan Karski, found on the top of the monument mound, and the nearby monument to the Righteous Among the Nations, commemorating Poles who helped save Jewish lives during WW2. Head back to where you entered to continue down ul. Wojska Polskiego, then turn left and walk to ul. Franciszkańska (along the way you’ll see more murals of the children of Bałuty), then take a right onto ul. Wolborska. Walk along the park’s edge until you see a monument.QM‑1, Park Ocalałych.

6 DECALOGUE MONUMENT The Decalogue Monument is appropriately placed in Staromiejski Park at the point where two former synagogues were located: Łódź’s original ‘Old Synagogue’ and later the Alte Szil Synagogue. Unveiled in 1995, the monument shows Moses holding the tablet of the Ten Commandments and was designed by Kazimierz Gustaw Zemła.

Built in 1809, the Old Synagogue was the first wooden synagogue in Łódź, but by 1854 services were ceased due to fears that the building would collapse. By 1871 the new concrete synagogue Alte Szil was built on the same ground and was considered one of the greatest synagogues in all of Poland. It was rebuilt in 1893 and sported various styles such as Byzantine, Moorish Revival and Romanesque Revival. Sadly, but hardly surprising, the Nazis robbed and burned Alte Szil in November 1939, with nothing remaining of the once-dramatic synagogue.QJ‑2, Park Staromiejski near ul. Wolborska 20.

7 THE GHETTO BRIDGES Continue onward until you get to the corner of the park and ul. Zgierska then stop. The ghetto entirely surrounded Łódź’s major market, Bałucki Rynek (to the north), which the Nazis were keen to keep open. To achieve this the Nazis sealed off the market and its access roads, allowing traffic to come and go without entering the ghetto. In effect this created two separate ghettos. These were split by the market at ul. Zgierska, and linked by three bridges: two ran over ul. Zgierska and another linked the divided street of ul. Zachodnia. The bridges have become a symbol of the ghetto, and appear on all ghetto literature. One bridge was where you stand now, on the corner of ul. Zgierska and ul. Podrzęczna.QJ‑2, Crossing of ul. Zgierska and ul.

Podrzeczna.

lodz.inyourpocket.com 33

Jewish Łódź 8 THE RED HOUSE

Head back to ul. Podręczna 2, at Stary Rynek, turn left and walk straight until you get to ul.

Kościelna 8/10. Few addresses inspired as much fear in the ghetto as this, known as the ‘Red House,’ it was commandeered by the Kripo (Criminal Police) as a headquarters to combat smuggling. In reality it was allowed to turn into a brutal interrogation centre, where those suspected of illegal activity would be tortured in the basements. Today the building is the property of the nearby Church of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mary, with only the plaque outside suggesting the sinister purpose the building once served. A priest will give you a tour of both the Church and the Red House.QJ‑2, ul. Kościelna 8/10, tel. (+48) 42 657 02 37. Call in advance to arrange a tour.

9 CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR BLESSED MARY Completed in 1897 this red brick neo-gothic masterpiece saw its fair share of hard times during the ghetto years. In 1942 it was used as a warehouse to store the clothes of those gassed in Chełmno and Nerem, after which it became a feather factory employing slave Jewish labour. Surrounding it are several surviving points of interest: The postal service and main treasury were located on pl. Kościelny 4/6, while next door a pharmacy operated from number 8 – a function still held by the building today.QJ‑2, ul. Kościelna 8/10, tel. (+48) 42 657 02 37, www.mariacka-lodz.com.pl. Open during mass only or by prior arrangement.

10 ZACHODNIA STREET After the church, head along ul. Lutomierska and turn right onto ul. Zachodnia. By this time you’ll be tired from all your historical exploring, but do persist. The building found at number 14 is where Rumkowski made his notorious speech calling for mothers and fathers to hand their children over for ‘transportation.’ The area was something of a hotbed for ghetto activity, and it was in its incarnation as Hamburgerstrasse that it touted a Department of Housing, Employment Office, Juvenile Court and a Department of Economics as well as the ghetto fire brigade and the HQ of the Jewish Police, the latter being a particularly zealous organisation whose 1,000 members were frequently prone to corruption and double dealing. They were established

by Rumkowski on April 11, 1940 and worked with the German police to maintain order in the ghetto. None of the buildings that served these institutes survived the post-war bulldozers, though a stone tablet has since been placed here marking the arrival spot of 1,000 Jews from Hamburg in 1941.QI‑1, ul. Zachodnia 14.

11 OLD JEWISH CEMETERY After admiring the Stalin-era monstrosities that were hastily built on top of the former Jewish area, cross the street and heading down ul. Bazarowa and you’ll note an

34 Łódź In Your Pocket

overgrown triangle of parkland. Towards the far pointed end is a small stone set in the grass, its inscription missing.

This marks the spot of the ghetto gallows. From there head up ul. Rybna, passing a couple of former factories, before turning in at ul. Rybna 11A. Walk past the basketball court, and you’ll once more find a stone with a missing plaque. This is all that is left to denote that the area was once Łódź’s oldest Jewish cemetery. Established in 1811, and operating until 1892, the cemetery was the final resting place for over 13,000 people and covered a quite large tract of land extending between Limanowskiego, Bazarowa, Rybna and Zachodnia streets. During the Holocaust the tombs were ripped up and used for paving stones, though the bodies remained underground.QI‑1, ul. Rybna 11A. 12 SCHUPO AND GESTAPO HQ While it might be hard to picture when you’re staring at the building today, this was once the home of the Gestapo and the Schupo, which kept tight and merciless control over the ghetto. Several stories you’ll read recall how German sentries would delight in shooting at Jews for sport, as a June 1941 order allowed officers to fire without warning at any Jew trying to leave the ghetto was liberally abused. A plaque erected on this building on the 40th anniversary of the ghetto liquidation commemorates the fate of the 200,000 Jews and 20,000 gypsies.QJ‑1, ul.

Limanowskiego 1.

13 BAŁUCKI RYNEK Right across the street is Bałucki Rynek. Described by Oskar Singer as the “heart and brains of the ghetto,” this was where all the principle offices of the ghetto administration were based – including Rumkowski’s custom-made barracks. It was also the logistics hub of the whole area, where food arrived, and where goods made in the ghetto left. The Rynek was separated from the rest of the ghetto and could only be accessed with a special pass. Today it’s hard to get a feel for what was once here, and anyone penetrating the market square is liable to leave blinded by the general detritus on sale.QJ‑1, Rynek Bałucki.

14 REICHER SYNAGOGUE And now for the final destination, which is actually in the the city centre. Head back down ul. Zgierska straight ahead to ul. Piotrkowska. Take the first left onto ul. Rewolucji 1905 and head to no. 28. Through the gate is the oldest surviving synagogue in the city, built between 1895 and 1900 by the Reicher family foundation which only survived the Second World War because it was used for storing salt.

The war did unfortunately destroy the interior as well as an allegedly lovely Star of David stained-glass window. A plaque on the east wall commemorates the synagogue’s founder who starved to death in the Łódź Ghetto. The Nissenbaum and Lauder foundations renovated the shrine in 1989. Religious services are no longer held here.

QK‑4, ul. Rewolucji 1905r. 28, tel. (+48) 42 633 51 56, www.jewishlodz.org.pl. Open by prior arrangement with Jewish Community.

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Street Art city, so you can see work by Brazilian twins Os Gemeos, the Chinese artist DALeast and many other international stars of the scene. If you are keen to see all the murals the foundation has supported, a great way of doing this is to contact them via the UrbanForms.org and ask about their private bus tours of the city’s fabulous mural art.

The growth of street art in Poland is not difficult to put into historical context as the country has a great tradition of using urban wall space for all manner of creative ideas.

The 1960s-70s saw vast wall spaces used for advertising communist-era state-run companies and surviving examples are now revered as important graphic design visions of the time. A relatively well preserved graphic painting of a giant butterfly advertising the state-run Pewex shops (where imported goods could be purchased with US dollars) can be found at ul. Sienkiewicza 21 (K-6).

Over the last few years the somewhat gloomy streets of Łódź have come to life with the addition of numerous enormous and brightly-coloured murals. The project to turn Łódź into an open-air permanent art gallery was initiated by the Urban Forms Foundation back in 2009 and their aim is to improve the current image of Łódź through supporting and promoting independent artistic projects in the city’s public spaces. With the support of city council, the Foundation has so far overseen the completion of over 40 large scale murals by some of Poland’s classiest street artists, like local heroes the Etam Crew and the Gdynia-born painter M-City and Silesia‘s Raspazjan and Mona Tusz. They have also invited some of the world’s leading street artists to leave their permanent mark on the

Tomasz Górnicki statue

36 Łódź In Your Pocket

At any rate, those with an interest in street art will have little trouble tracking it down in Łódź, and we’re making it even easier. In addition to cataloguing and GPSing street art addresses throughout the city on our website, we’ve also marked each place with a spray can symbol on the maps in the back of our print guide, so you can literally use them to give yourself a tour of Łódź’s urban art. As for online, we’ve even listed old pieces of street art to keep you informed if they still exist or not, to save you time from visiting a site, only to discover that once fantastic mural has been painted over, or worse, the building it was on is gone (if you find that piece has been painted over since we’ve last been, please, do let us know)! Wandering around the city you are bound to stumble across some rather fine and less ‘in your face’ little creative acts like the painted and stencilled gas and electricity boxes which are dotted around town. They are frequently changed and too many to mention, but keep your eyes peeled, you’ll no doubt see plenty on your travels around Łódź.

M-City Mural on ul. Tuwima 16 (K-7)

INAPPROPRIATE WEIGHT This 4m high work, called Ciężar niewłaściwy (Inappropriate Weight) is located outside of Łódź Fabryczna Train Station, at the walkway from the station to go to EC1 centre, which looms impressively in the background.

The combination of the fantastic statue, Fabryczna and EC1 really emphasise the changing fortunes of the city.

The statue and was created in 2017 by artist and sculptor Tomasz Górnicki and artist Chazme (both from Warsaw) for project ‘UNIQA art Łódź’. The work is made up of 3 elements: metal, concrete and acrylic. The statue element shows a statue of a man supported on metal frames, rushing as he’s late for his train. The base of the monument is now rusted (which was the intended effect!).QM‑6, Łódź Fabryczna Train Station.

AT THE HEART OF ŁÓDŹ COME AND EXPLORE THE BIGGEST SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRE IN POLAND

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W W W.C E N T R U M N AU K I E C 1.P L „EC1 ŁÓDŹ - MIASTO KULTURY” W ŁODZI UL. TARGOWA 1/3, 90-022 ŁÓDŹ

Museums KSIĘŻY MŁYN & HERBST PALACE See page 8.Qul. Tymienieckiego 25A. Open 11:00 17:00, Closed Mon. Admission to one out of three permanent exhibits is 15/8zł, students under 26 pay just 1zł; Thu free for all exhibits. Combined tickets available for MS1, MS2 and Herbst Palace for 30/20zł.

The impressive MS1 - Museum of Art in Łódź

CENTRAL MUSEUM OF TEXTILES IN ŁÓDŹ See page 25.QK‑12, ul. Piotrkowska 282, tel. (+48) 42 683 26 84, www.cmwl.pl. Open 09:00 - 17:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 19:00. Closed Mon, Last entrance 30 minutes before closing. Admission 12/8zł. Thu free for permanent exibitions. U CENTRE FOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EC1 See page 27.QL‑6, ul. Targowa 1/3 (entrance from ul.

Wojciecha Jerzego Hasa), tel. (+48) 539 99 76 93, www. ec1lodz.pl. Open 09:00 - 17:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 20:00, Last entrance 2 hours before closing. Closed Mon. Admission 22,50/16,20zł, Sat, Sun 30,60/21,60zł. Family tickets available.

TOURIST INFORMATION ŁÓDŹ TOURISM ORGANISATION The English, German and Russian speaking staff will provide you with maps and guides in a number of different languages. An internal PC offers access to Łódź tourism sites.QJ‑5, ul. Piotrkowska 28, tel. (+48) 42 208 81 81/(+48) 722 00 53 14, www.lodz.travel.

Open 09:00 - 18:00, Sat 10:00 - 18:00, Sun 10:00 - 15:00. From May Open 09:00 - 19:00, Sat 10:00 18:00, Sun 10:00 - 16:00. U­W SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF OLD ŁÓDŹ A volunteer organisation offering brochures about Łódź in Polish and English but also providing tourist information.QJ‑2, Stary Rynek 1, tel. (+48) 42 661 46 66. Open 13:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. TOURIST INFORMATION POINT Tourist information is available at the heart of the Manufaktura complex in a specially built hut. Find guides, audio guides, maps, souvenirs and lots of information from friendly English-speaking staff.QI‑3, ul.

Drewnowska 58 (Rynek), tel. (+48) 695 13 11 13, www. lodzkie.travel. Open 10:00 - 22:00, Sun 10:00 - 21:00.

38 Łódź In Your Pocket

MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY & ETHNOGRAPHY Established in 1931 and one of the leading research institutions of its kind in the country, this charming little museum is packed with intricately carved swords and muskets, archaeological finds from Palaeolithic Poland including flint axes, pots and the customary skeleton in a glass case, charming models of river settlements from the 3rd century and recreations of 19th-century peasant houses. If the idea of being followed by the staff doesn’t worry you in the least then this museum can’t come recommended highly enough.The other branch of the museum Łęczycka Zagroda Chłopska - Zagroda is open daily 10:00-18:00 until September, then 09:00-17:00 until 30 October, (closed Mondays). Admission 9/6zł. The museum will be closed as of November.QJ‑4, Pl. Wolności 14, tel. (+48) 42 632 84 40, www.maie.lodz.pl. Open 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon, Last entrance 30 minutes before closing. Admission 9/6zł, Tue free. N MUSEUM OF ART IN ŁÓDŹ - MS¹ This superb museum and gallery features a worthy modern art exhibition - called Open Composition - courtesy of progressive artists from a number of countries, including Poland. Fri enter for free.QI‑5, ul. Więckowskiego 36, tel. (+48) 42 633 97 90, www.msl.org.pl. Open 11:00 - 19:00, Tue 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. Admission to permanent exhibitions 10/5zł, students under 26 pay just 1zł. Thu is free for all exhibits. Combined tickets available for MS1, MS2 and Herbst Palace for 30/20zł.

MUSEUM OF ART IN ŁÓDŹ- MS² See page 42.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 19, tel. (+48) 42 634 39 48, www.msl.org.pl. Open 11:00 - 19:00, Tue 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. Admission to permanent exhibits 15/8zł, students 26 and under pay just 1zł.

Thu is free for all exhibits. Combined tickets available for MS1, MS2 and Herbst Palace for 30/20zł.

MUSEUM OF CINEMATOGRAPHY See page 29. QM‑8, Pl. Zwycięstwa 1, tel. (+48) 42 203 22 36, www.kinomuzeum.pl. Open 11:00 - 18:00, Tue 10:00 - 17:00, Wed, Fri 09:00 - 16:00. Closed Mon, Last entrance 30 minutes before closing. Admission 10/7zł.

Tue free for permanent exhibits.

MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF ŁÓDŹ See page 42.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 15, tel. (+48) 42 254 90 11, www.muzeum-lodz.pl. Open 10:00 - 16:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 18:00, Closed Mon, Last entrance 30 minutes before closing. Admission 12/8zł, temporary exhibits only 7/5zł. Wed free. N

Museums MUSEUM OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT Ahhh, transport museums, there’s something about them that brings back fond memories of childhood, for they, and indeed this one in Łódź, is a great place for kids (and of course, adults) to visit. Opened in 2006 by the local transport authority (MPK) and a club for local tram enthusiasts, the museum contains models of buses and trams, various paraphernalia, and of course, the highlights - real buses and trams, spanning the history of local transportation well over 100 years! The museum location is fairly central, and is open throughout the week, although closed on Fridays, Sundays and most Saturdays - every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month they are open, so best check their site for details when planning your visit.QN‑5, ul. Wierzbowa 51, tel. (+48) 42 672 12 07, www.muzeum.mpk.lodz.pl.

Open 10:00 - 18:00, Sat 10:00 - 14:00, Closed Fri, Sun. Admission 2,40/1,20zł.

MUSEUM OF THE FACTORY See page 42.QI‑2, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 664 92 93, www.muzeumfabryki.pl. Admission 9/6zł (12/8zł for exhibition and viewing tower) or family ticket 18zł (24zł for exhibition and viewing tower). For an English speaking guide reservations must be made two days in advance and will cost 85zł. Guided tours in Polish 35zł.

Guided tours included in the price of the tickets Sat, Sun at 13:00 and 16:00 but only in Polish. N MUSEUM OF THE TRADITION OF INDEPENDENCE Set inside a former Tsarist prison your tour begins on the ground floor, where a walk around the former cells allows visitors to glimpse depressing sights like huge, rusty restraints, a pitch-black isolation cell and playing cards and chess sets produced by the inmates. From there the museum is a chronological journey on the “Roads to Independence” experienced in the city, covering the years 1791-1921. The 1905 workers’ revolution is covered in detail, with prisoners letters and presses used to print inflammatory leaflets all on display. There is a new exhibition entitled “The Prison on Długa St. In Łódź from 1885-1953”. Hugely interesting, though the paucity of English-language translations is guaranteed to frustrate.QI‑4, ul. Gdańska 13, tel. (+48) 42 632 71 12, www.muzeumtradycji.pl. Open 09:00 17:00, Thu 11:00 - 18:00, Sat, Sun 09:30 - 16:00, Closed Fri. Admission free.

PLANETARIUM EC1 See page 27.QM‑6, ul. Targowa 1/3, tel. (+48) 42 233 50 55, www.planetariumec1.pl. Open 08:30 - 19:00, Sat, Sun 09:30 - 20:00, Closed Mon. Last show and last entrance at 18:30. Admission 18/13zł, Sat, Sun 20/14zł.

Family tickets available.

VILLA GALLERY/CHIMERA GALLERY See page 8.QJ‑6, ul. Wólczańska 31/33, tel. (+48) 42 632 79 95, www.mgslodz.pl. Open 11:00 - 18:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon. Tickets 6/4zł, Thu free. N lodz.inyourpocket.com 39

Manufaktura

Photo courtesy of Manufaktura

Manufaktura today is the result of Poland’s largest renovation project since the reconstruction of Warsaw’s Old Town in the 1950s (something you can read about in the Warsaw edition of In Your Pocket). The history of the site is one of fortunes made and lost, of war, nationalization and destitution. What you see before you was once a series of factories - all producing various textiles - that were constructed in the latter part of the 19th century.

Designed by Hilary Majewski, a graduate of St Petersburg University, the mills were built in a red-brick industrial style, incorporating the occasional Art Nouveau flourish. They were the property of Izrael Poznański, a Jewish merchant who saw the need for high quality textiles on the eastern markets of Russia, Japan and China. As Łódź was at the time the most westerly city in the Russian Empire, Poznański was able to match western textile expertise and industrial practices with limitless access to eastern markets. It was a winning combination, and one that made him a fortune and put Łódź on the map. “Łódź was waking up, the first yelling factory whistle pierced the quiet of the early morning, then in all parts of the city others began to spring up ever more raucously and bawled in hoarse voices like a choir of monstrous roosters crowing their metal throats the call to work. The huge factories, whose long black bulks and slender chimney necks loomed in the darkness, in the fog and rain they were slowly waking up, belching flames of fire, exhaling clouds of smoke.”

- Władysław Reymont, The Promised Land 40 Łódź In Your Pocket

THE PAST The first Manufaktura loom began spinning in 1852. Real growth however came about during the period 1872-1892, by which time more than 80,000 spindles spread over 12 separate factories were churning out high-quality textiles at a rate unmatched anywhere in Europe at the time. Poznański adored luxury - when asked what style he wished one of his residences to be built in he allegedly declared ‘All of them, I can afford them all!’ The palaces he built for himself all over the city are testament to his fondness for extravagance, but he was also considered a visionary employer. Łódź’s rise to industrial prominence in the second half of the 19th century saw the city transform from a sleepy backwater into a gritty metropolis bursting with red brick factories and a horizon crowned with smoking chimney stacks. As the population exploded suburbs sprang up, including poverty stricken rat mazes like Bałuty and Chojny. The more conscientious factory owners took it on themselves to build tenements to house their workers; Izrael Poznański provided 1,086 apartments for 4,043 people.

Designed by Hilary Majewski, one of the architects behind Poznański’s award winning textile factory (it snatched the Bronze Medal at the 1878 World Exhibition in Paris), many of these shadowy housing projects still exist, and exploring their dark courtyards and flaking corridors is like a step back in time. Take a look at how the proletariat used to live by peering into the buildings that stand on ul. Ogrodowa 24 and 26, a couple of which are being renovated.

Manufaktura While his workers may have been squashed into tenements, make no mistake that their boss lived the high life. Poznański had the sort of egocentric, hyper-wealthy lifestyle associated with modern day oligarchs, and his palaces and mansions found around town are testimony to this. His HQ on Ogrodowa 15 was the benchmark of flash, and stacked with priceless treasures and frequently the home of high society functions. Designed by Adolf Seligson the L-shaped structure originally held a 770m2 winter garden topped with a glass roof, as well as landscaped gardens out back. As most other industrialists of the age, Poznański had his residence built right next to his factory, allowing him the opportunity to watch his workforce marching to work each morning.

The man died in 1900, wealthy beyond imagination, and the ownership of the company passed to his sons. Poznański is buried in an enormous mausoleum in the Jewish Cemetery (some say the largest Jewish tomb in the world), a fitting testament to the true king of bling. Manufaktura continued to flourish, with many of its wares being shipped far and wide to new markets in America and the Far East, though the inter-war period marked the start of a decline as Łódź left the Russian empire and became part of Poland, losing most of its eastern markets in the process. Production continued throughout most of World War II though, after which it was nationalised, and renamed Poltex.

The emphasis on quality was replaced by an emphasis on quantity, with most of the goods produced here - primarily cotton - being shipped off to the Soviet Union. The death of the Warsaw Pact trading block COMECON left it without any real market, factories closed and production fell. The last textile worker left the plant - by then a rundown, halfderelict wreck - in 1997.

THE PRESENT French developer Apsys bought the site in 2000. Work began on transforming the crumbling mills into a multifaceted cultural extravaganza in 2003. The opening of the site on May 17, 2006 was therefore the culmination of more than five years of planning and construction. The results are stunning.

The original 19th century brick buildings remain the focal point of the complex, having been entirely renovated: some brick by brick, with only the chimney stacks which once dominated the horizon missing. Director David Lynch was so impressed he shot part of his film, ‘Inland Empire’, on the premises. In all, more than 90,000m2 of red brick buildings have been restored and completely refitted. An equal amount of new buildings - mainly the shopping centre - have gone up alongside, while commie leftovers from the Poltex factory days have been demolished.

The restoration of the old factories quite simply has to be seen to be believed. Enter through the Poznański gate, where workers used to file through every day on their way to the mills, and you’ll arrive at the project’s ground zero: the Rynek (main square). In summer, this place really comes into its element, with a phalanx of beer gardens, an artificial beach and open-air concerts by international names.

The natural reaction to Manufaktura is to be staggered; covering an area of 54 football pitches the complex spans, in total, over 90,000m2, and makes use of 45,000 square metres of restored original brickwork, fifty kilometres of electric cables and over a kilometre of metal framework.

And what was already impressive on opening day has grown more impressive still. Added over the years has been the award winning Museum of the Factory, Art Museum ms² which leads the line as one of Poland’s top galleries, and the Experymentarium, easily the finest museum of its genre in the country. Better still, the city has a hotel worthy of its status as one of Poland’s key metropolises. That’s the andel’s and can be found on the Ogrodowa side of the development. lodz.inyourpocket.com 41

Manufaktura Sightseeing EXPERYMENTARIUM Whoa, here’s a museum that makes science fun, and in a way that rather than ordering you to ‘keep away from the glass’, actively encourages visitors to ‘push’, ‘touch’ and ‘enter.’ The experiments visitors get to play around with are the brainchild of Polish scientists and students, and revolve around ideas of light, sound, anatomy, nature and new discoveries. The space takes up 800m2 of the Manufaktura complex, and also features a wing designated for temporary exhibits from Polish and European institutions. Patrons include Łódź University and the Łódź Technical University. Your visit should take approximately 60 minutes, during which time you’ll wander a large open space filled with exhibitions. Currently the main exhibits are the Experymentarium Exhibition, which includes mad light experiments, a ‘cosmic tunnel’, an area devoted to developing your senses of smell, hearing and touch without using your vision; and a new interactive “Augmented Reality Sandbox”, which allows you to build 3-D topographical maps by shifting some sand in your hands. Always ones to keep on-the-ball, their latest VR gaming zone and Lazer maze are absolutely state of the art fun for the whole family.QI‑2, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 633 52 62, www.experymentarium. pl. Open 10:00 - 22:00, Sat 09:00 - 22:30, Sun 10:00 21:00. Admission 17/14zł. Discount ‘family tickets’ also available. U MUSEUM OF ART IN ŁÓDŹ- MS² A very impressive space located in a building that once housed a 19th century weaving plant. Home to both temporary exhibitions and an impressive permanent collection entitled “The Art Collection of the XX and XXI Centuries”. The museum is home to more than 400 works of contemporary art and includes artists like Pablo Picasso, Tamás Kaszás and Paul Klee. There’s a constant cycle of cutting edge temporary exhibitions that are usually world class. The permanent collection can also said to be in flux as it is constantly being added to and rearranged by visiting curators. English translations and pamphlets are available plus an art cafe and a cracking bookshop. Fri enter for free.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 19, tel. (+48) 42 634 39 48, www.msl.org.pl. Open 11:00 - 19:00, Tue 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. Admission to permanent exhibits 15/8zł, students 26 and under pay just 1zł. Thu is free for all exhibits. Combined tickets available for MS1, MS2 and Herbst Palace for 30/20zł.

42 Łódź In Your Pocket

MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF ŁÓDŹ Inside the breathtaking Neo-Baroque former residence of Łódź manufacturer Izrael Kalmanowicz Poznański, this museum within a museum, dedicated to the relatively short life and times of Poland’s second city from the end of the 19th century to the outbreak of WWII, knocks you out from the moment you walk through the front door. Jammed full of exhibits tracing the history, people, culture and ups and downs of the city, find recreations of daily life from kitchen interiors to sections of streets. There are many fine examples of silverware and porcelain too, and rooms dedicated to many of the city’s former inhabitants, including Łódź’s unofficial Rubinstein museum (the only one in the world), giving over several rooms to the legendary Jewish pianist.

Once this was the only section with English descriptions, but more and more sections are seeing translations added.

The Jewish theme is admirably represented in the museum with a new exhibition: The Common Courtyard (Na Wspólnym Podwórku) - showcasing Łódź’s history as a melting-pot of cultures. Thoroughly recommended.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 15, tel. (+48) 42 254 90 11, www.muzeumlodz.pl. Open 10:00 - 16:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 18:00, Closed Mon, Last entrance 30 minutes before closing.

Admission 12/8zł, temporary exhibits only 7/5zł. Wed free. N MUSEUM OF THE FACTORY Of all the museums in Łódź you won’t find any that are better geared towards the foreign visitor. All displays are complemented with thorough English explanations that put the majority of Polish museums to shame. Occupying a second floor space next to Manufaktura’s multiplex cinema this spot is more than just a diversion from your day’s shopping. From the moment you pay your admission fee it’s a trip back in time. This small but perfectly formed museum offers a complete history of the Manufaktura complex, complete with 4 working looms, a steam engine model, various dioramas and even a tiny cinema showing black and white mini-documentaries (15 mins. with English subtitles) of factory scenes. Its packed full of peculiar facts, and a look at the boards reveals untold trivia – for instance, the story behind one of the original architects of the complex, Dawid Rosenthal, who was shot by militant workers back in 1910. The photo montages offer a vivid trip through history, as well as moments of amusement; check the pictures of the factory’s sports teams and bands. Take the trip up to the year-round viewing terrace (an extra 3/1.50zł) to get a birds eye view of the factory. Make sure to exit through gift shop, which features some English language books on the subject if you want to read more about this fascinating place.QI‑2, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 664 92 93, www.muzeumfabryki.pl. Admission 9/6zł (12/8zł for exhibition and viewing tower) or family ticket 18zł (24zł for exhibition and viewing tower). For an English speaking guide reservations must be made two days in advance and will cost 85zł. Guided tours in Polish 35zł.

Guided tours included in the price of the tickets Sat, Sun at 13:00 and 16:00 but only in Polish. N

Manufaktura Shopping The crowning glory of Łódź’s shopping scene is not just another generic shopping centre, but a fantastically restored industrial complex, basking in red brick colours and relfective glass. With over 9,000 m2 of wood flooring the mall is split into four themes – industrial, cinema, design and textile – so as to make navigation easier. Those arriving with their kids in tow should consider dispatching them to the Jupi Park crèche found just off the Rynek.

Flagship stores include Leroy Merlin as well as a vast range of brand name clothing stores like Hugo Boss, Hilfiger, H&M, Timberland, TK Maxx and an Adidas superstore. In total over 300 retail units are occupied, with other tenants including the Smyk toy store, EMPiK and EURO RTV AGD. It’s not just mega-brand stores though that are drawing processions of spenders, but a top selection of specialist stores that you’ll be lucky to find elsewhere, let alone under one roof.

Outside the main range of shops don’t forego a visit to the craftsman’s alley between the Rynek and the mall; it’s here you’ll find all manner of stores including a cobbler, as well as privately run stores specialising in everything from metalwork to traditional rural-style souvenirs. For a full map of the shopping centre or further info don’t be afraid to approach the English-speaking staff manning the information point at the main entrance to the mall.

MANUFAKTURA SHOPPING GALLERY QH/I‑3, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 664 92 89, www.manufaktura.com. Open 10:00 - 22:00, Sat 10:00 - 22:30, Sun 10:00 - 21:00.

Entertainment Manufaktura contains a host of entertainment venues for those wishing to kick back and relax, to those hoping to run around and get the adrenaline pumping. Here are some top choices: ARENA LASER GAMES Laser-quest style entertainment inside an indoor labyrinth filled with ‘surprises, traps and special effects’. A modernisation has moved the game to the 1st floor next to Experymentarium and upped the space to 350m2.QI‑2, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 633 52 62, www.arenalasery.pl. Open 10:00 - 22:00, Sat 09:00 - 22:30, Sun 10:00 - 21:00. Admission 12-29zł.

STRATOSFERA CLIMBING CENTRE The highest climbing wall in Łódź weighs in at 11m in height, and over 500m2 of climbing space. The walls here can be adjusted to suit the individual, from greenhorn rookie to mountain ace.QI‑2, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 633 34 90, www.stratosfera.org. Open 10:00 22:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 21:00. Admission 8-30zł.

CINEMA CITY A state-of-the-art 14 screen cinema with all the trimmings.

QI‑2, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 664 64 64, www. cinema-city.pl. Box office open 09:30 - 22:45. Tickets 16,50-34,50zł.

Restaurants & Cafés AMERICAN WHISKEY IN THE JAR MANUFAKTURA Whiskey in the Jar has now set up shop in Łódź after success in Poznań and Wrocław, and what a great location to make an impact - Manufaktura. If the ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, ‘steakhouse’ and images of motorcycle paraphernalia plastered everywhere hasn’t given the game away, then the ‘whiskey’ with an ‘e’ suggests you’re in for an American treat. Once inside, you can be forgiven for thinking the Sons of Anarchy have gone straight and settled in Łódź. The decor is a mixture of old Łódź red brick, street artwork around the theme of rock ‘n’ roll and motorcycle gang culture. It’s hard not to spot the Harley Davidson hanging upside down from the ceiling! Here you’ll find a host of cocktails with funky names, usually containing good ole Bourbon, and served in even funkier jars (what else?!). The food is what we’re here for (kitchen open daily 13:00-23:30, Sun until 23:00), with burgers and steaks drawing us in. The burgers range from classic, Teriyaki, to Veggie. The steaks though, with such great names like ‘Viking’, ‘King’ and ‘Mr. T - T-Bone’ are a delight. Despite such formidable foes like Mr T, where there’s a will to eat, there’s always a way to win!QI‑3, ul. Drewnowska 58B, tel. (+48) 516 13 68 76, www.whiskeyinthejar.pl. Open 11:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 01:00, Sun 11:00 - 23:00. €€€. T­U­B­E­6­W

44 Łódź In Your Pocket

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ORIGINAL TASTE BETTER

Manufaktura INTERNATIONAL BIERHALLE A blinding beer hall with outstanding lager that’s so good you’ll want to take it away – and the good news is that you can. Find the house beers available to go in either nifty little bottles or five litre barrels. But there’s more to Bierhalle than beer alone, and the food is on no accounts second fiddle. Thump someone with the giant picture menu and they’ll see stars for weeks, though don’t resort to that sort of act without first ordering – the riibs are pretty good, though our favourite is the crispy pork knuckle. A great place indeed, with both booze and food done inside a neo-industrial interior replete with giant vats that bubble with beer.QI‑3, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 632 03 76, www.bierhalle.pl. Open 12:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 24:00, Sun 12:00 - 22:00. €€€. W DELIGHT RESTAURANT It’s the best hotel in town, so it’s no surprise the house restaurant is staking a claim as the best eatery around. Set to a neo-industrial background, Delight has a naff name but a chef (Mirosław Jabłóński) who is a star in the making.

It’s vast size means empty seats are par for the course, but that’s no reflection on the culinary talent. Expect perfectly presented, edgy cuisine that tastes as good as it looks. They were the only restaurant in Łódź to be awarded 2 points in the Gault & Millau culinary guide. Whether you’re a guest or not, saddle up to their stupendous buffet breakfast Mon-Fri 06:30-10:30 and Sat, Sun 07:00-11:00, and every 1st Sun of the month, the Sunday Brunch Delight buffet from 13:0016:30.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 17 (Vienna House Andel’s Lodz), tel. (+48) 42 279 16 77, www.viennahouse.com/ pl/andels-lodz. Open 06:30 - 10:30, 18:00 - 23:00; Sat 07:00 - 11:00, 18:00 - 23:00; Sun 07:00 - 11:00. €€€€.

T­U­W SZPULKA A rarity amongst the numerous eateries in the Manufaktura complex - a truly hip and contemporary bistro serving seasonally-inspired Polish fusion dishes in a modern, arty environment. All day breakfasts are a highlight like a classic scramble with french toast or a more fit szpulka light option with cottage cheese and vegetables. The

46 Łódź In Your Pocket

Photo Courtesy of Manufaktura

downstairs is pretty much half open kitchen, half seating.

The definitions of space seem to blend into each other rather nicely with wooden, glass-fronted cases showing works by artists and designers like photographer/illustrator Blanka Biernat. Also worth noting is a large wall mural by Proembrion (Krzysztof Syruć).QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 19, tel. (+48) 42 634 24 72, www.szpulka-lodz.com. Open 08:00 - 23:45, Fri 08:00 - 02:00, Sat 09:00 - 02:00, Sun 09:00 - 23:45. €€€. W

ITALIAN BAWEŁNA Occupying a grand corner spot in the Manufaktura complex, Bawełna serves up hearty doses of quality mainly Italian dishes at surprisingly good prices. The interior is well fitted out with the de rigueur, neo-industrial/ rustic look and the ground level features an open kitchen (shoot me now). Head upstairs to a similarly designed area which appears more spacious, airy and features a nice bar. Try one of their signature cocktails which blends some pretty unique and intriguing concoctions of flavours. They seem to have successfully brought the cool ambience of some of the OFF Piotrkowska venues to the rather plush Manufaktura.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 19A/46, tel. (+48) 42 633 34 44, www.bawelna-lodz.com. Open 11:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 02:00, Sun 11:00 - 23:45. €€€€. T­W

JEWISH ANATEWKA Sister restaurant of the highly recommend Anatewka found on Łódź’s ul. 6 Sierpnia, and though this place isn’t nearly as good it’s still a decent stop when you’re Manufaktura bound. Set on two levels this place has menorahs aplenty, lacy frills and stirring Jewish children’s choirs singing along to a constant cycle of Klezmer music.

QI‑3, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 633 22 77, www. anatewka.pl. Open 11:00 - 23:00. €€€. T­U­E­6­W

POLISH GALICJA A slightly Laura Ashley take on the familiar ‘old Polish farmhouse’ look makes Galicja look more fresh and clean than most of the competition. The menu sticks to tradition with a few innovative twists; hearty servings of soups, pierogi and meat dishes. Our schnitzels were the size of a fried frisbee and the potatoes came coated with a tasty, slightly sweet sauce/dressing composed of various seeds, greenery, lardons and onions. Friendly, smiley staff and possibly the most attentive and genuinely interested manager we have yet encountered. It’s also the first eatery in the Manufaktura complex to make use of its huge cellar area with a bar serving up eight regional beers and regular folk concerts.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 19A, tel. (+48) 42 630 88 55, www.galicjamanufaktura.pl. Open 11:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 23:00. €€. T­E­W

Manufaktura POLKA Celebrity chef Magda Gessler strikes again, this time in her native cuisine. Polka, which is so awash in poppy-themed décor you won’t know where to look (the poppies even climb the ceiling and grip the staff’s uniforms). Another Gessler hallmark is reliably exceptional food, and here Polka similarly delivers. Stylish Polish dishes fly out of the kitchen and include hits like crispy duck served with beetroot and traditional bigos stew (the menu calls it a “noble” dish). They now serve a full breakfast menu (11:00-13:00 Mon-Fri) as well. And while meatballs and chicken sticks might not be strictly Polish, their kids menu gets a good workout at this family-friendly venue.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 19A, tel. (+48) 42 630 35 30, www.restauracjapolka.pl. Open 10:30 23:00, Sun 10:30 - 22:00. €€€. T­U­W RAJSKIE JADŁO Overlooking the entrance to Manufaktura’s main shopping hub, Rajskie Jadło has a clean and simple no-frills interior with the downstairs wall decor comprised mainly of photo posters of lunch deals and, here’s the big plus point, their super cheap prices. The menu of soups, chicken, fish and pork dishes sticks close to what we would consider ‘Polish classics’. Taking a peek along the hot-plates it’s also nice to see that everything on offer looks perfectly prepared and appealing. Dinner sets are available for 18.90zł, with selections from meat or fish with potatoes, rice, groats with a salad mix.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 19A, tel. (+48) 42 636 11 11, www.jesc.pl. Open 10:00 - 22:00, Sat 10:00 - 22:30, Sun 10:00 - 21:00. €. T­6

VEGETARIAN ZIELONA As more and more artists and bloggers flock to vegetarianism/the vegan way of life, the more profit there is to be made from the many manipulations of kale. Zielona fills a healthy-living void that Łódź has sorely missed, albeit it’s a rather pricey option for those trying to stick to their New Years’ resolutions. Unfortunately for Zielona’s impressive interior, the service is unbearable. There’s a lot of frantic hand movements, awkward stares, and walking, but not a lot landing in front of customers. The food is basic but well executed - the only thing is just, it doesn’t feel like you’ve got what you paid for. On trading ban sundays, the venue is open 11:00-20:00.QI‑2, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 632 16 96, www.restauracjazielona.pl. Open 10:00 - 22:00. €€. T­U­6­W

CAFES E. WEDEL CHOCOLATE LOUNGE Poland’s first and most famous confectionery outlet, operating since 1851. The hot chocolate is their principal claim to fame, though their offerings extend to cakes and confectionery that have most Poles salivating at their very mention. Also at ul. Piotrkowska 69.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 19A, tel. (+48) 42 631 00 36, www.wedelpijalnie.pl.

Open 10:00 - 22:00. T­U­W

Nightlife BIERHALLE There’s many reasons to visit Manufaktura, but they don’t get any better than Bierhalle – a top microbrewery where the house lagers come served by cheerful wenches wearing Bavarian frocks. King of the bunch is the award winning pils with their milk stout coming in at a close second. Inside, explore a vast woodcut interior and watch the brewing process in action while chomping on burpy beer bites like Nuremberg sausage.QI‑3, ul. Drewnowska 58, tel. (+48) 42 632 03 76, www.bierhalle.pl. Open 12:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 24:00, Sun 12:00 - 22:00. W OSCAR’S BAR A strange bar is Oscar’s, not least because the actual bar feels so disattached from everything around; you’ll find it in the lobby of Vienna House Andel’s Łódź, with no seats by the counter and well removed from those who want to use it. Fortunately that’s not a problem: the staff are eagleeyed enough to ensure your glass is never empty. The postmodern design is like spaceship meets factory and the cocktails are pretty decent as well, and could easily wipe your memory clean. Look out for the SkyFly bar on the rooftop, open all year round 18:00-01:00 (closed Sun). The kitchen is open until 00:00.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 17 (Vienna House Andel’s Lodz), tel. (+48) 42 279 16 24, www. viennahouse.com/pl/andels-lodz. Open 09:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 01:00. U­W SKYFLY BAR The clue’s in the name where this is located, but no, not literally in the sky, but high enough to get some stunning panoramic views of Łódź. Located in the classy Vienna House Andel’s Łódź, this rooftop bar is a must for anyone looking for that great vantage point to the city. Not only will you get top class view, but you will have the luxury of having some great drinks and food. skyFLY is open Mon-Sat 19:00-01:00, so you have plenty of time to go, and it would be shame to miss out.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 17 (Vienna House Andel’s Lodz), tel. (+48) 42 279 16 77, www. viennahouse.com/pl/andels-lodz. Open 18:00 - 01:00, Closed Sun. lodz.inyourpocket.com 47

Cafés

Łódż has plenty to offer, including something for those with a sweet tooth.

CAFE MAGISTRAT Found right inside the local city hall (block B on the righthand side after you enter the courtyard), Cafe Magistrat is the breakfast and lunchtime home of local officials delighted to have a cafe right on their doorstep. But just because of its name (Magistrates’ Cafe), its location, and the sometimes boring legal jargon heard from nearby tables, it doesn’t mean this place is off-limits to us commoners. So whether you’re here to sort out some bureaucratic issues in city hall and want to have a coffee to calm your nerves (bureaucratic processes in Poland remain frustrating, so good luck to you), or just want some decent breakfast/ lunch, then you can’t go wrong here. The food is cheap and cheerful, ranging from simple breakfasts to nice soups and sandwiches. The teas/coffees are great and special mention goes to the fruit shakes. Yum.QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 104B, tel. (+48) 698 97 83 81. Open 08:00 - 16:00, Tue 08:00 17:00, Closed Sat, Sun. U­6­W

CHATKA ECH Touting the most unique design in town this place has a nutty cottage design that features teddy bears and prams, antiques and oddities, a piano guests can play on and features a mural by Ryszard Paprocki (he’s a big deal). If that wasn’t enough, they even have Birch trees inside. To call it original would be an understatement and it’s no wonder that it’s a favourite film location for Łódź’s budding film school auteurs. This cycle friendly complex is home to book signings and readings, concerts and exhibitions and they even provide English and Italian language tours of Łódź (call for more info)! Every Thursday they even have piano evenings. To top it all off you’ll find an exhaustive selection of teas and coffee – both the expected and the exotic. An added bonus: they now serve wine, liquor and even chilled lemonade!QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 112 (entrance from Al. Schillera), tel. (+48) 533 21 80 03, www.chatkaech.pl.

Open 12:00 - 21:00. T­E­L­6­W

CAFE VERTE The little alleyway leading into the courtyard may not be the most attractive in Łódź, but Verte certainly is one of the quaintest cafes in town. Think of old local cafes in Vienna, Berlin or, if your imagination can take you there, a coffee house in pre-war Poland. Verte neatly avoids the ‘repro’ look of many venues which try to make links to the past. A true Aladdin’s cave of old and beautifully crafted furniture, antique decor and adding a touch of decadence, a selection of framed Witkacy photographs from the 1920’s-30’s. The whole venue is also used for a programme of seriously arty photography exhibitions.QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 113/115, tel. (+48) 507 08 40 07. Open 12:00 - 22:00. U­W

DZIEŃ DOBRY CAFFE One of the newest cafes in Łódź, and it seems they’re trying to be the ‘hosts with the most’, but while they offer a lot, you’ll need to to roll up your sleeves and do some of the work yourself? Huh? Well, not literally make your own food, but you get to make up your own bowls after choosing what specific ingredients you want to make up, whether it be for breakfast or brunch. If all this sounds a bit too much, not a problem, as they also have set menu options, from salads, sandwiches and soups to sweet & savoury pancakes and tarts (check out lunch specials Mon-Fri 12:00-14:00 for 18zł). The ingredients on offer are simple but healthy, and just proves that with the right approach, you can make

48 Łódź In Your Pocket

Cafés some really great meals. The food tastes great (even if you have made your own!), and visually, the desserts on offer look stunning. Try it out.QM‑5, ul. Narutowicza 57, tel. (+48) 515 95 32 05, www.dziendobrycaffe.pl. Open 08:00 - 20:00, Fri 08:00 - 18:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 18:00. T­6­W E. WEDEL CHOCOLATE LOUNGE It wouldn’t be right for there not to be a Wedel cafe on Łódź’s most prominent street - indeed, they already have one at Manufaktura, so it’s great to have a 2nd location right in the city centre. For those that don’t know, Wedel is Poland’s first and most famous confectionery outlet, operating since 1851 - it’s lasted this long because they sure know what they’re doing!QK‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 69, tel. (+48) 661 96 18 64, www.wedelpijalnie.pl. Open 10:00 - 22:00. T­6 GRAND COFFEE This centrally located cafe is spacious and sophisticated with a true warmth that makes you want to consume the morning paper along with your latte. If the buck of stars was to finally gallop into Łódź, Grand could feasibly give them a run for their pumpkin-spiced money. With over 40 coffee beverages, coffee cocktails and shakes to choose from, deciding on your drink will make you think. They also have a decent breakfast and dessert menu that swings to the sweeter end of the spectrum (vegan cakes, croissants etc.) Amidst all the foams and sugary treats the coffee itself feels a bit lost. While our flat white was only just good, the cafe itself is truly Grand.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 72, tel. (+48) 696 38 33 87. Open 08:00 21:00, Fri, Sat 08:00 - 22:00. T­6­W HOT AIR CAFE NEW With such a name, we hoped this place wasn’t going to do exactly as it says on the tin. But thankfully, the hot air is not bravado, but an allusion to old Zepellins flying around the skies, and the imagery of coffee machines at work, producing steam. That’s why you’re here, right? Other than being drawn to the painted murals inside by Cyprian Łukasik, the immediate reaction to this place is the brow raising size - quite big for a cafe. That’s the great thing about it, for there are only a few tables, all spaced out nicely to allow you and your friends to talk in a relaxing environment, not squashed up amongst 20 tables for maximum ‘cost effectiveness’. The interior is sparse, with plain wooden shelving and basic lighting, all set amongst some chill music, but trust us, it’s something you’ll like if it’s a calm place you seek. Oh, and the teas, coffees and sweet treats are damn good too.QK‑10, ul.

Piotrkowska 217, tel. (+48) 794 94 76 66, www.hotaircafe. pl. Open 09:00 - 20:00, Fri, Sat 09:00 - 21:00. U­E­6­W KAWIARNIA SŁODKIE SŁÓWKA (BEAN&BUDDIES) Located through a gate on Łódz’s longest street (where else?!), but nearer the southern end at 276, right across from the church (tilt your head and the spire looks like a chicken). Find the cafe about 30 metres from the gate and walk on down into the cosy interior. Created by four friends with a passion for good quality coffee who felt their neighbourhood lacked a good cafe, so they opened their

own! Here you’ll find a fine selection of coffee from carefully selected Arabica beans from Brazil, Burundi and India as well as Brazilian Robusta. Despite being imported from around the world, the coffee is roasted in Poland (which you can also buy on their site)! A variety of tea & coffees are also on offer ranging from 5-11zł, along with squeezed juices, sandwiches, salad boxes and sweet treats.QK‑12, ul. Piotrkowska 276, tel. (+48) 600 38 60 50. Open 08:00 - 18:00, Sat 11:00 - 16:00, Closed Sun. T­B­S­W MONTAG Tucked away in a courtyard behind Piotrkowska, Montag is a simple and stylish artisan bakery and café which specialises in the art of bread making. Ten types of sweet and savoury breads make up the products available daily and small samples are laid out on the counter so that you can try before you buy. Special edition breads are also made for occasions like Easter or Valentine’s Day. The café is one long, heavy wooden table surrounded by pastel coloured plastic seating. Enjoy a cake and a coffee while watching the master baker kneading his dough behind a large glass window. Weekend visitors are in for a treat as they serve hot breakfasts on Saturday 09:00-14:00. Don’t miss out.QJ‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 107, tel. (+48) 608 63 25 32. Open 07:00 - 20:00, Sat 07:00 - 16:00. Closed Sun. T­6­W PRZĘDZA COFFEE/BAR Our ‘bean-hound’ was so taken with this specialist coffee bar that he wanted to keep it a secret, but what would be the point of that? The selection of beans all come from small Polish and International bean roasters and arrive at the café within days of being roasted. Notes on the coffees in stock are available, or just chat with coffee guru Piotrek.

Beans, aeropress devices and chemex coffee makers are available to buy. ‘Leafies’ are also well catered for too with a fine range of exotic teas. Oh, and don’t forget the popular cakes which are all homemade! Snacks are available too in the form of paninis, bruschetta and hummus. Make sure to check the ever changing photo exhibits on the walls while you sip your drip (all photos available for purchase as well).

QJ‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 107, tel. (+48) 605 10 16 04. Open 09:00 - 22:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 22:00. 6­W THE BRICK COFFEE FACTORY The alternative coffee trend continues to flourish in Łódź and this petite Piotrkowska outpost turns out some of the best jumpin’ java juice around. Whether you appreciate your aeropress brewed upside down or not, these talented baristas have all sorts of delicious coffee tricks up their sleeves and are happy to make suggestions when they see you getting lost in their lattes. They keep it simple on the food front though and only offer cakes and cookies to go with your well crafted cuppa. They are really into accessories however so you may end up leaving with a travel mug or two. All told, we’ll go out on a limb and say The Brick has the best coffee on Piotrkowska - now packing two punches with a 2nd location on the same street at no.

63.QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 136, tel. (+48) 570 63 01 36.

Open 07:00 - 20:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 21:00. 6­W lodz.inyourpocket.com 49

Traditional Polish Dishes

Polish pierogi can conquer any appetite.

Polish food is famous for being simple, hearty and not especially colourful. You simply haven’t had a thorough sampling of it until you’ve tried all the traditional dishes below, all of which can be found at almost any Polish restaurant in town. Smacznego!

BIGOS

Though there is no standard recipe for this hearty stew, ingredients usually include lots of fresh and pickled cabbage, sausage, onion, mushrooms, garlic and whatever else is on hand. In fact, metaphorically bigos translates to ‘big mess,’‘mish-mash’ or ‘confusion’ in Polish. Seasoned with peppercorns, bay leaves, caraway and the kitchen sink, the stew is left to gestate for a few days for full flavour infusion. A Polish restaurant or prospective bride can be fairly measured on the strength of their bigos, so put it to the test.

GOŁĄBKI

Translating to ‘little pigeons,’ this favourite dish consists of boiled cabbage leaves stuffed with beef, onion and rice before being baked and served in a tomato or mushroom sauce. Polish legend claims King Kazimierz IV fed his army quinn.anya, flicker.com, CC BY-SA 2.0 gołąbki before a battle against the Teutonic Order, and their unlikely victory has been attributed to the fortifying meal ever since.

GOLONKA

Bigos

50 Łódź In Your Pocket

© graletta - dollarphotoclub

© gkrphoto, AdobeStock

Pork knuckle or hock, as in pig’s thigh. A true Polish delicacy, the boiled, braised or roasted meat should slip right off the bone, be served with horseradish, and washed down with beer. Go caveman.

Traditional Polish Dishes KOTLET SCHABOWY

Probably the most popular lunch/ supper in Poland is the almighty ‘schabowy’ with mashed potatoes and pickled cabbage, and you can walk into almost restaurant in the country and be assured of its presence on the menu (if the kitchen hasn’t run out of it already). Essentially a breaded and fried pork chop, ‘kotlet schabowy’ is quite similar to Viennese schnitzel, and a solid bet for a cheap, filling, risk-free meal. If you’re awoken on a Saturday or Sunday morning by the sound of profuse banging - that’s the collective sound of every housewife in Poland tenderising the meat for this meal with a spiky mallet. So best mind your manners.

PIEROGI

Doughy dumplings traditionally filled with potato (Ruskie), sweet cheese, meat, mushrooms and cabbage, strawberries or plums, though if you nose around you will find plenty of maverick fillings like broccoli, chocolate or liver; the possibilities are truly limitless and they are served almost everywhere in the city.

PLACKI ZIEMNIACZANE

These greasy, fried potato pancakes are very similar to Jewish latkes, and may be served simply with sour cream, or as a hefty meal smothered in mushroom sauce or goulash. Highly caloric, they’re also a tried and true hangover cure.

ZUPA (SOUP)

Poland has two signature soups: barszcz and żurek. A nourishing beetroot soup, barszcz may be served with potatoes and veggies tossed in, with a croquette or miniature pierogi floating in it, or simply as broth in a mug expressly for drinking (‘barszcz solo’). A recommended alternative to other beverages with any winter meal, we’d be surprised if you can find a bad cup of barszcz anywhere in Kraków.

It doesn’t get any more Polish than żurek – a unique sour rye soup with sausage, potatoes and occasionally egg chucked in, and often served in a bread bowl.

POLISH SNACKS & SHOTS

Photo by Karol Grzenia

A very Polish phenomenon that is the all night snack and shot bar. Known as ‘Zakąski Przekąski’ (literally ‘Appetisers & Snacks’), these trendy, formulaic budget bars cash in on communist nostalgia and the appeal of low prices by offering a small selection of simple appetisers for about 9zł each, with drinks typically fixed at 4/5zł. The menu typically includes śledź (pickled herring in oil), kiełbasa (sausage), pierogi, pickles and tartare. We list the best in Łódź below: BISTRO The trend of zakąska bars shows no sign of slowing, and Bistro gives it a unique twist by going with a mid-1980s Cocktail vibe instead of the usual run-down communist design. Slide in and grab a 6zł Okocim or Kasztelan beer, 6zł shots or 16zł Guinness for some pre-party social lubricant or as a way to ease into Sunday’s hangover.

We guarantee you’ll be in good company.QJ‑6, ul.

Piotrkowska 71, tel. (+48) 536 07 08 57. Open 13:00 03:00, Fri, Sat 13:00 - 06:00. X­E­6­W META NA PIOTRKOWSKIEJ The Meta brand brings to Łódź its signature commiehomey interior of dated furniture and old-school records on the wall. Which isn’t to say Meta itself is dated; this hotspot is cashing in by slinging stroganoff and tatar along with cheap shots of vodka and beer (we’re talking 5zł cheap, on Piotrkowska no less).

Their hours are accommodating, so expect to see a crowd spilling their shots into the wee hours.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 84, tel. (+48) 42 207 11 70, www. metanapiotrkowskiej.pl. Open 11:00 - 06:00. X­W PIJALNIA WÓDKI I PIWA Not quite open 24 hours a day, but very nearly! Pijalnia a prime location on Piotrkowska and the kind of cheap late-night eats that promise to offset your oncoming hangover. Whether you’re pregaming your night with their 4.50zł vodka shots and beers or rolling up for a post-closing-time 9zł snack you’ll find yourself in good company.QK‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 92, tel. (+48) 881 77 88 28, www.pwip.com.pl. Open 09:00 - 04:00, Fri 09:00 - 05:30, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 07:00. W lodz.inyourpocket.com 51

Restaurants

Nóż (p.23), meaning knife, is not a place for a knife fight. It’s just a damn good place for food with unique wine to match.

You need to approach the Łódź restaurant scene with an openness and understanding that the gastronomy industry is still quite young. That doesn’t mean there’s not some absolute gems, but you may have to wade through some murky waters to find them. Just to note - we do approximate price ranges for you but they are subject to change, naturally. Likewise the opening hours in Łódź are rather a mere suggestion; don’t be put off if the doors are closed during a slow day but conversely you can expect the chefs and staff to power through regardless of the late hour come a busy night service.

sanctuary with its selection of pizzas, and other Italian favourites too.

SPLURGE Voted one of the 100 best restaurants in Poland, Quale (p.58) was awarded top honours by the prestigious Gault & Millau dining guide. Definitely more upmarket than most, with excellent food to match. Tango (p.54) will give you the best steak in Łódź guaranteed - the luxury does match the pricing.

LADS Esplanada’s (p.56) ‘lad-ness’ can be summed up by its Monday beer offers and ridiculous food portions.

Surprisingly the quality does match the quantity on most occasions. Sphinx’s (p.61) large tables, great food not to mention prices that won’t burn your wallet makes it a great place for guys on the town.

EXOTIC Istanbul Tajmahal (p.56) has recently been catapulted into local fame simply because its food speaks for itself - for both carnivores and vegetarians alike. Złota Kaczka (p.54) needs to be checked out, because it fails to do what every other ‘Asian’ place in the city does - cause indigestion and guilt. Thankfully.

LOCAL Try Piwnica Łódzka (p.63) if you want a sense of what Polish people are actually eating, and Chłopska Izba (p.61) if you want a sense of what Polish people are known for eating.

KIDS It’s nice to find good pizza in Łódź, especially when it’s a firm favourite with the kids. Pomodoro (p.60) offers 52 Łódź In Your Pocket

COUPLES The fantastic Nóż (p.23) is a strong choice for dates as it lacks that uncomfortable snobiness and instead provides inventive menus and inviting post-industrial interiors. Ato Sushi (p.54) could easily be called the best restaurant in the city and the interactive, playfulness of sushi will always be a cute first dater.

CHEAP Italica (p.59), naturally being mainly a pizza joint, produces something rather inexpensive but in this case, hand on heart great. Check out Manekin’s (p.56) huge savory and sweet crepe selections that are cheap as chips.

Restaurants SYMBOL & PRICE KEY 6 Animal friendly

C‑1 Map Coordinate

T Child-friendly

N Credit cards not accepted

E Live music

U Facilities for the disabled

W Wi-fi connection X Smoking room available o Year-Round Garden

€ €€ €€€ €€€€ €€€€€

most mains under 25zł most mains 25-45zł most mains 45-75zł most mains 75-115zł most mains over 115zł

AMERICAN GASTROMACHINA STACJA These guys have done it. Famous from their Food Truck, this is their long awaited stationary location! Centralised and well designed it has a best-in-town and impressive stance towards burgers. They come up with some weird creations that appear in weekly special form and boast a firm standard when it comes to the classics. Cheesus Christ Superstar hits a spot I didn’t know existed as does MegaMachina if you fancy a Man vs. Food styled challenge.

The staff/owners also have a great non-hipster approach to it all, so don’t be intimidated. But remember - MEDIUM/ RARE. That is all.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 89, tel. (+48) 537 03 91 98. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 24:00, Sun 13:00 - 20:00. €€. 6­W WALL STREET BBQ Entering Wall Street is not an invitation to fight the large yellow bull near the entrance, a homage to the same charging bull found in New Yoik’s financial district. It is, however, an invitation to eat some top steaks! The interior is funky, in a black and yellow colour scheme, with natural wood mixed in along with some large artwork on the walls and some neon lights dotted around, all contributing to the chilled out feel of the place. Watch, if you so choose, your food being made in the open plan kitchen. The food hosts a fine selection of meats, done according to your preference from rare to well done, with a top selection of drinks and cocktails to go with it all.

They have a 10% promotion one any one meal from MonFri 12:00-16:00. There is also a children’s menu available.

QK‑8, ul. Piłsudskiego 10, tel. (+48) 607 67 62 07, www.bistrowallstreet.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 23:00. €€€. T­6­W

Get the In Your Pocket City Essentials App

TIPPING TRIBULATIONS Polish tipping etiquette can be a bit confusing for foreigners. While in other civilized countries it’s normal to say ‘thanks’ when a waiter collects the money, you’ll be horrified to learn that in Poland uttering the word ‘dziękuję,’ or even ‘thank you’ in English, is an indication that you won’t be wanting any change back.

This cultural slip-up can get very embarrassing and expensive as the waiter/waitress then typically does their best to play the fool and make you feel ashamed for asking for your money back, or conveniently disappears having pocketed all of your change. Be careful only to say ‘thank you’ if you are happy for the waitstaff to keep all the change. Otherwise we advise you to only use the word ‘proszę’ (please) when handing back the bill and the payment.

Despite the fact that most waitstaff in PL are only paid in pennies and leftovers, it is not customary to tip more than 10% of the meal’s total (though being a foreigner may make the staff expectant of a bit more generosity).

As such, we encourage you to reward good service when you feel it’s deserved. Finally, it is virtually unheard of to leave the tip on your card, because waitstaff are then forced to pay tax on the gratuity; you won’t get the chance. Therefore it’s essential to have some change or small bills handy in order to leave your server a tip. If you don’t have any, ask for change.

ARGENTINIAN STEAKHOUSE EST. 2014 WITH THE HIGHEST QUALITY ARGENTINIAN BEEF GRILLED IN A TRADITIONAL WAY

BY A NATIVE ARGENTINEAN

UL. TRAUGUTTA 14

TEL.: (+48) 726 29 77 25

STEKI.WINO@TANGOSTEAKHOUSE.PL

lodz.inyourpocket.com 53

Restaurants ARGENTINIAN TANGO ARGENTINO STEAKHOUSE Returning to Łódź from his native Argentina, chef Franco Cambareri vowed to bring a little part of home back with him. His passion for authentic grilled Argentinian steak and love of traditional tango music come together brilliantly in his glamorous little steakhouse. The finest beef is imported directly from Argentina, grilled to perfection and served up with his signature chimichurri sauce. The short menu really emphasises the speciality nature of the restaurant. The interior sticks to a classic look; deep red walls, dark furniture and a collection of tango based artworks/vintage posters brought from home. The cracking Argentinian and Chilean wine list is also unique to the city.QK‑6, ul. Traugutta 14, tel. (+48) 726 29 77 25, www.tangosteakhouse.pl. Open 13:00 - 22:00. Closed Mon, (Children under age 2 aren’t allowed). €€€€. W

Restauracja Cztery Ściany ul. Piotrkowska 89 Łódź 90-423 tel.: 885 042 444

e-mail: restauracja.czterysciany@gmail.com www.czterysciany-restauracja.com

DECODING THE MENU Since one of the main things you’re likely to be doing while in town is eating, here are a few words you’re likely to encounter on any menu in town. Smacznego!

(Enjoy your meal!) śniadania breakfast zupa soup przystawki appetisers dania główne main dishes dodatki side dishes ziemniaki potatoes kapusta cabbage ser cheese chleb bread warzywa vegetables owoce fruit mięso meat kurczak chicken wieprzowina pork wołowina beef ryba fish deser dessert ciasto cake lody ice cream napoje drinks kawa coffee piwo beer 54 Łódź In Your Pocket

ASIAN ATO SUSHI Sushi in Poland is popular and the proportion of restaurants opting for this cuisine makes you wonder about how they can all survive. The typically minimalist design plays host to well-prepared Nigiri, Sashimi, Futomaki and the like. Prices are well positioned to compete, but the biggest thing in its favour is the choice of nicely-presented hot dishes such as crispy duck. These and the very tasty ramen with beef soup made our visit all the more worthwhile and there are options enough in the menu to keep you coming back.

QJ‑6, ul. 6 Sierpnia 1/3, tel. (+48) 42 207 99 99, www. atosushi.pl. Open 12:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 24:00, Sun 12:00 - 22:00. €€€. T­W PHO SHOP Once lacking, there’s been a steady increase in quality Asian food venues appearing in Łódź in recent years. Good! For we are lovers of Pho and Ramen! Now, Pho Shop obviously deals with the former (what gave it away?), and if you know the make-up of the soup, you’ll understand the nice simplicity to it all that packs a punch. And that’s what we also have with Pho Shop itself, in terms of interior - simple, well lit, pleasant.

The great thing about this place is that the smell will hit you well before you reach the front door, so follow it like Pepé Le Pew straight to the source (it’s only a hop skip and a jump away from ul. Piotrkowska). If Pho isn’t enough, they have great Bao (bread like dumplings), with various fillings. Special mention goes to the Vietnamese style lemonades and iced tea with fruits and mint. The whole bill was relatively small, and we left feeling well fed, without overdoing it! QK‑7, ul.

Tuwima 1, tel. (+48) 42 645 21 78. Open 12:00 - 21:30, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 22:30, Sun 12:00 - 19:00. €€. 6­W ZŁOTA KACZKA Set around landscaped oriental gardens Złota Kaczka stands out as the best Chinese food in town, so it’s a bit of a shame you’re going to have to head out of town to get there. Your efforts to find it are rewarded by a top menu

Restaurants that far exceeds the glow-in-the-dark goo served in more central establishments, and if ever you needed evidence of this then snatch a look at their guest list. Previous diners number Robbie Williams and John Malkovich, as well as a fair spread of lesser known Polish celebs and politicians.

Ring in advance if you wish to sample the giant Peking duck for two. And don’t leave the kids at home; not only do they get their own menu but there’s also a special kids corner and indoor playground to keep them entertained.Qul. Rąbieńska 53 (Polesie), tel. (+48) 42 712 64 03, www. zlotakaczka.lodz.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00. €€. T­U­W ZŁOTY IMBIR Opening the door to this unassuming little restaurant on a Friday afternoon we were astounded to find it packed!

Initial suspicion regarding the two elderly and tough looking waiters in black shirts and red bow ties were soon put to rest as they turned out to be that rare breed - old school gents and masters of their profession. Orders were taken quickly and the food arrived after a short wait. Not only was the service brilliant but the food was also some of the best Chinese we have had in a long time; everything was fragrant, well presented and packed with flavour.

So popular is this place, they’ve opened up a 2nd floor, great for family and business events, but also for the kids as they have a new play area!QK‑6, ul. Sienkiewicza 39, tel. (+48) 690 51 69 00, www.zlotyimbir.com.pl. Open 13:00 - 21:00, Fri, Sat 13:00 - 23:00, Sun 13:00 - 20:00. €€. T­U­W

CZECH CESKY FILM RESTAURANT & PUB The first restaurant to nab a spot in the renovated Księży Młyn complex, Cesky Film is a freshly renovated, bright and open concept Czech restaurant that takes its name from the film canisters and giant movie stills that make up the decor. It’s an appealing - if random - design, but our eyes were immediately drawn to the five taps of various Cerna Hora beers. Paired with the filling Czech goulash and hearty dumplings you’ll start to consider Polish cuisine as light fare.QO‑10, ul. Tymienieckiego 25A, lok 3, tel. (+48) 881 40 38 88, www.ceskyfilm.pl. Open 12:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 24:00, Sun 12:00 - 21:00. €€€. T­U­E­6­W

Chinese Restaurant„Złoty Imbir” is located in the very heart of Łódź and is the perfect place for a romantic dinner for two, a family dinner, Chinese Restaurant„Złoty Imbir”, Łódź ul.Sienkiewicza 39, tel.690-516-900, https://www.facebook.com/ZlotyImbir ttps:// om/Zlo yImbir

EASTERN EUROPEAN SERVANTKA Servantka stands out as the first restaurant in all of Poland where our waitress followed up shortly after delivering our delicious Russian dumplings to ask how everything was. A small but revolutionary act we say. Servantka specializes in Russian and Ukrainian dishes, and the hearty solanka rosyjska soup can best be described as meatastic while the pelmeni with caviar is a culinary trip to Red Square. The restaurant’s newly redesigned interior is colorful and cozy with a playful Slavic fairytale feel.QJ‑5, ul. Piotrkowska 55, tel. (+48) 42 630 75 45. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 23:00, Sun 12:00 - 21:00. Closed Mon. €€€. I­W lodz.inyourpocket.com 55

Restaurants QUICK EATS The city’s main street, ul. Piotrkowska, has places all along it where you can pick up something quick to eat with no shortage of pizza and kebab outlets. For the best choice of fast food in one place though either head to the food court at Galeria Łódzka (D-7) at one end of Piotrkowska or the bigger version at Manufaktura (A/B1) which along with the biggest names in international fast food (McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut), you’ll find a good choice of alternatives of quick sit down meals.

IN CENTRO You may hear some locals touting this place as the best pizza in Poland. An optimistic claim, maybe, though this is certainly one of the premier pizzerias in Łódź. Definitely a veteran on the local pizza scene, In Centro pull the crowds whatever the hour, whatever the season. Always reliable and comfort food at its best.

QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 153, tel. (+48) 42 636 99 92, www.incentro.com.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Sun 13:00 - 22:00. €€. W MANEKIN Put the drugs away, you won’t need any after stepping inside Manekin. Yes, there are a few oddly lifelike mannequins here, but the real brain-zapper is the interior, styled to mimic a pre-war tram. Filled with overhanging cables, pictures of passing streetscapes and rich wood panelling this place looks ace, and looks far better in reality than we could ever do justice. Yet the action doesn’t stop with the gimmick, it only gets started. If there are finer pancakes in Łódź we could do with knowing, though frankly we’d be hard pressed to believe you. There’s seventy plus to choose from, and these run from chicken curry pancakes, to ones filled with fruit, ice cream and other stuff we thrive on.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.QJ‑6, ul. 6 Sierpnia 1/3, tel. (+48) 42 671 07 84, www.manekin.pl. Open 10:00 22:30, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 23:30. €. T­6 PAPUVEGE This brick and mortar fast slow-food joint got its start on four wheels as a food truck. Their specialty is veggie and vegan burgers filled with fresh ingredients and bold flavours inspired by middle, near, and far-east cuisines. Even for a meat lover like us, their delicious burgers and wraps became borderline addictive. In just under a week we worked our way through their falafel burger, grilled eggplant wrap, Greek pita with vegan gyros, and the Vietnamese inspired Banh Mi baguette and found ourselves still wanting more. We also tried several of their fruit and dessert smoothies on for size and they fit just fine. Slow food made fast and served with a smile.QK‑6, ul. Sienkiewicza 15, tel. (+48) 798 11 16 93. Open 11:00 - 21:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 22:00, Sun 12:00 - 21:00. €. 6 56 Łódź In Your Pocket

EUROPEAN CZTERY ŚCIANY There was a time in Łódź (not too long ago!) when truly good restaurants could be counted on one hand...OK, maybe two, but the point is this trend has now well and truly been turned around. Cztery Ściany (translated as Four Walls), prides itself on the gastronomical trend of ‘author’s cuisine’.

A bit of a confession from me, but I’ve always enjoyed this style of cooking, which allows for chefs to show off their creative flare rather than stick to a rigid menu. So what of the food here? If you are in Łódź, you have to try for yourself - the overall experience here is fantastic, the ingredients are seasonal, and the food presented to you is nothing short of a work of art, you feel almost guilty ruining it with your cutlery.

The starters and mains are lovely, but just wait until you try the desserts. The kitchen closes 1 hour before closing time.

QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 89, tel. (+48) 885 04 24 44, www. czterysciany-restauracja.com. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Closed Mon, Sat 13:00 - 23:00, Sun 13:00 - 18:00. €€€. T­6­W

INDIAN ISTANBUL TAJMAHAL Łódź’s favorite kebab spot has expanded to a freshly renovated full-blown restaurant with a menu of Indian and Turkish dishes that proves their talent isn’t one-note. The tandoori dishes are a standout, especially if you enjoy a mix of meat and vegetable variations like methi paneer and the palak paneer. Turkish dishes include Coban Kavurma, recommended by the waiters, no less! You can also get hand-held fare like doner and chicken kebabs. Expect to encounter the owner, who likes to help guests choose the ideal Indian dish. And yes, you can still get yourself a signature kebab if you’re hankering for the old days.

QK‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 88, tel. (+48) 42 632 00 96, www. istanbul-tajmahal.com. Open 11:00 - 01:00, Wed, Thu 11:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 04:00. €€. T­W

INTERNATIONAL AFFOGATO One of the more experimental menus in the city with a menu of the week available Thu-Fri, 13:00-17:00 consisting of a main and dessert. They focused a lot of attention and detail on the design of the interiors and the results are certainly impressive – dazzling, light colours, and tables laid out in a spacious room. The food more than holds its own and they most recently were awarded two chefs hats from the prestigious Gault & Millau gastronomic guide. Most recommended, not least for a space age toilet that really raises the eyebrows.QK‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 144, tel. (+48) 664 45 42 20, www.affogato.pl. Open 13:00 - 21:30, Fri, Sat 13:00 - 23:00, Sun 13:00 - 18:30. €€€. T­U­6­W BIERHALLE - ESPLANADA Formerly a Czech/Bavarian eatery, it has now been transformed into the latest location of the popular Bavarian chain Bierhalle. Not much of a stretch thankfully.

Restaurants You’re guaranteed to feel like you’ve gone back in time, not just because of the traditional costumes on the wait staff (think stein wielding beer wenches), as the atmosphere is generally yesteryear while the main focus is fixed firmly on the fantastic fizzy beers brewed on site. They also have a lot of kid-friendly features including a giant playground and sports on giant TVs for Dad.QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 100, tel. (+48) 507 66 38 51, www.bierhalle.pl. Open 10:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 01:00, Sun 10:00 - 22:00. €€. T­W CUD MIÓD FABRYCZNA This new bistro has taken a strong brand and fused it with the city’s newest architectural triumph - Łódź Fabryczna train station (see cover). The industrial feel and transportation leit motifs (a vintage motorcycle) make the concept work well but it’s the food that makes this fab joint really fly. From hearty and healthy breakfast specials till noon (14:00 on weekends), which include coffee or tea for a grosz (penny), to borderline gourmet 3-course lunch specials Mon - Fri from 12-16 for only 19.90zł!!!, to their impeccable a la carte menu which includes such choice items as fresh oysters and seasoned dry aged Polish steaks. You’ll also find an amazing wine list plus a hearty selection of hot and cold beverages. Before you catch your train, duck in for a quick bite or eat to your heart’s delight. For all parents, it’s worth nothing they have a baby-sitting service to entertain the kids each Sunday.

QK‑6, ul. Traugutta 2, tel. (+48) 690 00 17 69. Open 10:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 01:00, Sun 10:00 - 22:00. €€€. T­U­6­W DZIKA KACZKA One of the best dining rooms in the city and perfect when trying to clinch that big deal. A country club atmosphere is complimented by ecru coloured walls and wood panelling while bow-tied waiters, soft music and important looking cutlery arrangements generate an upper-crust atmosphere.

Head chef Marek Skrętowski is the mastermind behind the menu, and diners can choose from a stunning variety of cracking dishes. Highly recommended.Qul. Sosnowa 1, Zgierz (Stacja Nowa Gdynia Hotel), tel. (+48) 42 714 21 51, www.dzika-kaczka.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00. €€€.

T­U­W FOUR COLORS Located in Double Tree by Hilton Łódź, this luxurious and stylish restaurant presents an exquisite and original menu.

The delectable dishes on offer are a selection of international specialities with a Polish twist like their own interpretation of łazanki - pasta with savoy cabbage, button mushrooms, pickled red cabbage, pork belly, confit egg yolk, chantarelle sauce. Add to this a stunning and informative 100-strong wine list, including the magnificently titled ‘Wine Treasures of the Four Colors Restaurant.’QH‑9, ul. Łąkowa 29 (DoubleTree by Hilton Łódź Hotel), tel. (+48) 42 208 80 36, www.doubletreelodz.pl. Open 06:30 - 10:00, 12:30 22:30; Sat 07:00 - 10:30, 12:30 - 22:00; Sun 07:00 - 11:00, 12:30 - 22:00. €€€€. T­U­W lodz.inyourpocket.com 57

Restaurants IRISH PUB Irish Pubs have a bad image. The promise of the mid-life crisis’ parked up at the bar; and the overuse of Jameson, green and shamrocks. But the food at Irish Pub Łódź forces you to forget it all, as it’s easily some of the best in the city.

There’s an elegant, thought-about stance towards every one of the dishes including the succulent steaks, which are actually cooked to the temperature you want. The presentation is modern and respectable yet not-snobby.

Whether you sit in the garden, or the basement, the attentive staff will make sure you get hold of the good stuff.

Guinness available on tap (duh).QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 77, tel. (+48) 662 15 32 00, www.irishpub.pl. Open 15:30 23:00, Fri, Sat 15:30 - 24:00, Sun 13:30 - 22:00. Closed Mon. €€€. X­T­E­6­W PRZERWA CATERING & DESIGN It’s one of those places, you know - coffee, juices, lunches worth an Instagram, dinners worth 25zł, white/brick walls with wooden tables; it feels very Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V. The size of the area is impressive with advertisement attention put on the possibility for conferences and events - and with the food at Przerwa it would certainly be well catered for.

The staff are switched on and the bakers deserve a round of applause - sipping a coffee here now, would I come back? I suppose yes, but in a bigger group - I want to try more, but sitting alone in such a large space is somewhat intimidating. Send help.QJ‑9, ul. Wólczańska 128/134, tel. (+48) 42 212 33 30, www.przerwa-lodz.com. Open 11:00 - 16:00, Closed Sat, Sun. €€€€. U­6­W

GRAND RESTAURANT

THE TRADITION OF RICH POLISH CUISINE IN A MODERN RENDITION

Grand Hotel Łódź Piotrkowska 72, Łódź Grand.hotel.com.pl restauracja.grand@hotel.com.pl tel: tel +48 663 269 988

58 Łódź In Your Pocket

QUALE RESTAURANT This place doesn’t belong in Łódź, it’s way ahead of what’s expected of this city, culinarily speaking. It was recently voted one of the 100 best restaurants in Poland and awarded high honours by the prestigious Gault & Millau dining guide. So yes, most certainly dress up and take your credit card, and please make a reservation. If you can push for it go for one of the seasonal tasting menus - a choice of 6 or 9 dishes to really give you a taste of what they have to offer. Our preconceptions, taste buds, and flavour profiles were challenged in the best possible way.

This is a transformative experience, not just a dinner. I just hope their beef tenderloin is on offer when you visit - it’s borderline pornographic. Parking is available for guests.

QL‑5, ul. Narutowicza 48, tel. (+48) 42 253 80 39, www. qualerestaurant.pl. Open 16:00 - 22:00, Fri 16:00 - 23:00, Sat 13:00 - 23:00, Sun 13:00 - 19:00, Closed Mon. €€€.

X­W RESTAURACJA U KRETSCHMERA Situated in the basement level of the trendy Hotel Tobaco, the restaurant is a stunning and fascinating blend of the building’s past history as a tobacco factory mixed with modern architectural design. The walls are decorated with ‘treasures’ discovered during the restoration of the buildingmetal plaques, tobacco advertising, plans and photographs from the factory’s 1920’s-40’s heyday. The menu is a wellconsidered fusion of flavours crafted from the cuisine of

Restaurants the four prevalent nationalities for whom Łódź was home: Polish, German, Russian and Jewish. Dishes are lavish and this is truly exquisite dining in a unique atmosphere.

QG‑9, ul. Kopernika 64, tel. (+48) 42 207 07 07, www. hoteltobaco.pl. Open 07:00 - 10:00, 14:00 - 22:00. Note that the bar stays open daily until 24:00. €€€. U­W SOTE Modern molecular cooking? In Łódź? It took us by surprise too, especially since this alchemic cuisine has only fairly recently shown up in the capital. But Sote are employing molecular gastronomy at Nobo Hotel’s restaurant with pleasing results, though us naming dishes won’t do you any good since the menu changes regularly (and creatively).

The setting is as exacting as the dishes, with red chandeliers and crisp white tablecloths giving off a mod vibe. Breakfast is served 07:00-10:00 and mains from 12:00.Qul. Liściasta 86 / Al. Włókniarzy (NoBo Hotel), tel. (+48) 42 234 14 62.

Open 07:00 - 22:00. €€€. T­U­6­W

ITALIAN ANGELO RISTORANTE It never ceases to amaze us how much this town loves its Italian food, although unlike some other imposters Angelo is the real deal. As soon as you approach the checkered table-clothed tables on the street, the smells of simmering garlic and fresh seafood will start to hit you. The regular menu is short and sweet and includes pasta dishes like squid ink pasta with shrimps and favourites like lamb chops with truffle vegetable purée. Every Fri-Sun they offer fresh fish and seafood plucked straight from the Mediterranean and trucked straight to your table - this menu is different each week! A nice range of Italian wines start at a very decent 50zł a bottle. In the warmer months, outside seating is available in the summer garden.QJ‑6, ul. 6 Sierpnia 1/3, tel. (+48) 507 55 56 37, www.angelo-lodz.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 23:00, Sun 12:00 - 21:00. €€€. T­W ITALICA In an even more random yet centralised location than its sister Pomodoro, the fat Italian chef figure of yesteryear standing outside gives Italica hope. Not kidding. Italica is a well-established freshly renovated eatery with its primary focus being pizza. For the love of all that’s holy, try the mascarpone and the prosciutto. This is your chance to have really good pizza, or pasta, or secondo piatto - I highly recommend delivery though as it is your right to get down and dirty in private with at least 3 impressive pizzas.

QJ‑6, Al. Kościuszki 33/35, tel. (+48) 42 670 62 04, www. pizzeriaitalica.pl. Open 13:00 - 21:00, Fri, Sat 13:00 22:00, Sun 12:00 - 21:00. €€. T

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Restaurants

OTWARTE DRZWI A lovely little Italian restaurant tucked away in a well-lookedafter and peaceful courtyard. The young and enthusiastic Polish owners/chefs, Maciek and Konrad, developed their passion for Italian cooking during their travels around the land of La Dolce Vita. The classic menu, featuring authentic pizza and pasta dishes, is kept to a manageable length with most of the products used in the kitchen coming directly from Italy. Otwarte Drzwi also features a proper woodburning pizza oven, a relaxing outdoor area, fine Italian wines and regional Polish beers. They also have daily lunch specials from Mon-Fri 12:00 - 16:00. The whole experience is topped off by the extremely nice and unpretentious owners and staff.QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 120, tel. (+48) 502 85 57 79, www.otwarte-drzwi.com. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 23:00, Sun 12:00 - 21:00. €€. T­6­W POMODORO Pizza. Just pizza. This place and its sister Italica do it right. In an unlikely location Pomodoro offers itself up as a gateway for the round, cheesy, decadent, slightly charred bottomed, wood-fired good stuff. Yes there’s also a menu with Italian fare which is respectable in its own right - but in a town congested with cheap, sub-standard, wannabe discs of dough, it’s a pleasant surprise to come across a place like Pomodoro pushing real pies. But remember, toppings-wise, less is more.QJ‑4, ul. Rewolucji 1905 r. 4, tel. (+48) 42 233 54 54, www.pomodoropizza.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 23:00, Sun 13:00 - 22:00. Closed Mon. €€. T­6­W 60 Łódź In Your Pocket

PRESTO A firm editorial favourite. Cooked in a traditional wood fired oven the pizzas in this white-washed trattoria are cheap, fast and a far better alternative to the big brand pizza delivery empires you’ll find on Piotrkowska. We had the Mafioso – salami, garlic, peppers and chillis – and for once we were not disappointed by a chef skimping on the spices.

The topping sauce arrives in a separate jug, allowing you to choose whether or not you wish to drown your pizza in red goo. Also at ul. Maratońska 67/69.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 67, tel. (+48) 42 630 88 83, www.pizzeriapresto.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 24:00. €€. T­U­W

JEWISH ANATEWKA Celebrate Łódź’s Jewish heritage inside an atmospheric venue scattered with prayer shawls, menorahs and general bric-a-brac, and don’t forego a visit in the evening, when the live music recitals involve violinists sitting on a chair suspended half way up a wall. A team of flighty waitresses take the orders, and the chef does the rest coming up trumps with a range of traditional Jewish dishes, including rather good goose. The addition of a banqueting hall and VIP rooms now mean that you can dine in private or alternatively at a single table seating 100 people. Opens earlier on occasion and almost always until last customer.

QJ‑6, ul. 6 Sierpnia 2/4, tel. (+48) 42 630 36 35, www. anatewka.pl. Open 11:00 - 23:00. €€. X­T­E­6­W

Restaurants MEDITERRANEAN KREWETKA One thing we find amusing about Łódź are the no. of seafood places which seem to have popped up in this the city named after a boat, which contains many inconspicuous rivers. We digress a little, and of course imports of seafood into Poland have become much easier than anytime previously, so it’s with this in mind Łódź has upped its game in terms of variety of seafood on offer. Great for all of us. Recently opened Krewetka (meaning ‘shrimp’) brings a taste of the Balkans, from where the owners hail, right to the main street.

The interior is basic, the well made choice of meals from the pictorial menu are on the lower end of the price scale, and not only feature varieties of shrimp, but other fruits of the sea, such as calamari.QK‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 82, tel. (+48) 42 207 42 12. Open 13:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 13:00 - 24:00, Sun 13:00 - 22:00. €€. U­B­6­W

MEXICAN SEÑORITAS MEXICAN AMERICAN RESTAURANT & LOUNGE Łódź should be bragging to the whole of Poland about this visionary Mexican/American restaurant and lounge bar. The interior uses traditional, earthy Mexican colours but blends them with contemporary neon lighting and some fantastic murals by local painters Natalia Anna Kalisz and Ewa Żochowska. At the helm is American owner/chef Jeff Unger, a man whose expert knowledge of modern and traditional Mexican/American cuisine means that we find authentic tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas sharing the menu with startling dishes like grilled steaks that do the trick. Don’t you dare leave until you’ve dabbled in the house margaritas, based around their own infused tequilas.

Check out burger Wednesdays with additional burgers added to the menu.QK‑6, ul. Moniuszki 1A, tel. (+48) 501 67 17 00. Open 16:00 - 22:00, Fri 16:00 - 23:00, Sat 14:00 - 23:00, Sun 14:00 - 18:00, Closed Mon. €€€. T­W

MIDDLE EASTERN KEBAB HOUSE Whereas its sister restaurant just up the road caters to a more downmarket clientele and features a more fast food style atmosphere, Kebab House’s flagship steakhouse is almost posh in comparison. Even better, where scores of Polish kebab restaurants nationwide leave one reaching for the Imodium, the dishes here go down a treat, and, more importantly, stay down. And now with added kid’s corner!QJ‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 91, tel. (+48) 42 632 20 65, www.kebablodz.pl. Open 10:00 - 04:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 06:00. €€. X­T­U­W SHAHRAZAD Traditional tastes of Syria can be found as you walk through the gate at Piotrkowska 67. Even as you approach, the greenery surrounding the courtyard is striking. The interior doesn’t strike you in any special way, but it’s pleasant

enough. Any reservations you have will be put aside when you receive your food; on offer are classic starters like hummus and moutabal, soups, and mains like meat dishes prepared over a coal grill, which adds to the flavour. If you like meats with all manners of veg and coriander, you’re in for a pleasant meal! The desserts on offer are light and sweet.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 67, tel. (+48) 574 98 71 23.

Open 11:00 - 23:00. €€. U­6­W SPHINX The newly renovated and gastronomically overhauled Sphinx has little to do with the kebab and cabbage plates of yore. Alongside their original Middle Eastern inspired shoarma, there is a wide range of fish dishes, vegetarian dishes, pastas, salads and steaks (Sphinx is actually the largest seller of steaks in Poland!). They also offer lighter fair such as mezze and sweet desserts. Locals love it and the Sphinx chain has spawned a host of copycat enterprises along Piotrkowska. Cheap, simple and fills you up without letting you down.QJ‑6/7, ul. Piotrkowska 93, tel. (+48) 725 10 02 53, www.sphinx.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 01:00. €€€. T­W TEL AVIV What has become a popular place to eat in Warsaw has now branched out to its first away-from-the-capital venue, right here in Łódź, and in an architecturally wonderful building on the main ul. Piotrkowska. Tel Aviv brings a middle-eastern touch to the vegan menu (hello, hummus), showing you that mislaid preconceptions of vegan food are plain wrong. Each meal we observed, or tasted, is visually exciting, and of course, work well on the taste buds, as do the drinks (alcoholic options are available)!

Seasonal menus are on offer, changing with time, and new concepts, although we have to mention the ‘AntiTrump BLT sandwich’ we had, which, in their own words, is their vegan take on what appears ‘a seemingly American sandwich, but with a leftist twist’. Make Łódź great again, that’s what we think!QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 122, tel. (+48) 42 208 09 79, www.telaviv.pl/lodz. Open 11:00 - 23:00, Fri 11:00 - 01:00, Sat 09:00 - 01:00, Sun 09:00 - 23:00. €.

T­U­6­W

POLISH CHŁOPSKA IZBA The peculiar interior of animal skins, bear traps, and clay walls plays host to an authentic and seriously good Polish meal. The staff are some of the most attentive and professional that you’d find in the city and seemingly proud of the food they lay on the table - as well they should be. Get the mixed plate of pierogi and beef steak - treat it almost like Polish tapas. If that’s too small, definitely choose the challenging pork knuckles or their sets, starting from 20zł. The staff will help you choose, and I guarantee you’ll have an authentic taste of good Polish food. Bring pregnancy pants though.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 65, tel. (+48) 42 630 80 87. Open 12:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 24:00, Sun 12:00 - 22:00. €€. 6­W lodz.inyourpocket.com 61

Restaurants CUD MIÓD A fairytale restaurant that could have been built with Hansel and Gretel in mind. Here it’s all log-cutters furniture, flower pots and rural ceramics, with walls painted with the window views you’d find in a country cottage. Best of all, there’s a bar that looks like a teapot. The recently expanded menu features lots of farm animals carved and cooked in various Polski and Italiano ways as well as select seafood dishes. The thoroughly international menu is filled out with several fish options, soups and of course good ole Polish pierogi.QAl. Włókniarzy 151, tel. (+48) 665 18 90 50, www.cudmiod.pl. Open 08:00 - 22:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 08:00 - 23:00. €€€. T­W

MODERN MEXICAN-AMERICAN RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

SAY MY NAME Can you think of a 4 letter word which throughout history has caused so much shock, embarrassment and sniggers of laughter? (No, not that one, naughty boy - get to the back of the class!) Actually, we were alluding to ‘Łódź’ and its seemingly inconceivable Łódź Coat of Arms, 1577 pronunciation. Surely if you want to visit a place, let alone buy a ticket to get there, you should at least be pronounce the name of said place with confidence. Most English speakers anglicise the city’s name to something akin to “Lodge;” we hate to break it to you, but this is completely wrong, try again. It really isn’t that hard and we’ll even help you out: The key is obviously figuring out how to pronounce these alien-looking Polish letters. There’s only four of them, so here we go: The Polish ‘Ł’ is pronounced like an English ‘W,’ the ‘ó’ is pronounced like an English ‘oo,’ and (to simplify a bit) the Polish ‘dz’ letter combination is pronounced like an English ‘j’ or ‘dge’ as in ‘ledge.’ So let’s hear it - stand up straight, take a deep breath and bellow it out: Woodge, Woodge, WOODGE! 62 Łódź In Your Pocket

GĘSI PUCH A huge lilywhite restaurant in an elegant industrial factory setting. It sounds kitsch, and it most certainly is, but the food is five star, a fact made all the better by the prices.

The menu is short, but you can rest assured the chef has utterly mastered every dish on it, and there’s no better way to conclude your meal than with a cooked-up pear.

Ring ahead on weekends, it’s a nailed on favourite for post-wedding revelry and funky functions of the corporate variety.QI‑10, Al. Politechniki 2, tel. (+48) 509 30 68 88, www.gesipuch.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Mon 12:00 21:00. T­U­6­W KARCZMA U CHOCHOŁA Lots of primitive wooden benches, animal skins on the walls, miscellaneous rustic crudities and a tiled floor create the right atmosphere for perhaps the best national restaurant in the city. The service is friendly and the food, including dinky bowls of smalec, large hunks of bread, venison, wild boar and a selection of traditional 17th-century puddings, is top notch. In fact, it’s such a shock to the senses that it comes as quite a surprise when you leave to realise you’re actually in Poland at all. Whereas so many folklore-themed hunters’ restaurants fail to deliver beyond the decoration, Karczma u Chochoła have bothered to get the whole thing right.QK‑9, ul. Piotrkowska 200, tel. (+48) 42 637 09 19, www.uchochola.pl. Open 12:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 24:00. €€€. T­W LEPIONE & PIECZONE We’ve written about Polish food on many occasions here at IYP - it’s hearty stuff, full of meat and veg! We love it. One of our all time favourites have to be pierogi, the typically Polish dumplings, filled with anything from meat, cabbage, cheese or sweet stuff! Lepione & Pieczone (Formed & Baked), brought to you by the the Polish restaurant chain Chłopskie Jadło, is a simple but great idea - choose your pierogi filling, and importantly, choose how you want it done, whether it’s boiled or baked, or both boiled and baked! Delicious. Salads and soups are also on offer, should pierogi alone not fill your tasty spot!

The prices are relatively cheap and you can expect to pay anything between 17-35zł.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 89, tel. (+48) 725 10 03 20. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 24:00. €. T­6

Restaurants PIWNICA ŁÓDZKA A quick disclaimer for anyone wishing to visit Piwnica Łódzka - ‘piwnica’ in Polish means ‘basement’, which is precisely where this restaurant is located, not far from Piotrkowska street.

There is no lift so you must deal with the spiral stairs to get in.

Once in, you find quite a snug restaurant, dealing with foods unique to both Łódź and Poland. The staff are pleasant and knowledgeable, so don’t be afraid to ask for help in choosing a regional dish - we recommend the hearty favourite meat broth and a choice of various pierogi. We love pierogi, but these flavours were a first for us and they were delightful!QK‑7, ul.

Sienkiewicza 67, tel. (+48) 42 207 33 30, www.restauracjapiwnicalodzka.pl. Open 13:00 - 21:00, Fri, Sat 13:00 - 22:00, Sun 13:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. €€. T­W PIWNICA SMAKÓW Enter amongst the rather curious honey and beekeeping equipment shop into this American diner-esque restaurant with ceiling fans and chequerboard flooring to boot. The diner atmosphere was reinforced even more by the large group of American students chattering away in the corner. The concept is simple; offer up a range of tasty, well presented Polish lunch dishes, burgers, pastas and beers at unbelievably low prices (16zł lunch specials!) close to University-land and watch the students flood in! All in all, excellent quality for the price but possibly best avoided if you are over 22 and don’t wear converse sneakers and oversized knitted hats.QM‑5, ul. Narutowicza 59, tel. (+48) 603 71 47 98, www.piwnicasmakow.strefa.pl.

Open 10:00 - 20:00. Closed Sun. €€. 6­W TEREMOK The classic Polish comfort food of pierogis is treated like a king at Teremok, where you can sample Caucus, Russian, Kazakh and Ukrainian versions (as well as the classic kind) for just the change in your pocket. They’ve recently moved down the street but the address is the only thing that’s changed.

Also at Piotrkowska 36 (J-5).QL‑5, ul. Piramowicza 11/13, tel. (+48) 42 207 10 71, www.teremok.pl. Open 10:00 18:00, Sat 11:00 - 16:00. Closed Sun. €. W

VEGAN TAKŻETEGO If you’re in the vicinity of Sienkiewicz Park looking for a spot to chill out, away from the bustle of ul. Piotrkowska, and would like to find some good healthy eatin’, look no further than Takżetego (roughly translated as ‘also this’), full of vegetarian breakfasts, and wide selection of ever changing vegan dishes.

We’re glad to say that such establishments are really punching through misconceptions of what vegan food is really like. On the day we visited, we had a delightful crepes with a Mexican style salsa filling along with red beans. The fresh fruit cocktail mixes are great, but our choice wasn’t on the board, but worry not, the friendly staff were happy to make it for us. Their speciality dish is the burger with jackfruit, which may sound odd, but...but...just go taste it! Mon-Fri they have lunch deals for 19zł (soup, main & salad).QK‑7, ul. Sienkiewicza 40, tel. (+48) 881 31 59 10. Open 08:00 - 22:00, Mon, Sun 08:00 21:00, Fri, Sat 08:00 - 23:00. €. T­6­W lodz.inyourpocket.com 63

Nightlife

Rare doesn’t cut it (pardon the pun) in the Barber Shop (p.23). Get a haircut here by day and a cocktail by night - in the same place!

Łódź’s commitment to hedonism is on a par with Poland’s capital. For the unadventurous a straight-forward pub crawl down ulica Piotrkowska is the way to go, though stand advised some of the best drinking dens in town are found squirrelled away in the back streets and side alleys.

Follow your nose.

During the warmer months the streets, particularly Piotrkowska, are thronged with beer gardens. Once the chillier weather starts to move in the party shifts back inside and downstairs. For the most part you’ll be paying no more than 10zł for a large beer, and bear in mind that the opening hours we list are flexible: most bars will stay open as long as drinkers are drinking. Clubs often charge an entry fee, many of which are based on what’s on offer that night.

Here are a few ideas depending on what you are looking for: SPLURGE Swig cocktails in a chilled out and elegant setting at Golden Bar (p.65), one of the nicer places to go, despite it being located in a hotel, or visit SODA (p.67) for true top shelf VIP treatment!

LADS You’re on holiday but you just cannot forget about the game, huh? Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of places to see sports on TV in Łódź. A decent sized place to go is the Irish Pub (p.65) which has a true pub atmosphere plus the delicious food from the dining room will keep you on your feet a wee bit longer. Bierhalle - Esplanada (p.56) is huge, full of beer and plenty of TV screens dotted around. Perfect.

64 Łódź In Your Pocket

COUPLES A big vote for Cafe Bar Poczekalnia (p.65) for a choice of rooms and quiet spaces to talk, yet also with the option to sit amongst people in a friendly atmosphere. Couples that like to be fussed over should check out Dwa Przez Cztery (p.67) to try out some fine wines and nibbles to go.

LOCAL One of our favorite local haunts, Z Innej Beczki (p.66) is your best bet for local micro-brews as well as the finer pints from Czech, Belgium and beyond. And Owoce i Warzywa Klubokawiarnia (p.65) is the best haunt around to rub shoulders with the eccentric side of Łódź’s bohemian undergound.

OFF THE WALL Łódź has no shortage of curious locales. Łódź Kaliska (p.65) is a legend, and the madness is hard to imagine until you experience it. Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa (p.51) serves up some cheap shots from an extensive list from classic to experimentative. For an alternative themed bar, head to Protestacja (p.66).

ALL NIGHTER If you’re still roaming the streets past your bedtime and still looking for some action, head back to Kokoo (p.67) for long hours of electro and clubhouse mixes. If you’re looking to go to the place to be seen in the wee small hours, Lordi’s (p.67) is your best bet. VIP rooms with champagne help you stumble out into the sunrise hours...

Nightlife BARS & PUBS 6. DZIELNICA Although we were a bit late to the party, this might be our favourite bar of 2016. Climb three flights of stairs inside the first door on the right at Piotrkowska street’s most notorious address to find good vibes, great beer and even better snacks.

There are two bars, a stage and plenty of eclectic tables and chairs spread out over six or so rooms of what looks like a large high ceilinged apartment. This hotbed of alternative culture hosts regular concerts, exhibitions, interesting debates and much more. Oh yeah did we mention they have original sandwiches, salads and other top notch savoury snacks served till late.. If all of that wasn’t enough it is also the perfect place to plugin your laptop, grab a coffee and do some co-working during the day.QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 102, www.szostadzielnica.pl. Open 17:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 17:00 - 03:00. Closed Mon, Sun. E­W CAFE BAR POCZEKALNIA A great name for that thing a lot of us do in life - wait.

Waiting doesn’t have to be boring, as Poczekalnia (Waiting Room) proves. Situated in the northern end of town, not far from Piotrkowska street, this is very much an artsy cafe-bar to chill out in. As is the area it’s located - a stone’s throw away from the New Theatre, right next to a dance school and also the Ferment Music School. You can find yourself waiting for a show, waiting on someone to finish dance class, or finding an excuse to wait for...time to fly by. Any excuse is good enough to come here as a lot takes place from karaoke, gigs, jam sessions to poetry nights. You need not be bored in Poczekalnia.QJ‑5, ul. Więckowskiego 16, tel. (+48) 602 49 13 50. Open 12:00 - 23:00, Mon 12:00 - 22:00, Fri 12:00 - 02:00, Sat 16:00 - 24:00, Sun 15:00 22:00. T­E­6­W FOTO CAFE 102 Long before Łódź really took off 102 was considered one of the edgiest places in town – and it still is thanks to a crack bar staff that knows how to mix a mean cocktail and won’t make you feel like a fool if you don’t know your Jim from your Jack. This spot has atmosphere in spades and it spills out into the well-trodden courtyard on the weekends.

Inside, arty photos cling to brick clad walls, with wooden tables crowded together inside a low lit space that is a great place to creep into as the witching hour approaches. The self-service bar brings with it the spoils of democracy, and once you muscle your way to the front, do yourself a favour and ask Bartek to mix you a drink, he’ll set you straight.

QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 102, tel. (+48) 502 66 01 21. Open 12:00 - 01:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 03:00, Sun 18:00 - 01:00.

X­W GOLDEN BAR As far as hotel bars go, this one’s a cracker. The list of alcohols on offer is exceptional, probably more choice than in Oliver Reed’s drinks cabinet! The whisky/whiskey list alone comprises over 120 different bottles, including some special offerings such as the Ardbeg Corryvreckan –

a true peaty monster of a malt. The cocktails feature classic and signature concoctions to satisfy every craving. Topping it all off, there’s a great list of American and Asian dishes to choose from, everything from snacks to mains. The efficient, amiable staff are extremely attentive creating a thoroughly relaxing ambience. We’ll leave the last word to a foreign businessman we chatted to before we headed off into the night, “Why bother going anywhere else?”QH‑9, ul. Łąkowa 29 (DoubleTree by Hilton Łódź Hotel), tel. (+48) 42 208 80 38, www.doubletreelodz.pl. Open 11:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 16:00 - 24:00. U­W IRISH PUB A staple of the Łódź scene since 1994, the Irish Pub on ul. Piotrkowska has made a lot of big changes since it began. Despite this, the upstairs remains an old style bar with a strong naval theme and a warm pub atmosphere, whereas the basement bar and restaurant is a splendid mix of modern and traditional elements; private cubicles, open fireplaces and a wide choice of rooms hint at 19th century ‘People’s Palaces’ with a modern twist. There are around 50 fine malts, a seasonally changing menu, regular live music Thu-Sat, an illusionist show from time to time, and its famous courtyard garden will guarantee its ongoing popularity.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 77, tel. (+48) 662 15 32 00, www.irishpub.pl. Open 15:30 23:00, Fri, Sat 15:30 - 24:00, Sun 13:30 - 22:00. Closed Mon. X­E­W ŁÓDŹ KALISKA Three levels of carnage inside the most famous bar in town. Featuring a slanty bar, glass floors and an industrial design of exposed pipes and steel stairwells this is a mustvisit, with a crowd that covers all bases – from important looking expats to theatre ponces courting students half their age. Explore the ground floor, where the weird art minds behind ŁK have opted for a design with clearly one thing on their mind – breasts, and in particular the bare boobs of Victorian era battlepigs. Kudos to that. Things aren’t any more sensible upstairs, where potty DJs mix unmixable genres to the baying howls of an appreciative audience.QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 102, tel. (+48) 42 630 69 55, www.klub.lodzkaliska.pl. Open 17:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 17:00 - 06:00, Closed Sun. X­U­W OWOCE I WARZYWA KLUBOKAWIARNIA What can you expect of a bar called Fruit & Veg? In this case a fantastic spot that incorporates a plywood bar and concrete flooring inside a space filled with retro furniture and double-take artwork provided by minds that are as talented and creative as they are utterly bonkers. There was us thinking Łódź couldn’t get weirder, then landed this place – arthouse films, rare Polish beers, trippy sounds and all manner of oddness are found here, and it’s all lapped up by a laidback crowd carrying either college portfolios or laptop computers. No kidding, this could yet emerge as the best bar in Poland.QK‑6, ul. Traugutta 9, tel. (+48) 508 06 19 36. Open 10:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 02:00, Sun 11:00 - 24:00. W lodz.inyourpocket.com 65

Nightlife PIWOTEKA NARODOWA Run by the same folks who operate the specialty beer store down the street, Piwoteka Narodowa is where serious beer drinkers set up shop. The interior is dark and very man-cave: think beer paraphernalia on the walls and jumbled tables of drinkers. The bar itself is what will illicit immediate awe: bottle upon bottle of the best Europe has to offer, from Czech to Belgium and Polish to USA and German – all that separates you is a bottle opener.QJ‑6, ul. 6 Sierpnia 1/3, tel. (+48) 42 679 69 10, www.piwotekanarodowa.pl. Open 14:00 - 24:00. W

P29 NEW ‘Impressive’ pretty much sums up our feelings for this place.

What looks like an unassuming gate entrance (the best places always have this, huh?) is an open-air courtyard, where ‘sparse’ likewise defines this place, but that’s the best bit about it. A large tarpaulin covers the majority of the area which only consists of a small bar and seating area. Stairs lead up to a table where a DJ plays house music that works perfectly with the acoustics of the courtyard. The far corner building is reminiscent of a tower, looking damn cool with each window lit up. You’d be forgiven for thinking Rapunzel was at the top bopping around to the beats below.QJ‑5, ul. Piotrkowska 29 (entrance from Więckowskiego).

Open Thu 08:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 08:00 - 04:00, Sun 08:00 - 01:00.

PIWPAW This Warsaw franchise was the first multi-tap bar in Poland to break the 20 tap barrier and they didn’t stop there with their tap count. They decided to raise the bar with their Łódź location and the tap total comes in at a whopping 104 which makes it the largest in Poland!

This outsized sud-tappery doesn’t sacrifice quality for quantity either with all of their taps featuring premium Polish and International craft brews. The knowledgeable bar staff will help you choose the right pint and even let you try as many shots of beer as you like before making a final decision. The bar itself is massive and has a laid back street style with pilsner poetry scrawled on the walls in graffiti.QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 147, tel. (+48) 534 73 41 17, www.piwpaw.pl. Open 11:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 02:00. X­6­W

PIOTRKOWSKA KLUB 97 You won’t miss this place. From Piotrkowska you’ll notice their double-decker glass-encased café section attached to the main building. Inside, climb the stairs to find a weird interior that smacks of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Filled with red velvet the interior splits off into various different rooms, thereby confusing the pretty service. Bottles of whisky line the wood-panelled walls, and with a number of concealed steps, mirrors and metal objects it’s easy to find yourself knocking over drinks and decoys, attracting stares from the tutting couples. The toilet, complete with glass floors and double-sided mirrors, is worth the visit alone.QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 97, tel. (+48) 42 630 65 73, www.97.com.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00, Fri 12:00 - 02:00, Sat 13:00 - 02:00, Sun 13:00 - 22:00.

X­W

Z INNEJ BECZKI There ought to be a law stating that all beer aficionados MUST visit this fantastic bar! Not only does it serve up a great selection of ever-changing Polish and international craft beers from 13 beer taps (and one tap with kvass!), it’s also one of the most stunning venues to sip brews in the city. Situated in the lower level of the famous Meyer Villa (1887), the bar is entered via the beautiful multi-levelled sunken garden area and the design has taken its influences from classic bars of the 1920’s-50’s. The also make great coffees and have delicious sandwiches and light fare plus they have an exhibition space. From another barrel indeed!QK‑6, ul.

Moniuszki 6, tel. (+48) 720 13 13 13. Open 17:00 24:00, Fri, Sat 15:00 - 02:00. W

PROTESTACJA This great little place is very much an alternative bar and cultural venue, found right on Łódź’s main ul. Piotrkowska - although if you didn’t know it was here, you’d be forgiven for missing it. The little sign on the gate entrance is very inconspicuous (probably what they’re going for!), and looking ahead, there’s little to give away what lies ahead.

Quite a decent place to relax during the afternoon with vegetarian food on offer and a book shop to peruse through and to enjoy over a big selection of beers. The real fun begins in the evening with frequent events taking place with a diverse range of bands appearing (once, even from Brazil!).

QJ‑5, ul. Piotrkowska 43, tel. (+48) 690 30 64 28, www. protestacjalodz.pl. Open 17:00 - 23:00, Closed Mon, Sun.

CRAFT BEER BARS

66 Łódź In Your Pocket

THE ECLIPSE INN Tucked inside one of the numerous courtyards along Piotrkowska, find a pleasing little bar which is clearly a labour of love for its Polish owners. Named in honour of a pub in Winchester, England, this basement space is decked out in all sorts of pictures and bric-a-brac that you might expect to find in such a rural British bar. And the British influence spreads to the bar where you’ll find bottled offerings of Old Speckled Hen and Spitfire and a rotating list of 15 beers on tap while Izabela takes on the landlady role very convincingly. While we were happy to

Nightlife see the British and American beers available, we instead went for one of the Polish microbrews on offer and recommend you do the same to get the best of all worlds – a Polish beer, in cosy surroundings with very un-British opening hours. The addition of English Premier League football on screens should only add to this bar’s appeal.

QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 80, tel. (+48) 518 84 33 74, www. theeclipseinn.pl. Open 16:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 16:00 02:00. Closed Sun.

WINE BARS DWA PRZEZ CZTERY WINE BAR This compact, store-front, open-shelved wine bar might throw you at first, but bite the bullet and just walk right in.

You’ll immediately be met by their smiling sommeliers who will quickly get settled at one of the six tables. Whether flying solo, on a date or in a group, expect quick table service and a painless survey of your favourite flavours, profiles, grapes and regions which will ensure you end up with the perfect personalised glass or bottle from their estimable collection.

They also offer minimal cheese, olive and hummus type tapas if you get peckish while pondering your next oenophile exploration. Look up at all the bottles and labels on the shelves and maybe take one home for yourselves!QK‑8, ul.

Roosevelta 2/4, tel. (+48) 662 44 00 80. Open 12:00 - 21:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 23:00, Sun 15:00 - 20:00. Closed Mon. 6­W KLUB WINO Unlike beer, wine can be an intimidating drink; there’s the swirling, the elaborate pouring, the use of the word “mouthfeel”. Luckily none of that perceived pretension exists at Klub Wino, a restaurant, wine bar and shop that makes the beverage accessible to all. Much of that spirit is due to the jovial owner, who is fortunately liberal with his opinions. The main focus is still most certainly on the beverage at hand - a club without being a clubhouse.

QK‑10, ul. Piotrkowska 217, tel. (+48) 786 19 73 00, www.klubwino.pl. Open 11:00 - 21:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 23:00, Sun 12:00 - 20:00. W

LIVE MUSIC WYTWÓRNIA CLUB Klub Wytwórnia is one of Łódż’s biggest music and culture venue, with culture credentials going back to the location’s previous role as the site of a major film producer, hence its name, Wytwórnia (Studio), coming from the previous name ‘Wytwórnia Filmów Fabularnych’. But that was then, this is now, and since 2007, Wytwórnia has been hosting over 100 events each year, making it a fantastic venue to attend for various concerts, exhibitions, festivals etc. Wytwórnia is not open every week, only when events take place, therefore, it’s best you check their site for upcoming events and ticket buying options.QH‑9, ul. Łąkowa 29, tel. (+48) 42 639 55 55, www.wytwornia.pl.

CLUBS CZEKOLADA It’s gotten significantly harder to make fun of Czekolada, former home of leopard carpeting and other questionable design decisions, after a recent renovation has made it – dare we say – classy. Fortunately, it’s only the appearance that has grown up as the crowd is still mostly students, and their clothes are still microscopic. The formula isn’t complicated as they pump Euro Disco hits night after night to the delight of the masses. So claw your way onto the new dance floor and embrace Czekolada without embarrassment.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 55, tel. (+48) 663 56 63 44, www.klubczekolada.com. Open 21:00 - 05:00.

Closed Mon, Tue, Sun. U­W KOKOO It’s bling heaven in Kokoo, an upmarket dance arena that’s filled a niche following the death of Coffees and Toffees.

Dress to impress if you want entry before proceeding to shimmy and sashay with local fashion fatalities. If you don’t fancy knocking elbows and knockers with the hoi polloi then sneak a place in one of the side rooms. The DJ gods play electro, funk, chart hits and deep house on Fridays and Saturday on the multiple dance floors.QK‑6, ul. Moniuszki 1, tel. (+48) 695 34 66 55, www.klubkokoo.pl. Open Fri, Sat 22:00 - 06:00 only. X LORDI’S CLUB & FOO FOO BAR Since 2010 Lordi’s has made a name for itself amongst students, tourists, expats, locals, Poles, visitors, as the place to go to have a night out. With a huge following and a guaranteed full club come Thu, Fri and Sat nights it is the place to be with the most of the most. With a separate VIP room up the metal stairs (Foo Foo), Lordi’s is the biggest club in the city and has hosted a number of International DJ’s/performers and Polish homegrown celebrities. You won’t find hipsters here, nor will you find anyone interested in good conversation - this a place to go crazy, let loose and enjoy a night in Łódź that only Lordi’s can deliver.QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 102, tel. (+48) 662 36 63 66, www.lordisclub.com. Open Thu, Fri, Sat 22:00 06:00 only. X SODA UNDERGROUND STAGE Walking down the metal black staircase into presumably Sean Combs’ pristine Miami-Vice-inspired Underground ‘Stage’ is an intimidating act. You dress to impress at SODA. While your friends gawk at the girls lining the side sofas, you pretend to know this place inside out on your journey along the Cîroc & G.H. Mumm engine rooms, past the dominating central bar to the pleasantly surprising summer garden (closes end of October). Seemingly separated by musical genre’s, the two floors compete for the throngs of lavishly-attired guests in what is Łódź’s new big spender’s hub. Ergo, Saturdays here are a must.

QK‑7, Pl. Komuny Paryskiej 6, tel. (+48) 698 34 53 45, www.abracadabraclub.com/soda-underground-stage.

Open Fri, Sat 23:00 - 07:00 only. X lodz.inyourpocket.com 67

Activities & Leisure

With shows so vivid, you can almost touch the stars in EC1’s Planetarium (p.27).

With a modern water park, new indoor arena and of course the entertainment and leisure centre incorporated within Manufaktura, Łódź can offer a range of ideas on how to spend your time. And don’t forget that this is one of Poland’s greenest cities, with over 30 parks within the city limits. Łagiewnicki Forest offers a whole range of outdoor possibilities throughout the year.

BOWLING & BILLIARDS KRÓL KUL This is for all ye Lebowskis out there both big and small.

24 premium modern bowling lanes (max 8 bowlers per lane) with top of the line digital scoring and pin setting technology. They also have two billiards tables (20zł/h MonThu and 25zł/h Fri-Sun) and a fully stocked bar that serves up great drinks and hearty snacks to help keep you keep rolling along. This is one of the most modern bowling alleys in all of Europe so don’t hesitate dudes and dudettes, go throw some stones!QI‑11, Al. Politechniki 1 (CH Sukcesja), tel. (+48) 600 69 07 30, www.krolkul.pl. Open 10:00 23:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 01:00. 49-99zł per lane (depends on the day and time of day). Price of shoe rental included.

CINEMAS We’ve coined Łódź as PL’s ‘City of Cinema’ for good reason - first and foremost is the famous film school (its pedigree including genre greats like Wajda, Kieślowski and Polański), which has made cinema a cottage industry and cultural cornerstone in Łódź, including the Museum of Cinematography, and now epitomised by EC1. Łódź possesses a number of independent art-house cinemas in 68 Łódź In Your Pocket

its centre, which offer diverse repertoires and participate in numerous film festivals. For the latest Hollywood blockbusters, visit one of the shopping mall multiplexes like Cinema City in Manufaktura.

Unlike places such as Russia (ahem), Polish cinemas show international releases in their original language with Polish subtitles. Be warned, however, that most animated films including those for adults - will be dubbed.

CHARLIE Not into mainstream cinema? Check out Kino Charlie, home of artsy movies shown in two halls fitted with Dolby Stereo. For those waiting for their screening, a cafe is on sight and a gallery to check out the works of young artists.

QK‑10, ul. Piotrkowska 203/205, tel. (+48) 42 636 00 92, www.charlie.pl. Box office open depending on repertoire. Tickets 13-26zł.

HELIOS ŁÓDŹ SUKCESJA The newest cinema in the Polish Helios fleet, they offer they highest class Cineplex in town with state of the art sight and sound. Not only do they screen the latest main stream hollywood flicks, but they also regularly show independent films from all over the world and host the occasional cultural event as well.QI‑11, Al. Politechniki 1, tel. (+48) 42 299 92 72, www.helios.pl. Box office open depending on repertoire. Tickets 17-29zł.

MULTIKINO ŁÓDŹQK‑8, Al. Piłsudskiego 5, tel. (+48) 42 232 72 10, www.multikino.pl. Box office open from 30 minutes before the first showtime to 15 minutes after the last showtime. Tickets 19-28zł.

Activities & Leisure FITNESS & GYMS STACJA NOWA GDYNIA This is far and away the best fitness complex in the region, and not unlike a UK country club. A recent renovation takes it up another notch, making it even more modern with the eGYM integrated training system. Facilities as follows: four bowling lanes, four badminton courts, two squash courts, an air-conditioned gym, spa and aerobics classes. Englishspeaking instructors are available on request. Across a connecting wooden bridge find the swimming complex which is made up of three pools: children’s pool, recreational pool featuring water slide and a 25m six lane pool for the more serious swimmer. Two cafeterias, a sauna and a steam room are also there to use. A full price list can be found on their English language web page. The entire complex is open 06:00 - 23:00; Sat, Sun 07:00 - 23:00.Qul. Sosnowa 1, Zgierz, tel. (+48) 42 714 21 21, www.stacjanowagdynia.pl.

INDOOR ATTRACTIONS CARMEN PARROT CENTRE Watch your feet when you enter and be prepared to have a parrot land on your shoulder as you enter - they are everywhere! Over 180 inquisitive birds, actually, spanning 40 varieties in an indoor space covering 500m2. You have entered the noisy tropical domain of these wonderful and colourful birds. This is a great place for kids where you get up close and personal with the birds, and even get the chance to feed them (30 mins before opening and 30 mins before closing), but you can still feed them throughout the day with feed costing 2zł. A unique experience. Opening hours subject to change, check their site before visiting.

QM‑4, ul. Sterlinga 26, tel. (+48) 799 09 00 80, www. papugarniacarmen.pl. Open 12:00 - 19:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 20:00. Admission 17/13zł. Family tickets available €€.

SALTOS TRAMPOLINE PARK Not one, not two, not three, but sixty trampolines are here to throw yourself around like a [well behaved] maniac! There is of course a more civilised approach to the madness in the form of acrobatic classes, but all in all, this is a fantastic place for family groups, or even just adults. Hop bounce hoppedy hop. There is also a ‘relaxation zone’ for any parents who are not too keen to join in on the madness, choosing instead to enjoy a coffee and/or ice-cream. Tip: Buying your tickets online, whether attending during the week or weekends is 5zł cheaper than buying on-site.Qul. Wydawnicza 5, tel. (+48) 796 35 77 50, www.saltos.pl. Open 10:00 - 20:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 21:00. Mon-Fri online 23zł, 28zł on-site, Sat-Sun 28zł online and 33zł on-site.

VIRTUAL HOUSE Remember when you were younger and your parents would tell you never to sit too close to the TV? Well, nowadays, we are attaching screens to our heads, and all in the name of fun. Virtual House offers users a VR (Virtual Reality) gaming experience, ranging from fighting zombies, to the more serene 360 degree journeys around the world,

without having to leave your seat! From simple gaming, to holding birthday parties, corporate events and stag & hen parties, the choice is varied. Did we mention they have a fully licenced bar on-site too? Huzzah!QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 120, tel. (+48) 796 00 83 34, www. virtualhouse.pl. Open 14:00 - 21:00, Fri 14:00 - 23:00, Sat 12:00 - 23:00, Sun 12:00 - 21:00. Closed Mon. Admission 39/29zł per hour.

OUTDOOR ATTRACTIONS ZOO Established in 1938 the local zoo features 2,500 animals (350 species), including cheetahs, lions, tigers and reptiles and scores of other captivating (-ed) creatures. The zoo features the spectacle of being able to watch animal feeding times! In the last few years the zoo has undergone modernisation and this will culminate in 2020 with the super-modern and gigantic orientarium, featuring animals and fauna from Asia.QC‑8, ul. Konstantynowska 8/10, tel. (+48) 42 639 11 88, www.zoo.lodz.pl. Open 09:00 - 15:30. From May open 09:00 - 19:00. Last entrance 1 hour before closing. Until 21 March admission 15/8zł, family ticket 35zł. From 22 March onward 20/12 zł, family ticket 48 zł.

SPA & BEAUTY SPA & HEALTH CLUB IN DOUBLETREE BY HILTON ŁÓDŹ Traipsing the streets of Łódź or navigating the vast Manufaktura with dozens of shopping bags is an exhausting business, so a visit to the Double Tree 10th Floor Spa & Health Club is the ideal solution to restore mind, body and spirit. The Spa offers a full range of body treatments, massages and relaxing rituals. So, go ahead and pamper yourself in this stunningly equipped and ultramodern Spa & Health Club with a fitness center open 24hrs and a swimming pool open daily 06:00 - 22:00. The sauna is open 16:00-22:00, or earlier by prior arrangement.QH‑9, ul. Łąkowa 29 (DoubleTree by Hilton Łódź Hotel), tel. (+48) 42 208 80 07, www.doubletreelodz.pl. The SPA is open everyday 09:00 - 21:00 (but you must book body treatments or massages in advance).

SWIMMING AQUAPARK FALA Boasting 4 indoor pools with several slides and one with a wave machine, including a pool for the kids and three water playgrounds. There are also 8 saunas (ranging from Finnish with music therapy to crystal steam baths and open from 11:00 on Sat, 09:00 on Sun), 6 large Jacuzzis, heated loungers, 6 indoor water slides, a ‘wild river’ ride and an on site restaurant to keep you entertained.QD‑7, Al. Unii Lubelskiej 4, tel. (+48) 42 640 08 00, www.aquapark. lodz.pl. Open 07:00 - 22:00, Mon, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 22:00.

Prices are varied depending on dates and times. Find out more at their website at www.aquapark.lodz.pl. lodz.inyourpocket.com 69

Shopping

The most Polish of gifts can be found right in the city centre in Folkstar (p.74).

Shopping in Łódź centres on three main areas of the city: the thoroughfare of Piotrkowska, the modern shopping centre Galeria Łódzka (p.74), and the shopping heaven that is the Manufaktura complex (p.40). Some of the streets running parallel to Piotrkowska, including ul. Sienkiewicza, are good for specialist shops, such as antiques and paintings. Indeed, whisper it in Warsaw, but Łódź may in fact be Poland’s top shopping destination. Whether it’s malls, designer boutiques, dusty family stores or antique markets a day spent shopping can result in both bargains and treasures, and there’s presents to be had for everyone on your list (including yourself ).

SUNDAY SHOPPING BAN Shops have traditionally had more limited hours on weekends, but since March 2018 new regulations that will eventually ban Sunday trading in Poland entirely have gone into effect. From January 2019, trade will only be allowed on the last Sunday of each month.

There are only a few exemptions to the rule, namely pharmacies, gas stations, kiosks, bakeries, open-air markets and souvenir shops (oh thank god). Note that the Sunday hours we list for venues are the hours they keep only on those Sundays when trade is allowed.

The following is a list of Sundays when shops are allowed to be open: Jan. 27 | Feb. 24 | March 31 | April 28 | May 26 70 Łódź In Your Pocket

ALCOHOL Of course you didn’t come to Poland just for the booze, but while you’re here it’d be rude not to check out what the country has to offer. Primarily that means vodka, with the two most highly regarded clear Polish vodkas being Belvedere and Chopin. Find them in any alcohol store.

Others to watch for include Żubrówka - that’s the one with the blade of bison grass inside - krupnik, a sweet honey vodka, and wiśniówka, a sickly sweet cherry drink usually consumed after meals. Finally, check Goldwasser, a unique elixir characterized by the 22 karat gold flakes floating in it.

KLUB WINO Half store, half wine bar, Klub Wino will easily appeal to wine connoisseurs who like to buy as well as taste. The store features bottles from around the world, including a small section of Polish wines.QK‑10, ul. Piotrkowska 217, tel. (+48) 786 19 73 00, www.klubwino.pl. Open 11:00 21:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 23:00, Sun 12:00 - 20:00.

PIWOTEKA SHOP You’ve probably been in bathroom stalls larger than this shop, but that’s not what will grab your attention. Piwoteka is floor-to-ceiling beer (with 15 taps, no less) the kinds you can’t and don’t find in the local pub (we imagine ‘Tyskie’ is a dirty word here). We’ve actually seen huddles of young men staring longingly through the window. Take it further and go inside, where you can’t turn around but you can learn a lot about the world’s best beer from the knowledgeable owner (make sure to stop by their fantastic pub and tasting room next door as well).QJ‑6, ul. 6 Sierpnia 1/3, tel. (+48) 730 35 67 06, www.piwoteka.pl. Open 12:00 - 22:00. Closed Sun.

Shopping AMBER & JEWELLERY Vodka isn’t the only golden nectar popular in Poland.

Poland is renowned for its amber and the craftsmen who handsomely shape the fossilised resin into unique and coveted pieces of jewellery. Come back from PL without bringing baby some Baltic Gold and you’ve booked yourself a stint in the doghouse. The best place to begin is in any of the jewellery stores found in Manufaktura, though you’ll find Piotrkowska offering numerous opportunities as well.

A&A DOM JUBILERSKI One look in A&A’s window and you’ll be blinded by the bling on display; anything picked up here will easily draw attention, with plenty of unique designs to choose from.

QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 146, tel. (+48) 42 636 74 18, www.domjubilerski.aia.pl. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Sat 10:00 - 15:00. Closed Sun. CRYSTAL FASHION The owner has 18 years of experience and training working with the world renowned Austrian Kings of Bling, Swarovski.

As well as a fabulous range of jewellery and items produced in their onsite workshop, using Swarovski components and their own range of sparkling crystal, they also stock jewellery and accessories from designers such as Murano and cult Dutch design team Buddha to Buddha. Crystal Fashion also undertakes commission work, irrespective of how bizarre or complex your idea may be, and they have encrusted cars, snooker cues and even a vacuum cleaner. Lighting, including chandeliers, are another speciality of theirs. Not just a store for the super-rich, many of the workshop pieces are very reasonably priced and you can even come away with a Swarovski topped pencil for an amazing 12zł!QK‑11, ul. Piotrkowska 270, tel. (+48) 42 648 05 60, www. crystalfashion.pl. Open 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sat, Sun. LILOU Phenomenally successful Polish jewellery chain where customers can select their own components and create a unique and personal piece. The range continues to grow, with the original idea of the personalised bracelet still the biggest seller. Choose a bracelet type and any number of simple silver or gold plated charms in a variety of shapes - hearts, dogs, cats and the likes, and then have it hand engraved with whatever or whoever means a lot to you. A ‘must have’ item local celebs and fashionistas and the perfect personalised gift for that special someone. Make sure to stop by their new location in the Manufaktura shopping mall.

QJ‑4, ul. Piotrkowska 18, tel. (+48) 797 33 43 36, www. lilou.pl. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 15:00.

W. KRUK Polish jewellery, amber and watches from various international brand names all worth a browse. Also at​ Galeria Łódzka (L-8/9), Galeria Sukcesja (I-11), Guliwer and CH Port.QI‑3, ul. Jana Karskiego 5 (Manufaktura), tel. (+48) 661 98 05 73, www.wkruk.pl. Open 10:00 - 22:00, Sat 09:00 - 22:30, Sun 10:00 - 21:00. lodz.inyourpocket.com 71

Shopping YES Yes jewellery stores can be found throughout Poland, and will impress with their array of accessible (Pandora) and classic (Polish amber) options. Keep an eye out for unique Polish designers.QI‑3, ul. Jana Karskiego 5 (Manufaktura), tel. (+48) 42 617 37 27, www.yes.pl.

Open 10:00 - 22:00, Sun 10:00 - 21:00.

ANTIQUES & ART GALLERIES A walk along the side streets off Piotrkowska is usually enough to fulfil antiquarian designs, especially if you like to sift through dusty shops filled with overlooked treasures. If you’re planning on taking an artwork out of the country, and it was produced prior to 1945, you will need authorisation to permit you to do so. Most shops will be able to provide you with this straight off the bat, but do check beforehand.

GALERIA ARS NOVA A popular gallery devoted to promoting young Polish artists.QJ‑2, ul. Zgierska 4, tel. (+48) 504 02 32 42, www. arsnovagallery.eu. Open 12:00 - 18:00, Sat 12:00 - 15:00.

Closed Sun.

FASHION & ACCESSORIES Each year in October and April Polish Fashion Week takes over Lodz as the country’s most stylish citizens descend on this historic manufacturing city to find out what’s hot (and what’s not). Surprised? Unassuming Lodz doesn’t seem like the kind of place you’d find a catwalk, let alone hordes of fashionistas clamouring for the latest trends. Yet the city prides itself on being the country’s fashion capital, and tourists can find plenty of stylish stores and boutiques peddling designs straight from the runway.

BLOOM BOUTIQUE Stand out from the masses by visiting Bloom Boutique.

Specialising in womenswear, bags and accessories by some of Poland’s top fashion designers (est by Black Bow, Confesion, eS, 10 DECOART, Vivitt, Acephala, Messo and Gepetto Polska) this is THE place to find short-run collections

TAX FREE SHOPPING Non-EU residents are entitled to claim a VAT refund when the purchased goods are exported in an unused condition outside the EU in personal luggage. Shop wherever you see the Global Blue logo. The minimum total purchase value with VAT per Tax Free Form is 200zł (about €75). Keep the Tax Free Form, have it stamped when leaving the final point of departure from the EU and reclaim your money. For full details check www.globalblue.com.

72 Łódź In Your Pocket

from the likes of Marita Bobko and Magda Hasiak and award winning local designer Maria Wiatrowska. The regularly changing stock features pieces for a variety of occasions; casual, avant garde, business and evening wear. Come in and chat with the owner, Beata Andrzejczak (who speaks English and Italian), about the designers represented in the boutique. Apart from the local buzz surrounding her unique Łódź store, she has built up a following of return customers from around Europe and the U.S.A.QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 107, tel. (+48) 506 08 47 93. Open 11:00 - 19:00, Fri 11:00 - 20:00, Sat 11:00 - 17:00. Closed Sun. MOGADISHU.STORE Second-hand shops are something Łódź has in spades, though most aren’t worth braving the musty odours and messy displays to enter. Not so at Mogadishu, a store so stylish it took us several minutes to realise we were perusing used goods. Shoes, purses and clothes are all clean and modern in this airy, uncluttered space, and the display of handmade jewellery is a must-see.QJ‑4, ul. Rewolucji 1905 r. 6, tel. (+48) 698 04 53 52, www.mogadishustore. pl. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Sat 10:00 - 14:00. Closed Sun.

FOOD & SWEETS There’s no better way to reminisce about your trip to Lodz than via the flavours of the city, and bringing home local foods and beverages doesn’t have to be a daunting idea (we’re just as averse to opening a suitcase of clothing that’s been marinated in Polish vodka as you are). Plenty of Lodz’s delicacies are easily transportable and worth the haul through customs.

E. WEDEL CHOCOLATE LOUNGE A Polish legend that’s been operating since Karol Wedel first opened a chocolate factory in 1851. Check the handmade truffles and be sure to sit for a rich chocolate drink. Also at ul. Piotrkowska 69.QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 19A, tel. (+48) 42 631 00 07, www.wedelpijalnie.pl. Open 10:00 - 22:00.

KRAKOWSKI KREDENS An old-fashioned dry goods store of expensive yet exquisite Polish delicacies, including jams, honeys, liquors and even a tub of smalec for you diehard fans.QH‑3, ul.

Jana Karskiego 5 (Manufaktura), tel. (+48) 696 49 00 16, www.krakowskikredens.pl. Open 10:00 - 22:00, Sun 10:00 - 21:00.

PRODUKTY BENEDYKTYŃSKIE This shop, set up by the Benedictine monks of Tyniec Abbey, sells such an astounding variety of products cheese, jam, wine, beer, honey, tea, herbs, syrups, meats - it raises two eyebrows over how they find the time. All the products are completely natural, without pigment, and unilaterally excellent and make excellent gifts and can even be purchased through their (Polish only) website.QK‑9, ul. Piotrkowska 200, tel. (+48) 42 636 40 66, www. produktybenedyktynskie.com.pl. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Sat 10:00 - 14:00. Closed Sun.

Boutique - Atelier

Symbols of precious moments Lilou is an upscale polish jewelry brand created by Magdalena Mousson-Lestang.

Lilou’s philosophy is to create unique, engraved j e w e l r y , customized and customizable to mark events, small and big stories of your life, emotions or simply to please or be pleased. Real caskets in terms of architecture, Lilou Boutique - Atelier are warm and inviting stores where engraving is handmade on demand.

Lilou jewelry is made of 14k gold, 925 silver or 23 k. platedgold, and can be accessorized with strings, ribbons, leather bracelets and precious stones, crystals and pearls.

Mark stories of your life by creating unique, engraved jewelry.

ŁÓDŹ, 18 Piotrkowska Street MANUFAKTURA, 58 Drewnowska Street lilouparis.com /bemylilou

/bemylilou

Shopping Full contents online: lodz.inyourpocket.com

SHOPPING MALLS Łódź’s urban landscape, as you know, is laid out perfectly for tourists, but so to are its shopping malls, which, it seems, are strategically placed to lure you in! Ok, ok, Manufaktura (p.40) is a former factory, however, this has the northern half of the centre covered for your shopping needs, whereas head south of ul. Piotrkowska and you have Galeria Łódźka on the way to the Museum of Cinematography, and to the south-west of the centre, two more in the form of CH Sukcesja and Pasaż Łódzki, all on the way to parks in the area.

GIFTS & SOUVENIRS Polish glass and amber are highly thought of, though if you want something clutz-proof then Polish linen, lace and woodwork all look lovely on someone else’s mantle. Folk art is an easily recognisable symbol of Poland, as is a magnet of the country’s favourite hero and saint-in-waiting Pope John Paul II. FOLKLOR Your first stop for traditional (some might say tacky) souvenirs. Amongst the tat also find traditional Polish handicrafts like table cloths, ceramics from Bolesławiec, glass etc.QJ‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 97, tel. (+48) 42 630 35 41. Open 10:00 - 19:00, Closed Sun. FOLKSTAR As far as souvenir shops go, each major Polish city has them, selling all manners of trinkets and oddities, however, Folkstar ups the game to offer tourists to Poland the chance to buy what can only be described as traditional items, steeped in ethnic Polish folklore, but given a slight design makeover to add a modern twist. Even before you enter, you are bedazzled by the sheer range of colours of all the products - they definitely are eye-catching, we give them that! Not only can you buy souvenirs here, but the extensive collection of items range from household, office and fashion items! You’ll definitely find something you’ll like in here, the designs are too wonderful to pass up.QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 70, tel. (+48) 575 30 06 33, www.folkstar. pl. Open 10:00 - 22:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00.

74 Łódź In Your Pocket

CH SUKCESJA After a few teething issues with the city’s newest shopping centre in Łódź is finally starting to take. They got rid of paid parking (the first 3 hours are free) and all of a sudden people are showing up. Also, the influx of restaurants has also helped the cause including Chude Ciacho (and the usual fast food court suspects). For shopping you have your standard H&Ms, CCCs, Media Experts, Rossmanns, Inglots and Mohitos plus a few Polish chains like Ryłko, W. Kruk, Cropp and Ziaja. They also have plenty of entertainment options with a Helios cinema, Król Kul (King Cool) Bowling, a Fit Fabric fitness club and a huge kid’s trampoline park (Stacja Grawitacja).QI‑11, Al. Politechniki 1, tel. (+48) 42 295 02 54, www.sukcesja.eu.

Open 10:00 - 21:00.

GALERIA ŁÓDZKA Opened in 2002 Galeria Łódzka became the first modern shopping centre in the city, with some 160 retail units occupying a space of 45,000 sqm. On the fashion front consumers needs are met by stores like H&M, Sunstage and Reserved though those with credit cards tend to head in one direction alone: Peek & Cloppenburg and 50 Style.

Other needs come catered for in the shape of Home & You and cosmetic and beauty store Apteka Super-Pharm. Foodwise there’s the standard mall mix, with all the big Yank franchises represented, as well as Hana Sushi, Sphinx, Costa Coffee, Kuchnia Marche and Berlin Döner Kebap. Ranked as Europe’s Best Shopping Centre in the 2004 ICSC Awards, GL realised their expansion plans fitting in even more stores than before. It’s within walking distance from Piotrkowska, though car owners can choose from 1,400 parking spaces (the first 3 hours are free!).QL‑8/9, Al. Piłsudskiego 15/23, tel. (+48) 42 639 15 00, www.galeria-lodzka.pl. Open 09:30 - 21:00, Sun 10:00 - 20:00.

Get the In Your Pocket City Essentials App

Directory 24-HOUR PHARMACIES CITO QI‑6, ul. Żeromskiego 39, tel. (+48) 42 633 48 29, www. apteka-cito.com.pl.

24-HOUR POST OFFICE POCZTA POLSKA QF‑9, Al. Włókniarzy 227, tel. (+48) 42 634 41 34, www. poczta-polska.pl. Open 24-hours.

24-HOUR SHOPS U BRONKA QL‑1, ul. Wojska Polskiego 82, tel. (+48) 42 616 07 60.

ZETKAQM‑9, ul. Kilińskiego 153, tel. (+48) 42 674 60 73.

COMPUTER REPAIR AISKOMP QJ‑5, ul. Piotrkowska 35, tel. (+48) 510 70 92 80, www. aiskomp.pl. Open 10:00 - 18:00, Closed Sat, Sun.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE KANTOR EXCHANGE GROUP QL‑8, Al. Piłsudskiego 15/23 (Galeria Łódzka), tel. (+48) 42 636 01 62. Open 09:00 - 21:00, Fri, Sat 09:30 - 22:00, Sun 10:00 - 21:00.

KANTOR EXCHANGE GROUP QH‑3, ul. Jana Karskiego 5 (Manufaktura), tel. (+48) 42 634 84 98. Open 10:00 - 22:00, Sat 10:00 - 22:30, Sun 10:00 - 21:00.

DENTISTS INTERSTOM QJ‑7, Al. Kościuszki 32, tel. (+48) 42 632 57 11. Open Mon, Tue, Thu 16:00 - 19:00 only.

INTERNET CAFES SET KOMPUTERY Qul. Pojezierska 2/6, tel. (+48) 42 654 69 96, www.z1.pl.

Open 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun.

LAUNDRY CZYSTA SZTUKA QJ‑11, ul. Stefanowskiego 24, tel. (+48) 609 64 83 38.

Open 10:00 - 16:00. Closed Sun. PRALNIA PERFECT QK‑6, ul. Sienkiewicza 29, tel. (+48) 42 634 23 02, www. pralniaperfect.pl. Open 09:00 - 18:00, Sat 10:00 - 13:00.

Closed Sun.

HEALTH & EMERGENCY In the case of an emergency, mobile phone users should dial 112 to be forwarded to the police, fire department or ER. From a landline or public phone dial the following: Ambulance: 999; Fire: 998; Police: 997.

English, German and Russian speakers have separate lines specifically designed for foreigners in distress: +48 608 599 999 or +48 22 278 77 77 (mobile or landline).

For urgent medical emergencies, use the listings below. The emergency room in PL is called SOR and should only be visited when absolutely necessary. In less urgent crises we recommend you visit a private clinic, where you‘ll get better service and avoid the notoriously long queues in Polish hospitals.

EMERGENCY ROOM (SOR) A large hospital located south of the city centre.

Qul. Pabianicka 62, tel. (+48) 42 689 50 00, www. kopernik.lodz.pl.

ESKULAP A private medical clinic near Łódź Kaliska train station.

QL‑6, ul. Traugutta 25, tel. (+48) 42 632 91 56, www. eskulap-lekarze.pl. Open 12:00 - 18:00, Closed Sat, Sun. LOST AND FOUND OFFICE QK‑8, ul. Piotrkowska 153, tel. ​(+48) 42 638 57 34.

Open 08:00 - 15:00, Tue 09:00 - 17:00, Closed Sat, Sun. MUNICIPAL POLICE HEADQUARTERS IN ŁÓDŹ The location of the Police HQ is near the main Piotrkowska Street. Crucially, if you need immediate assistance, call the English language EU-wide emergency service no. 112.Qul. Sienkiewicza 28/30, www.lodz.policja.gov.pl.

SALVE This private medical clinic is located just off Piotrkowska.QJ‑7, ul. Struga 3, tel. (+48) 42 633 56 61, www.salve.pl. Open 07:00 - 20:00, Sat 08:00 14:00, Closed Sun.

TRANSLATORS & INTERPRETORS TRADOQL‑5, ul. Polskiej Organizacji Wojskowej 28, tel. (+48) 42 635 35 50, www.trado.pl.

TRANSLATERIA QG‑7, ul. Andrzeja Struga 78, tel. (+48) 662 44 99 84, www.translateria.pl. lodz.inyourpocket.com 75

Hotels CREAM OF THE CROP DOUBLETREE BY HILTON ŁÓDŹ QH‑9, ul. Łąkowa 29, tel. (+48) 42 208 80 00, www. doubletreelodz.pl. 200 rooms (1 Presidential Apartment). P­U­L­6­K­H­C­D­F­w hhhh VIENNA HOUSE ANDEL’S LODZ QI‑3, ul. Ogrodowa 17 (Manufaktura), tel. (+48) 42 279 10 00, www.viennahouse.com/pl/andels-lodz.

277 rooms (52 apartments). P­X­U­L­6­K­H­C­ D­F­w hhhh

UPMARKET Vienna House Andel’s Lodz

For many years the hotel sector in Łódź didn’t reflect its position as the country’s third biggest city. While the skyscraping 5-star international brands have still yet to arrive here, the sector has seen a marked improvement in recent years with a series of new and renovated hotels opening their doors. And with the improved rooms you can expect improved service as well with English much more widely spoken and with extras such as wireless internet, spas, swimming pools and gyms now coming as standard in many places. With rates tending to fluctuate, use IYP’s booking service to see what the best offers are.

AMBASADOR CENTRUM QL‑8, Al. Piłsudskiego 29, tel. (+48) 42 677 15 20, www. hotelambasador.pl. 143 rooms (4 apartments). X­U­ L­K­H­C­D­F hhhh BOROWIECKI QF‑5, ul. Kasprzaka 7/9, tel. (+48) 42 208 17 00, www. hotelborowiecki.pl. 56 rooms (2 apartments). P­U­L­ 6­K­H­F hhh HOLIDAY INN LODZ QK‑10, ul. Piotrkowska 229/231, tel. (+48) 42 208 20 00, www.hilodz.com. 127 Total rooms. P­U­L­K­H­ D­F hhhh KOLUMNA PARK HOTEL & RESTAURANT Qul. Hotelowa 1 (Dobroń Przygoń), tel. (+48) 43 677 27 27, www.kolumnapark.pl. 70 rooms (4 apartments).

P­U­L­6­D hhh NOBO HOTEL Qul. Liściasta 86 / Al. Włókniarzy, tel. (+48) 42 234 14 61, www.nobohotel.pl. 26 rooms (1 apartment). P­U­L­ 6­K­H hhh NOVOTEL ŁÓDŹ CENTRUM QK‑8, Al. Piłsudskiego 11A, tel. (+48) 42 254 39 00, www.novotel.com. 161 rooms (1 apartment). P­U­L­ 6­K­H­F hhhh QUBUS HOTEL ŁÓDŹ QI‑9, Al. Mickiewicza 7, tel. (+48) 42 275 51 00, www. qubushotel.com. 78 Total rooms. P­U­L­6­K­H hhh STACJA NOWA GDYNIA Qul. Sosnowa 1, Zgierz, tel. (+48) 42 714 21 61, www. hotelnowagdynia.pl. 19 rooms (1 apartment). P­U­ L­6­K­H­C­D­F­w hhh TOBACO HOTEL QG‑9, ul. Kopernika 64, tel. (+48) 42 207 07 07, www. hoteltobaco.pl. 115 Total rooms. P­U­L­6­K­H­ D­F hhh

76 Łódź In Your Pocket

Hotels SYMBOL KEY P Air conditioning C‑1 Map Coordinate w Wellness

C Swimming pool

F Fitness centre

H Conference facilities

K Restaurant

U Facilities for the disabled

D Sauna

L Guarded parking on site

6 Animal friendly

X Smoking rooms available

MID-RANGE B&B HOTEL ŁÓDŹ CENTRUM QJ‑6, Al. Kościuszki 16, tel. (+48) 42 207 00 40, www.hotelbb.pl. 149 Total rooms. P­X­U­L­6­H BOUTIQUE HOTEL QJ‑4, ul. Rewolucji 1905r. 8, tel. (+48) 512 20 10 80, www.cfihotels.pl. 69 rooms (3 apartments). L­6­H CAMPANILE QL‑8, Al. Piłsudskiego 27, tel. (+48) 42 664 26 00, www.campanile-lodz.pl. 104 Total rooms. P­X­U­L­ 6­K­H hhh ESKULAP Qul. Paradna 46, tel. (+48) 42 272 33 00, www.hoteleskulap.com.pl. 50 rooms (4 apartments). U­L­6­ H­D hh

! gs Poland in h t ll a Shop

GIFTS SOUVENIRS EXPERIENCES & MORE Order calendar now!

FOCUS QH‑8, ul. Łąkowa 23/25, tel. (+48) 42 637 12 00, www. focushotels.pl. 105 Total rooms. P­X­U­L­6­K­ H­D hhh IBIS QK‑8, Al. Piłsudskiego 11, tel. (+48) 42 638 67 00, www. ibis.com. 207 Total rooms. P­U­L­6­K­H hh INESS Qul. Wróblewskiego 19/23, tel. (+48) 42 684 45 54, www.inesshotel.pl. 55 rooms (6 apartments). P­U­L­ 6­K­H hhh LINAT ORCHIM DOM GOŚCINNY QK‑3, ul. Pomorska 18, tel. (+48) 42 632 46 61, www. linatorchim.pl. 21 Total rooms. L­6

Get the In Your Pocket City Essentials App

iyp.me/polandshop lodz.inyourpocket.com 77

Hotels POLA NEGRI One Polish name is particularly associated with the advent of film and Hollywood glamour, and that name is Pola Negri. From the 1910s-1940s Negri achieved worldwide recognition as the first European actress to be invited to Hollywood and a classic femme fatale during the golden era of films.

The beginning of Negri’s life is as dramatic as any Hollywood film: born in Lipno in central Poland as Barbara Apolonia Chałupiec, Negri was the youngest of three children and the only one to survive. Negri’s father was exiled to Siberia by the Russians for alleged revolutionary activity, which sent the young Negri and her mother to Warsaw to scrape by in poverty. After storming the Warsaw stage scene Negri’s popularity helped the actress launch a silent film career in Berlin.

The popularity of her 1919 film Madame Dubarry in the US brought down the embargo on German films in America. After several more successes in German cinema Paramount invited Negri to bring her talents to Hollywood, and her 1922 contract with the film company was the first to be signed by a European star.

Negri’s career with Paramount included films like The Spanish Dancer and Forbidden Paradise which came out right before the industry moved away from silent movies and into the “talkies.” Negri starred in the lacklustre A Woman Commands, but her song “Paradise” from the film became a hit and took Negri on a Vaudeville tour to promote the song. Negri also returned to Europe in the late 1930s to make films like Fanatisme and Mazurka, the latter of which was a favourite of Adolf Hitler. The war sent Negri back to the US, where she landed the role of high-strung opera singer Genya Smetana in the 1943 comedy Hi Diddle Diddle.

Almost as famous for her love affairs as for her screen roles, Negri counted Charlie Chaplin and Rod La Rocque among her conquests (not to mention two husbands, Count Eugeniusz Dambski and Georgian prince Serge Mdivani) but claimed Rudolph Valentino was the love of her life. The two were introduced by William Randolph Hearst and were lovers until Valentino’s death in 1926.

Negri eventually retired from Hollywood in the 1950s and moved with her oil heiress friend Margaret West to San Antonio, Texas where she lived for the remainder of her life. While Negri would occasionally reconnect with Hollywood for a film role she largely stayed out of the public eye, dying on August 1, 1987 from a bout with pneumonia. Today Negri is memorialised on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on Poland’s Walk of Fame in Łódź and in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, where she was the 11th star to place her hands and footprints in cement.

78 Łódź In Your Pocket

MAZOWIECKI QH‑7, ul. 28 Pułku Strzelców Kaniowskich 53/57, tel. (+48) 42 637 43 33, www.hotelmazowiecki.com.

105 rooms (1 apartment). U­L­6­K­H hh REYMONT QG‑4, ul. Legionów 81, tel. (+48) 42 633 80 23, www. hotelewam.pl. 71 rooms (2 apartments). T­U­L­6­ K­H­F hhh SAVOY QK‑6, ul. Traugutta 6, tel. (+48) 609 67 45 81, www. savoy.centrumhotele.pl. 91 rooms (1 apartment).

U­6­H hh ŚWIATOWIT QJ‑8, Al. Kościuszki 68, tel. (+48) 609 67 47 40, www. swiatowit.centrumhotele.pl. 201 Total rooms. P­U­L­ 6­K­H hhh VILLA MASONERIA QN‑5, ul. Tramwajowa 11, tel. (+48) 723 24 87 39, www. villamasoneria.com.pl. 18 Total rooms. T­L­6 ZAJAZD RUBIN Qul. Scaleniowa 11, tel. (+48) 42 689 25 90, www. hotelrubin.pl. 11 rooms (1 apartment). L­6­K hhh

BUDGET MHOTEL Qul. Św. Teresy 111 (via ul. Szczecińska in Bałuty), tel. (+48) 42 652 99 90, www.mhotel.eu. 39 Total rooms.

6­K­H hhh POLONIA PALAST QL‑5, ul. Narutowicza 38, tel. (+48) 609 67 45 82, www. polonia.centrumhotele.pl. 83 Total rooms. U­6 hh TRAINING AND CONFERENCE CENTRE UNIVERSITY OF ŁÓDŹ QO‑4, ul. Kopcińskiego 16/18, tel. (+48) 42 635 54 90, www.csk.uni.lodz.pl. 60 Total rooms. P­L­6­K­H TRAINING AND CONFERENCE CENTRE UNIVERSITY OF ŁÓDŹ Qul. Rogowska 26, tel. (+48) 42 659 82 11, www.csk.uni. lodz.pl. 52 Total rooms. U­L­6­K­H hhh

APARTMENTS ARCHE RESIDENCE ŁÓDŹ QP‑3, ul, Jana Matejki 11, tel. (+48) 505 12 58 45. L­6 BEDROOMS QJ‑6, ul. Piotrkowska 64, tel. (+48) 730 64 64 64, www. bedrooms64.pl. 44 Total rooms. P­T

Hotels

Hotels

MID

Get the In Your Pocket City Essentials App CITY CENTER ROOMS QJ‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 91, tel. (+48) 42 208 08 08, www. citycenterrooms.pl. 24 apartments. T­L

BOU QC-4 www 4 trip

Your Home in Travel!

GOOD TIME - HISTORICAL APARTMENT COMPLEX (GOOD TIME - ŁÓDZKI HISTORYCZNY KOMPLEKS APARTAMENTOWY) QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 120, tel. (+48) 42 207 32 32, www. good-time.com.pl. 55 apartments. T­L­6­H

CUD QF-3 5 roo

FOCU 12 00 54 do

HOME & TRAVEL QJ‑4, ul. Piotrkowska 21, tel. (+48) 42 633 80 80, www. hometravel.pl. 19 apartments. P­L LOFT APARTS QO‑10, ul. Tymienieckiego 25C, tel. (+48) 730 25 25 25, www.loftaparts.pl. 40 apartments. L

Central location - Piotrkowska Street

STARE KINO CINEMA RESIDENCE QK‑7, ul. Piotrkowska 120, tel. (+48) 42 207 27 27, www. cinemahotel.pl. 50 apartments. L­6­K­H

LINA QC-2 linato 23 tri

BOUTIQUE HOSTELQJ‑11, ul. Stefanowskiego 17, tel. (+48) 512 22 10 22, www.cfihotels.pl. 41 rooms (11 singles, 22 doubles, 8 triples). L­6

Free parking available

MUSIC HOSTEL QJ‑5, ul. Piotrkowska 60, tel. (+48) 533 53 32 63, www. music-hostel.pl. 6 rooms (1 triple, 2 quads, 3 six-person room, 28 dorm beds). L­6

MAZ QG-4 tel. ( com.

1 apa

SAVO QC-4 savoy 33 do

FLAMINGO HOSTEL QK‑7, ul. Sienkiewicza 67, tel. (+48) 42 661 18 88, www.lodz.flamingo-hostel.com. 13 rooms (8 singles, 8 doubles, 1 quad, 1 Six-person room, 2 Eight-person room, 1 Ten-person room). 6 FRESCO HOSTEL QG‑6, ul. 6-go Sierpnia 80, tel. (+48) 508 10 82 45, www. hostelfresco.pl. L­6­W

GRA QC-4 www 14 su

IBISQ www PH

HOSTELS

CYNAMON HOSTEL QK‑7, ul. Sienkiewicza 40, tel. (+48) 42 209 34 79, www. cynamonhostel.pl. 25 rooms (2 singles, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 3 quads, 2 Six-person room, 4 Eight-person room, 2 Ten-person room, 130 dorm beds). L­6­W­K

CAM QE-6 www 104 d

Wifi and satellite TV - free of charge

RELAX QK‑9, ul. Piotrkowska 192, tel. (+48) 510 70 56 97, www. hotelikrelax.pl.

78 Łódź In Your Pocket

ul. Piotrkowska 21 90-406 Łódź tel.: +48/42/633-80-80 fax. +48/42/633-80-10 www.hometravel.pl

ŚWIA QC-6 swiat 76 do

ZAJA QG-6 hotel 2 suit

lodz.inyourpocket.com 79

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6 Sierpnia

a 6 Sierpni

Villa Gallery/ Chimera Gallery

Wodna

Targowa

o

za Sienkiewic

KI

a

skiego Stefanow

go Żeromskie

Street Index 1 Maja, Al. E-6; F/I-5; F-6 10 Lutego K-10 28 Pułku Strzelców Kaniowskich H-5/8 6 Sierpnia F-7; G/J-6; G-7 Abramowskiego L-10; M-9/10 Anstadta, Al. M-3 Armii Krajowej A-12 Artyleryjska F-5; G-5 Augustyniaka E-4 Azaliowa A-2/3; B-2 Babickiego A-10/11 Bałucki Rynek J-1 Bałutka A-1/6; B-1; C-1 Banacha O-4; P-4 Bandurskiego, Al.

D-9/12; E/G-9; E-10 Bardowskiego E-3 Barska A-5 Batalionów Chłopskich A-12 Bazarowa I-1/2 Berlińskiego J-1; K-1 Biała G-1 Biegunowa A-4 Błońska G-12 Bobowa B-3; C-2/3 Bojowników Getta Warszawskiego

J-2; K-2 Borowa B-3; C-3/4 Bratysławska D-11/12; E-10/11 Bronowa A-3 Brzeska N-1 Brzeźna K-10; L-10 Brzozowa M-12 Bydgoska E-1 Ceglana J-1 Celna E-10 Chłodna L-1; M-1 Chodkiewicza D-10/11 Ciepła D-3 Ciesielska I-1 Cmentarna G-4; H-4 Czarnego J-1; K-1 Czarnkowska G-1/2 Czerwona J-12; K-12 Częstochowska P-11 Daniłowskiego C-4 Dębowa M-12 Dembińskiego F-10 Długosza D-3; E-3/4; F-4 Dobra O-7 Doły P-1/2 Dowborczyków M-6/8 Drewnowska C/E-3; E/J-2; G-3 Droga Pożarowa B-11; C-11 Drukarska H-1 Dwernickiego, Gen. N-2 Fabryczna M/P-9 Filomatów A-5/6 Floriańska F-3 Franciszkańska K-1/3 Gandhiego D/G-2 Gazowa F-4 Gdańska I-3/9; J-9 Głęboka P-8 Gnieźnieńska G-1 Gołębia O-9; P-9 Górna F-3/4 Grabowa M-11/12 Graficzna H-1/2 Grodzieńska D-9/10 Grohmanów, Al. M-6; N-6 Grochowa B-3; C-2/3 Grzybowa C-3 Gwiazdowa C-9 Harcmistrza Kamińskiego N-2/4

84 Łódź In Your Pocket

Harnama K-2 Hokejowa A-12 Holoubka O-6 Hotelowa K-6 Hubala-Dobrzańskiego A-12; B-12 Hufcowa A-10/11; B-10/11 Inowrocławska C-1; D-1 Inżyniera Lindleya M-5; N-5 Inżynierska H-10/11 Jakuba K-2 Jana Pawła II, Al. G-9/12; H-12 Janke, Gen. D-12 Jaracza J/L-5; L/P-4 Jarzynowa B-4/5; C-3/4 Jasień O-10; P-9/10 Jaszuńskiego O-4 Jęczmienna B-4; C-3/4 Joselewicza J-1; K-1 Józewskiego, Al. J-8; K-8 Kajakowa F-10/11 Karolewska E/G-9; E-10; G-8; H-8 Karskiego G-3/4 Kasprzaka E-1/5; F-5 Kilińskiego K-3/5; L-5/8; M-8/11; N-11/12 Klonowa E-1 Kolektywna L-1 Kołłątaja N-3 Kołodziejska G-1 Komunardów L-1 Konstantynowska A-8/E-6 Kopcińskiego O-3/8 Kopernika G/I-8; G-9; I-7; J-7 Kościelna J-2 Kościuszki, Al. J-5/11; K-10/11 Kowieńska D-9/10 Kozietulskiego C-9 Krakowska A-4/7; B-7/8 Krawiecka K-1 Króla C-11/12; D-11 Krótka I-1; J-1 Krotoszyńska E-1 Krzemieniecka B-8; C/E-9; C-8; E-10 Księży Młyn N-9; O-9/10 Kusocińskiego A/D-10; B-11; D-11 Kwiatów Polskich A-1 Łagiewnicka J-1/2 Łąkowa G-7; H-7/9; I-9 Łaska G-11/12 Łęczycka O-11/12 Legionów E/G-5; E-6; G/J-4 Lemieszowa A-1/2 Limanowskiego H/J-1 Lipowa H-4/7; I-7/8 Łódka A-6/9; B-5/8; M-1/2; N-1 Lokajskiego C-11 Lorentza D-4; E-4 Łowicka O-11; P-11 Lubeckiego O-2; P-2 Lubelska M-12 Łubinowa A-2 Lutomierska F/H-1; H/J-2 Magazynowa N-9/10 Mała I-5/6 Małachowskiego O-6; P-5/6 Malinowa F-1 Mania B-4 Maratońska D-12; E-11/12; F-10/11 Marusarzówny B-12 Marynarska L-1 Matejki O-2/3; P-3/5 Mianowskiego L-1 Mickiewicza, Al. G/J-9; J-8; K-8 Miecznikowskiego L-8 Miedziana N-8; O-8 Mielczarskiego H-4; I-3/4

Michałowicza A-5/6 Milionowa K-12; L/P-11; L-12; P-10 Minerska A-7/8 Mińska F-11/12 Młynarska K-1 Modra G-1 Mokra D-1; E-1 Moniuszki J-6; K-6 Muszyńskiego P-4 Nad Karolewką D-11/12 Naftowa E-5/6; F-5 Napierskiego A-11 Narciarska D-12; E-12 Narutowicza J/P-5; P-4 Naturowicza M-5 Nawrot K/O-7; K-8 Niska P-8 Norwida E-10; F-10 Nowa O-6/8 Nowe Sady E/G-12 Nowomiejska J-2/3 Objazdowa E-10; F-10 Oblęgorska M-1 Obornicka F-1 Obrońców Westerplatte L-1 Odolanowska F-1/3 Ogrodowa G-4; H/J-3; H-4 Okrzei F-2/4 Olimpijska C-12 Omłotowa B-2/3 Organizacji “Wolność i Niezawisłość”

J-1; K-1 Orla L-9; M-9 Orzechowa B-5 Osiedlowa H-1; I-1 Ossowskiego E-2/5 Owsiana B-2/3; C-2 Ozorkowska P-12 Pacanowskiej J-2; K-2 Palki, Al. O-1/3 Pankiewicza N-1; O-1/2 Parkowa G-11; H-10/11 Pasaż Wajdy M-6 Pasterska J-1 Pawia H-1 PCK, Al. J-11; K-11 Perla C-4; D-4 Perłowa B-3; C-3 Piaski B-11; C-10/11 Pietrusińskiego F-2/4 Pilarskiego O-4 Piłsudskiego, Al. K/P-8 Piotrkowska J-4/7; K-7/12 Piramowicza L-4/5 Piwna H-1/2 Pl. 4 Czerwca 1989 r.

K-5 Pl. Barlickiego I-6 Pl. Gen. Dąbrowskiego L-4; M-4/5 Pl. Gen. Hallera F-6; G-6 Pl. Komuny Paryskiej K-7 Pl. Kościelny J-2 Pl. Pokoju N-4 Pl. Wolności J-3/4 Pl. Zwycięstwa M-8; N-8 Pługowa A-2 Podrzeczna I-2; J-2 Pogonowskiego H-5/8 Politechniki, Al. I-10/12; J-12 Północna J/M-3; M-2; N-2 Polskiej Organizacji Wojskowej L-4/5 Pomorska J-4; K/P-3; K-4 Popiela G-1 Popowskiego O-8/9 Potza J-11 Powstańców Wielkopolskich D/F-1 Poznańskich, Al. L-5/6; M-5

Praska M-12 Praussa C-4 Próchnika H/J-4 Proletariacka H-11/12 Przędzalniana N-6; O-6/11; P-11/12 Przełajowa B-12 Przybyszewskiego M/P-12 Pszenna B-2/3; C-2 Ptasia H-12 Rabatkowa A-1 Radwańska H-11; I/K-10; I-11 Rajdowa C-10/12 Rajodwa C-11 Rawska O-11; P-11 Rembielińskiego H-11; I-11 Retkińska B-10/12; C-9/10 Rewolucji 1905 r.

J/N-4 Rokitny A-7 Rondo Jezuitów L-8 Rondo Solidarności O-3 Roosevelta K-8 Rostworowskiego L-7/8 Rybna I-1/2 Rzepakowa A-1/2 Rzeszowska A-6 Sandomierska D-10/11 Sempołowskiej O-4 Senatorska L/N-12; N-11; O-11 Scheiblerów, Al. M-5/6 Schillera, Al. K-7 Sienkiewicza K-5/8; L-8/11 Sierakowskiego G-1 Siewna A-3; B-3 Skierniewicka P-11 Skłodowskiej-Curie H/J-7; H-8 Skorupki J-11; K-11 Skury-Skoczyńskiego “Robotnika”

K-1; L-1 Słowiańska M-11/12 Śmigłego-Rydza, Al. O-8; P-8/12 Smugowa K-2; L-1/2 Smukłego C-4 Smutna O-1; P-1 Snopowa A-2 Snycerska I-1 Sojczyńskiego “Warszyca” L-1 Solec A-4; B-3/4; C-3 Solna K-3 Solskiego O-5; P-5/6 Sosnowa L-12 Sowia G-12; H-12 Sporna N-1/2; O-1 Sprawiedliwa F-1 Sprinterów B-11; C-11 Srebrzyńska A/C-4; C/E-5; E/G-4 Starosikawska L-1 Stefanowskiego J-9/11 Sterlinga L-3; M-3/4 Stocka L-12 Stolarska F-2 Struga F-8; G/K-7; G-8 Styrska P-3 Św. Jerzego G-4 Św. Kostki K-11 Szamotulska E-1 Szczucińska L-12 Szendzielarza “Łupaszki” K-1; L-1 Szletyńskiego, Al. K-7 Tamka P-2/3 Targowa M-6/10 Tarnowska A-6 Telefoniczna O-2; P-2 Tkacka O-5; P-5 Tomaszewicza A-11/12 Towarowa D-3; H-12 Tramwajowa N-5/6

Traugutta J/L-6 Trójskok D-12; E-12 Tuwima K-7; L/P-6; L-7 Tybury E/G-1 Tylna L-10/11; M-10 Tymienieckiego

K/M-11; M/P-10; P-9 Unii Lubelskiej F-9 Unii Lubelskiej, Al.

C-3/4; D-4/7; E-7/9; F-9 Uniwersytecka M-4/5; N-3/5; O-3 Urzędnicza H-1 Wacława P-11 Wajdy M-6 Wapienna D-4/5; E-3/4 Warneńska A-5 Waryńskiego F-4 Węglowa N-6 Widok L-1 Wiebrzbowa N-6 Więckowskiego E/G-6; G/J-5 Wieczność A-3/4 Wierzbowa N-2/6 Wigury K/M-9 Wilcza O-9/10 Wileńska C/E-10; C-9; E-11; F-11 Wilsona A-7/8 Wioślarska D-11/12; E-11/12 Włókiennicza K-4 Włókniarzy, Al.

D-1/5; E-5/7; F-7/9; G-9 Wodna N-6/8 Wojciecha Głowackiego M-1 Wojciecha Hasa L-6 Wojska Polskiego J-2; K/N-1; K-2 Wolborska J-2; K-2/3 Wólczańska I-5; J-5/12; K-11/12 Wolna F-1 Wołowa H-11; I-11 Wróbla H-1 Wróblewskiego H/K-12 Wróblewskiego, Gen. D/F-11; F/H-12 Wrocławska H-1/2 Wrześnieńska F/I-1 Wschodnia J-3; K-3/5 Współzawodnicza K-1 Wydawnicza O-6; P-6/8 Wygodna E-10/11; F-10 Wysoka N-6/8 Wyspiańskiego D-10/11; E-10 Wyszyńskiego, Al. A/D-11; A/D-12 Zacisze N-3/4 Zachodnia I-1/3; J-2/5 Zamenhofa I/K-8 Zana D-3 Zbiorcza P-8 Zdrowie B-7 Żelazna P-8/9 Żeligowskiego, Gen. G-5/7; H-7 Zelwerowicza O-5; P-5 Żeromskiego H-4/5; I-5/10 Zgierska J-1/2 ZHP, Al. J-8; K-8 Zielna L-1 Zielona E/I-6; F-5; I-5; J-5 Zimna D-3 Złota N-7 Żniwna B-2/3 Źródłowa L/N-2; L-1; N-3; O-3 Żubardzka C-1; D-1 Żubrowej F-10/11 Żwirki I-10; J-9/10; K-9 Zyndrama A-6/7 Żytnia H-2

Venue Index 6. Dzielnica 65 A&A Dom Jubilerski 71 Affogato 56 All Star Klubokawiarnia 25 Ambasador Centrum 76 Anatewka 46, 60 Angelo Ristorante 59 Aquapark Fala 69 Arena Laser Games 44 Arche Residence Łódź 78 Art Factory 24 Arthur Rubinstein’s Piano 21 Ato Sushi 54 Bałucki Rynek 34 Bawełna 46 B&B Hotel Łódź Centrum 77 Bedrooms 78 Bierhalle 46, 47 Bierhalle - Esplanada 56 Bistro 51 Bistro Korzenie 25 Bloom Boutique 72 Borowiecki 76 Boutique Hostel 79 Boutique Hotel 77 Brush Barber Shop 23 Cafe Bar Poczekalnia 65 Cafe Magistrat 48 Cafe Verte 48 Campanile 77 Carmen Parrot Centre 69 Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź 25 Centre for Science & Technology EC1 27 Cesky Film Restaurant & Pub 55 Charlie 68 Chatka Ech 48 Chłopska Izba 61 CH Sukcesja 74 Church of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mary 34 Cinema City 44 City Center Rooms 79 Crystal Fashion 71 Cud Miód 62 Cud Miód Fabryczna 57 Cynamon Hostel 79 Czekolada 67 Cztery Ściany 56 Decalogue Monument 33 Delight Restaurant 46 DOKI gastrobar 22 Dom 23 DoubleTree by Hilton Łódź 76 Dwa Przez Cztery Wine Bar 67 Dzień Dobry Caffe 48

Dzika Kaczka 57 Eskulap 77 E. Wedel Chocolate Lounge 47, 49, 72 Experymentarium 42 Fairytale Łódź 21 Flamingo Hostel 79 Focus 77 Folklor 74 Folkstar 74 Foto Cafe 102 65 Four Colors 57 Fresco Hostel 79 Galeria Ars Nova 72 Galeria Łódzka 74 Galicja 46 Gastromachina Stacja 53 Gęsi Puch 62 Golden Bar 65 Good Time - Historical Apartment Complex 79 Grand Coffee 49 Helios Łódź Sukcesja 68 Holiday Inn Lodz 76 Home & Travel 79 Hot Air Cafe 49 Ibis 77 Inappropriate Weight 36

In Centro 56 Iness 77 Irish Pub 58, 65 Istanbul Tajmahal 56 Italica 59 Jewish Cemetery 33 Jewish Community Centre & Synagogue

31 Julian Tuwim’s Bench 21 Karczma u Chochoła 62 Kawiarnia słodkie słówka (Bean&Buddies)

49 Kebab House 61 Klub Wino 67, 70 Kokoo 67 KołoWrotki 25 Kolumna Park Hotel & Restaurant 76 Krakowski Kredens 72 Krewetka 61 Król Kul 68 Księży Młyn & Herbst Palace 8 KURONEKO - Japanese restaurant 25 Lepione & Pieczone 62 Lilou 71 Linat Orchim Dom Gościnny 77 Łódź Film School 29 Łódź Kaliska 65

Descend before you ascend in EC1’s Planetarium (p.25).

lodz.inyourpocket.com 85

Venue Index

‘Bang!’ by Etam Cru and Sat One found on al. Kościuszki 27 Łódź Tourism Organisation 38 Łódź Walk of Fame 29 Loft Aparts 79 Lordi's Club & Foo Foo Bar 67 Manekin 56 Manufaktura Shopping Gallery 44 Mazowiecki 78 Meta na Piotrkowskiej 51 mHotel 78 Mogadishu.store 72 Montag 49 Multikino Łódź 68 Museum of Archaeology & Ethnography

38 Museum of Art in Łódź - ms¹ 38 Museum of Art in Łódź- ms² 42 Museum of Cinematography 29 Museum of Public Transport 39 Museum of the City of Łódź 42 Museum of the Factory 42 Museum of the Tradition of Independence

39 Music Hostel 79 NoBo Hotel 76 Novotel Łódź Centrum 76 Nóż 23 Old Jewish Cemetery 34 Oscar's Bar 47 Otwarte Drzwi 60 Owoce i Warzywa Klubokawiarnia 65 P29 66 Papuvege 56 Pho Shop 54 Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa 51 Piotrkowska 217 24 Piotrkowska Klub 97 66 Piwnica Łódzka 63

86 Łódź In Your Pocket

Piwnica Smaków 63 Piwoteka Narodowa 66 Piwoteka Shop 70 PiwPaw 66 Planetarium EC1 27 Polka 47 Polonia Palast 78 Pomodoro 60 Presto 60 Produkty Benedyktyńskie 72 Protestacja 66 Przędza Coffee/Bar 49 Przerwa Catering & Design 58 Quale Restaurant 58 Qubus Hotel Łódź 76 Radegast Station 32 Rajskie Jadło 47 Reicher Synagogue 34 Relax 79 Restauracja u Kretschmera 58 Reymont 78 Róża's Passage 20 SALTOS Trampoline Park 69 Savoy 78 Schupo and Gestapo HQ 34 Señoritas Mexican American Restaurant & Lounge 61 SerVantka 55 Shahrazad 61 skyFLY Bar 47 Society of Friends of Old Łódź 38 SODA Underground Stage 67 Sote 59 SPA & Health Club in DoubleTree by Hilton Łódź 69 Spaleni Słońcem 23 Sphinx 61

Stacja Nowa Gdynia 69, 76 Stare Kino Cinema Residence 79 Stratosfera Climbing Centre 44 Survivors' Park 33 Światowit 78 Szpulka 46 Takżetego 63 Tango Argentino Steakhouse 54 Tel Aviv 61 Teremok 63 The Brick Coffee Factory 49 The Children of Bałuty - Memorial Murals

33 The Eclipse Inn 66 The Ghetto Bridges 33 The Red House 34 Tobaco Hotel 76 Tourist Information Point 38 Training and Conference Centre University of Łódź 78 Vienna House Andel's Lodz 76 Villa Gallery/Chimera Gallery 8 Villa Masoneria 78 Virtual House 69 Wall Street BBQ 53 Whiskey in the Jar Manufaktura 44 W. Kruk 71 Władysław Reymont’s Trunk 21 Wytwórnia Club 67 Yes 72 Zachodnia Street 34 Zajazd Rubin 78 Zielona 47 Z Innej Beczki 66 Złota Kaczka 54 Złoty Imbir 55 Zoo 69

FEATURES INDEX Craft Beer Bars Decoding the Menu Facts & Figures Famous Alumni Health & Emergency Language Smarts Market Values Pola Negri Polish Snacks & Shots Quick Eats Say My Name Sunday Shopping Ban Tipping Tribulations

66 54 13 29 75 13 13 78 51 56 62 70 53