The ‘Manchester of Poland’ Lodz is brimming with shops, street art and night life
BRIMMING with shops, street art and night life, Lodz, the Manchester of Poland, offers everything you would want from a city break.
Don’t forget to sample the brews and taste the famous pierogi dumplings. And for a touch of culture, do visit the Herbst palace Museum.
SHOP IN AN OLD FACTORY
Like Manchester, Lodz was once a textile industry hub, and its old factories have been reinvented as hip new hangouts. Former cotton factory, OFF Piotrkowska, is an open-air mall with boutiques including Pan Tu Nie Stal, stuffed with cool logo tees and luxe stationery (Pantuniestal.com).
Massive arts centre and shopping mall, Manufaktura, occupies the grounds of a former textile factory (En.manufaktura.com), which is also home to Vienna House Andel’s Lodz, a design-led hotel in the old weaving mill.
Spacious doubles with enormous beds, exposed brick and bold artwork start at £130 per night (Viennahouse.com).
SEEK OUT STREET ART
Piotrkowska Street is the longest commercialised road in the country. Hop in a rickshaw, £8 per hour, to whizz past the bronze statues, sculptures and bold murals that brighten its once drab, abandoned buildings.
For a modern art fix, check out the impressive collection of 20th- and 21st-century Polish art at MS1 gallery, entry £6. The ticket also includes entry to MS2, where exhibits are more avant-garde (Msl.org.pl).
DISCOVER HOLLY-lodz
Film buffs should drop in to the Museum of Cinematography, entry £2, which celebrates Polish cinema with props, original film posters and equipment (Kinomuzeum.pl).
Then make your way to Holly-Lodz, the city’s version of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, outside the Hotel Grand on Piotrkowska Street.
Lodz’s most famous residents, including pianist Arthur Rubinstein and film director Andrzej Wajda, are honoured with their own pavement stars.
BTW
- Lodz (pronounced “Woodge”) translates as “boat”, despite the fact the city is completely landlocked.
- Plan your trip at Poland.travel. Flights from the UK with Easyjet start from £35 return.
POKE AROUND A PALACE
The Museum of the City of Lodz occupies the architecturally eclectic palace of Izrael Poznaski, a 19th-century textile magnate. Vast rooms with vaulted ceilings contain original furniture, entry £2.50 (Muzeum-lodz.pl).
Herbst Palace Museum, once home to one of Poland’s wealthiest industrial families, is also filled with fine art and antiques, entry £3 (Palac-herbsta.org.pl).
DINE ON DUMPLINGS
Pierogi (ear-shaped dumplings filled with anything from mushrooms to shredded duck) are a Polish classic. Try them as part of a hearty set lunch, £2.80, at local’s favourite Koperek Bistro.
Feeling fancy? Munch on traditional dishes, such as pan-seared goose with pomegranate sauce, £10, at Klub Spadkobierców, a cosy dining room with polished parquet floors that can be found upstairs in the ornate Goldfeder’s Palace (Klub-spadkobiercow.com.pl).
If the sun is shining, grab an outdoor table at MITMI Restobar, and tuck into enormous salads, burgers and brunch options from £3.
most read in fabulous
SIP SPICY CRAFT BREWS
Squeeze into tiny Piwoteka pub, where only small-batch beers brewed onsite or by local producers are served. Try Killinskiego, a habanero-chilli-infused oatmeal stout best sipped slowly, £2 a pint.
Night owls can continue at Lodz Kaliska, a labyrinthine pub with terraces, thumping music and a quirky loo with a one-way mirror (Klub.lodzkaliska.pl).
Looking for great cocktails? In OFF Piotrkowska, Brush is a barbershop by day and a bar by night. Try the Cut-Throat – whiskey blended with chocolate malt and bitters – or refreshing pisco-and-prosecco combo, Greenpeace, from £3.50.