www .ziem ialodzka.pl
Transcription
www .ziem ialodzka.pl
Poland Location and borders: The Republic of Poland is located in Central Europe. It borders on Germany in the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the south, Belarus and Ukraine in the east, Lithuania and Russia in the north-east (Kaliningrad districts) while its northern border is limited by the Baltic Sea coast. General information: The population of over 38.5 million people occupy an area of 312,700 square kilometres. Polish language is the official language. Poland’s national emblem is a white eagle with a golden crown on a red background. The national colours are white and red. The national flag is made of two horizontal stripes of identical height, the upper – white and the lower - red. Polska Capital city and administrative division: Warsaw with a population of about 1,700,000, is the capital of Poland. The city is located upon the longest Polish river, the Vistula. Warsaw is an excellent communication centre, serving as an air, rail and road hub. Other major Polish cities are the following: Wrocław, Poznań, Kraków, Łódź, Katowice, Szczecin and Gdańsk. Administratively Poland is divided into 16 voivodships (regions) with minor units of poviats (districts) and gminas (communes). The lie of the land, nature: Poland is a country with diversified landscape. The Baltic coast enchants with beautiful, sandy beaches that are often cliffy. A lake district belt: Pomorskie, Mazurskie, and Suwalskie stretches to the south of the coast, a home for numerous lakes, rivers and canals set among forests and picturesque hills. Further south there is a vast belt of the Polish Lowlands and still further the landscape becomes more hilly to change into a belt of uplands: Śląska, Krakowsko-Częstochowska, Małopolska and Lubelska and the Podkarpacie Region. The southern border runs along mountain ridges of the Sudeten and the Tatras with the highest peaks Mt Śnieżka (1603 m) and Mt Rysy (2499) respectively. So far Poland has had 23 national parks and over 120 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) including mountain ranges, unique river basins, lake districts, fragments of ancient forests and inaccessible marshes, rich fauna and flora and interesting geological forms. Climate: Poland lies in a moderate climatic zone; average temperatures in summer amount to 17ºC whereas in winter fall to -4ºC. Summers can be scorching and dry and winters long and frosty. www.ziemialodzka.pl Łódź Region The Łódź Region (Voivodship) is situated in central Poland. The surface of 18,000 square kilometres is inhabi-ted by 2,6 million people with majority living in Łódź and its satellite towns. The biggest cities are Łódź – the capital of the region, Piotrków Trybunalski, Skierniewice, Pabianice, Wieluń and Radomsko. Diploma for the 2nd award in the 19th Polish Review of Sightseeing and Tourist Literature in the category of ‘Tourist brochures’ The northern part of the region is occupied by parts of Lowlands of Mazovia and Wielkopolska and the southern parts are dominated by a hilly landscape. The Krakowsko-Częstochowska Upland occupies the south-west and the Kielecko-Sandomierska Upland lies in the south-eastern part of the region. The main rivers of the regions are the Warta, the Pilica and the Bzura. The landscape of lowlands varies due to artificial lakes: Sulejów man-made lake on the Pilica and the Jeziorsko man-made lake on the Warta. Protected areas take over 16% of the region’s surface: 7 AONB parks and 89 nature reserves, safeguard species of plants and animals threatened with extinction and preserve interesting landforms ‘MERITIOUS SERVICE FOR TOURISM’ honorary badge for ROTWŁ Łódź and its environs – the region on the trail Welcome to the region where all the roads from the north to the south and from the east to the west meet. The region that is equally close to any nook of our country. The Łódź region can offer various attractions, which will satisfy even the most demanding tourists. Vast scenic parks, nature reserves, the enchanting valleys of the Pilica and Warta rivers, and the Jeziorsko and Sulejów man-made lakes attract everyone who likes resting in the bosom of nature. In beautiful surroundings you can admire precious monuments of architecture: the collegiate church in Tum, former abbeys in Sulejów and Witów, monasteries in Gidle, Wielgomłyny and Piotrków Trybunalski, churches in Inowłódz and Warta, castles and ruins of castles in Łęczyca, Piotrków, Oporów or Bolesławiec, former residences of noblemen and bishops in Nieborow, Walewice, Wolbórz or Skierniewice, historic manor houses in Ożarów and Tubądzin, and various examples of wooden folk, sacred architecture. These places preserve the history of Poland and the region. The history which is worth learning about and which can astonish and entertain you. Hiking trails, bicycle routes and riding trails await the lovers of active holidays. Enthusiasts of kayaking, sailing and surfing can also find something for themselves. Tourists and sportsmen are invited to come to Spała – a pre-war residence of the Polish presidents and tsars, the place where members of royal families used to hunt. Currently it is a well-known rest and recreation resort and the Olympic Preparation Centre. Each of the sub-regions of the Łódź area carefully cultivates the local folklore customs and rites. Traditions of embroidery, paper cutting and wickerwork are very vivid. You can still admire works of sculptors, blacksmiths, hand weavers and potters. Folk groups are very active such as folk bands, and folk artists – singers, folk musicians and storytellers. And what about Łódź – the capital of the region? This is the city that can be either loved or hated. It is the city where the history of old factories intersperses with the here and now and modern technology. It is a still vivid lesson of the past and modern history taught by museums of: Textiles, Cinematography, of the City of Łódź or Traditions of Independence. The Łodź Museum of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and best-known museums of modern art in Europe. Finally, you are bound to take a stroll down Piotrkowska Street – the main promenade of the city – with magnificent Art Nouveau and eclectic edifices and palaces of the former industrialists. You can pay a visit to the Poznański Palace nearby or see the industrial complex of “Księży Młyn” or simply take a rest in the shade of a pavement café or sip your beer in one of hundreds of pubs in Łódź. Welcome to the Łódź Region! www.ziemialodzka.pl Łódź is the region “on the trail” with diversified accommodation places. You can put up a tent, place a caravan, hire a bungalow, and rent a room in a farmhouse, guesthouse or luxurious hotel. This is the region that is really worth visiting. “The first tourist system in Europe based on QR codes has been installed in Łódź voivodeship – these small square images will let us get more information about monuments on our own mobile phone. Simply take a photo of the code, using a special decoder to access information about places, listen to a commentary, view a map, or even download a wallpaper for your phone – all this in three languages. 60 places can be found along the following three trails in Łódź: - Piotrkowska Street - Villas and Palaces - Industrial architecture Any mobile phone with a camera can QR codes. 1. Send a text message* ODKODUJ to (+48) 507 67 69 67 to download a free application.** 2. Launch the application and take a photo of the code. 3. Get access to the multimedia content! 4. Once downloaded, the application can be used for decoding all the QR codes on your way. * normal fees for sending text messages apply ** a data connection is needed - about 350 kB needs to be downloaded (for the icon – places tagged in the Decode Łódź system) more information can be found at www.OdkodujLodz.pl and under the QR code “ Łódź Piotrkowska Street Piotrkowska Street was created in the place of the route leading to Piotrków Trybunalski, which in the 19th century constituted the axis of city development. Today, the street is colloquially called ‘Pietryna’ and still serves as the backbone of Łódź. It provides a point of reference when determining the location of different places. Along the street there are over 100 pubs and restaurants, open until the crack of dawn. There are also designer shops and, in the summertime, colourful tea gardens, inviting to relaxation. ‘Pietryna’ can be explored by rickshaw or retro tourist ‘trambus’. On the way, it is worth looking up and admiring beautiful renovated tenement houses – witnesses to the history of the city. We especially recommend the building of the ‘Grand’ Hotel, dating from 1888, with a period restaurant, the former palace – bank house of Maksymilian Goldfeder (no. 86) and the tenement house with the monument to Jan Hutenberg in the façade (no. 86). The former Palace of Juliusz Heinzl (no. 104) is currently used as the seat of the Municipal Office of the City of Łódź and of the provincial authorities, in front of which there is one of the most characteristic monuments of Łódź – the so called Tuwim’s Bench. Under number 137/139 there is the Palace of Juliusz Kindermann with a Venetian mosaic on the façade. The side wall of the tenement house under number 152 is decorated with the largest grafitti in Poland. Other street monuments are also interesting: the Monument to Three Manufacturers at no. 32, the Monument to the Lampman at no. 37, the Monument to Arthur Rubinstein with the piano at the tenement house at no. 78, where the famous musician lived, the Monument to Władysław Reymont at no. 137 and the Monument to Stefan Jaracz at no. 152. The Monument to Łódź Residents of the Turn of the Millennium is very original. It is made of over 13 thousand basalt cobblestones with engraved names of both unknown and famous residents of the city. In front of the Grand Hotel there is the Avenue of Stars, with the most famous names of Polish cinematography. In the John Paul II Square there is the most monumental sacred building in Łódź – the metropolitan cathedral dedicated to St Stanisław Kostka. Its tower is over 100 metres high. Moreover, audio and multimedia guides provide information about the history and modern functions of the monuments located in ‘Pietryna’. The audio guides are available in the souvenir shop at 87 Piotrkowska Street. ‘Pietryna’ is the venue of festivities, fairs, artistic happenings and sports competitions. The most popular festivities are the Łódź Days (celebrated every year in May), during which one may watch music performances, listen to buskers, taste local delicacies, buy souvenirs and meet famous residents of the city. Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel./fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55; Tel. (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl i Local Information Centre 67 Sienkiewicza Str., 90-009 Łódź Tel./fax.: (+48) 42 662 09 70 E-mail: it.centrum@rotwl.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl i Łódź GOLDEN CERTIFICATE OF Manufaktura New face of Poznański’s empire The empire of Izrael Kalmanowicz Poznański started to develop in 1862, when his father founded a manufactory. It was the biggest factory in Łódź, located on a plot of approx. 30 hectares at Ogrodowa Street. In 1878 an impressive cotton mill building (170 metres long, 5 storeys high) was erected here. It was made of characteristic red brick without plaster. According to the custom of Łódź, the palace of the Poznański family was built right next to the mill. The palace is eclectic, mainly because of its owner who, when asked about the desired style of the building, said he could afford all the styles. Today, this most magnificent industrialist’s residence in Europe houses the Museum of History of the City of Łódź, with exhibitions devoted to famous inhabitants of the city: J. Tuwim, K. Dedcius, A. Rubinstein and Wł. St. Reymont. At present, the revitalised factory buildings are known as ‘Manufaktura’ – a retail, entertainment and cultural centre. Its extensive plaza with the longest fountain in Europe, surrounded by numerous restaurants and cafes, the enchanting Factory Museum, the Museum of History of the City of Łódź and the visionary Art Museum, is one of the favourite meeting places of the residents of Łódź. There is also a multiplex, including an IMAX cinema, modern disco, bowling alley, play area for children and many other attractions for visitors. Moreover, ‘Manufaktura’ offers audio and multimedia guides presenting the history and the modern functions of individual factory buildings. The largest of the former factory buildings has been turned into the exclusive Andel’s Hotel composed of 278 rooms, including 4 two-level Maisonette rooms and a luxury apartment with a terrace. There are also 7 conference rooms and a ballroom, which makes this modern facility an ideal place for business and social meetings. Museum of the City of Łódź 15 Ogrodowa Str., 91-065 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 654 03 23, (+48) 42 254 90 00 E-Mail: muzeum@muzeum-lodz.pl www.poznanskipalace.muzeum-lodz.pl i Tourist Information - Manufaktura Manufaktura Rynek, 91-002 Łódź Tel./fax.: (+48) 695 13 11 13 E-mail: it.manufaktura@rotwl.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl i Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel./fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55, Tel. (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl i Park Miniatur S.A. 94 Piotrkowska Str., 90-103 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 632 76 04, Fax: (+48) 42 630 64 02 www.parkminiatur.pl i andel’s Hotel Łódź 17 Ogrodowa Str., 91-065 Łódź Tel.: (+48 42) 279 10 00, fax.: (+48 42) 279 10 01 E-mail: info@andelslodz.com www.andelslodz.com www.ziemialodzka.pl i Łódź Łódź Factories and residences The Priest’s Mill The Priest’s Mill, a residential and factory complex which in the 19th century belonged to the richest industrialist in Łódź – Karol Wilhelm Scheibler – and to his heirs, is located on former water and factory grounds on the Jasień River. On a plot with a surface area of 500 ha a ‘factory town’ was created, with a complex of industrial buildings, workers’ housing estate, several family residences, ballroom, community centre, church, hospital with outpatient clinic, school, railway station, fire brigade, shops, public park and a 100-hectare grange. Thanks to its unique character, the Priest’s Mill attracts film-makers, photographers and legions of tourists who want to feel the spirit of a 19th-century town in the 21st century. The old weaving mill buildings are being turned into luxury lofts and the other buildings of the workers’ estate are being successively restored to their former glory. In the vicinity of the industrial and residential part there is one of the most beautiful palaces of Łódź – Herbst’s residence. It houses a branch of the Art Museum, presenting Polish and foreign art collections. Visitors to the museum will find there a number of paintings from the 19th century and from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by, for example, Stanisław Wyspiański, Jan Matejko, Reinier de la Haye or Nicolaes Maes. i i The Herbst’s Palace 72 Przędzalniana Str., 90-338 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 674 96 98, Fax: (+48) 42 674 99 82 E-Mail: herbst@msl.org.pl www.msl.org.pl Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel./fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55, Tel. (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl Łódź www.ziemialodzka.pl Palaces of the Promised Land The factories in Łódź were monumental buildings built from red bricks. Workers’ housing estates nearby factories were designed in a monotonous, barrack-like style. Industrialists’ palaces were built in sophisticated, subtle or monumental architectural forms with some elements of Italian Renaissance, Baroque and lavish eclectic decoration. Interiors were filled with furnishings brought from Western Europe. Walls were decorated with tapestries, wooden panels, ceramic tiles or mirrors, and ceilings were decorated with allegoric, plafond paintings. Sometimes a winter garden was built inside the palace and a park with a richly decorated fountain was arranged outside. Karol Poznański’s palace is located not far from this place (32 Gdańska Street). The architecture of the palace draws on Florentine Renaissance. Visitors can observe an accumulation of pilasters, rusticated elevation, decorativeness of mass, balustrades and fantasy finial of windows in the corner break. The palace is the seat of the Academy of Music. The palace of Maurycy Poznański belongs to one of the most interesting examples of such constructions (36 Więckowskiego Street). Measured divisions of walls, columns between windows, rusticated corners, bay windows, balconies, balustrades, fantastic ornaments and beautiful stained glass windows immensely impress its visitors. At present, the Museum of Fine Arts famous for a unique collection of avant-garde art is localized here (see museums and galleries). The palace of the Biedermann family is also very interesting. i The Academy of Music (Karol Poznański’s Palace) 32 Gdańska Str., 90-716 Łódź, Tel: (+48) 42 662 16 00 E-Mail: rektorat@amuz.lodz.pl, www.amuz.lodz.pl Visiting on consent of Academy authorities i The Museum of Fine Arts 36 Więckowskiego Str.,90-734 Łódź Tel: (+48) 42 633 97 90, (+48) 426 339 791 Fax: (+48) 42 632 99 41 E-Mail: muzeum@msl.org.pl www.msl.org.pl Łódź Łódź Capital of Polish Art Nouveau i Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel./fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55, Tel.: (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl i Municipal Art Gallery – ‘Willa’ Gallery 31 Wólczańska Str., 90-607 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 632 79 95, (+48) 42 632 24 16, E-mail: dyrektor@miejskagaleria.lodz.pl, www.miejskagaleria.lodz.pl Textile traditions of Łódź www.ziemialodzka.pl Łódź Factories and residences Łódź is called the capital of Polish Art Nouveau. It was here that the villa of Leopold Kindermann was built at 31/33 Wólczańska Street in 1903, according to a design by Gustaw Landau-Gutenteger. The villa is considered the most beautiful example of Art Nouveau in Poland. This picturesque asymmetric building is crowned with a high roof. It reveals a successful combination of different building materials and plaster textures. The elevation is covered with rich Art Nouveau embellishments – period flowers, tree stumps, animals and fruit. In the stairwell and the music salon there are colourful Art Nouveau stained-glass windows. At present, the villa houses the Municipal Art Gallery. It is also worth visiting Reinhold Richter’s villa (6 Skorupki Street), built in 1904 according to a design by I. Stebelski. Every elevation is different – Neo-Renaissance decorations are dominant, yet one can also notice some Art Nouveau details. The ornamental portal and vestibule draw on old aristocratic residences, whereas the bright hall and parlours introduce Art Nouveau atmosphere. The Art Nouveau monuments in Łódź are not only residences and villas. There are also Art Nouveau industrial facilities, which were a speciality of the city. The building of the first power station of Łódź in Targowa Street deserves special attention. It was erected in the years 1906-1907 according to a design by Dawid Lande. It will become part of a cultural and entertainment complex which is currently under construction. The textile spirit of Łódź can be felt in many corners of the city, yet the best place to find it is in the Central Textile Museum in the Ludwik Geyer White Factory – one of the oldest monuments of industrial architecture in Łódź. The complex of classical buildings, which housed the first mechanical cotton spinning and weaving mill in the city, is currently used as an exhibition venue presenting the largest collection of modern artistic fabric. The former factory floors are an excellent background for displaying the biggest Polish collection of historic textile tools and machines, industrial fabric samplers, Polish artistic fabric, national costumes, cloths and fashion accessories from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as documents and iconography. In the Władysław Reymont Park, which adjoins the Central Textile Museum, there is the only Open-air Museum of Urban Wooden Architecture in Poland. It reconstructs a typical street of Łódź from the 1820s and offers an incredible trip to the past. Along the main street of the Open-air Museum – called Łódzka Street – there are authentic wooden workers’ and craftsmen’s houses. A historic church from Nowosolna dating from 1848 and an Art Nouveau holiday home from Ruda Pabianicka are located at the intersecting Parkowa Street. The Open-air Museum also presents the disappearing wooden urban development of Łódź. It reflects the perpendicular layout of streets, characteristic of a 19th-century town. In the reconstructed houses there are authentic appliances, once used by the workers and craftsmen of Łódź. i Central Textile Museum 282 Piotrkowska Str., 93-034 Łódź, Tel./fax: (+48) 42 684 33 55, Tel.: (+48) 42 684 61 42 E-mail: ctmustex@muzeumwlokiennictwa.pl www.muzeumwlokiennictwa.pl i Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel./fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55, Tel. (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl Łódź Łódź The city od four cultures Following the Łódź Jews’ tracks Among many ethnic groups of old Łódź, Jews were the first ones to settle down in the Łódź area. The number of the Jewish community in the 19th century increased from several thousand to over 200 thousand. Industrial tycoons (T.K.Poznański, M.Silberstein, St.Jarociński and O.Kon), traders, bankers, architects (D.Lande and G.Landau- Gutenteger), writers (J.Tuwim and J.Kosiński) were of Jewish origin. A few Judaic traces, which have been preserved in Łódź, are: a miraculously saved synagogue of Wolf Reicher (Rewolucji 1905 Street no.28) and a new Jewish cemetery (Bracka Street) founded in 1892 – the biggest necropolis of the Jewish faith (41 ha) in Europe. Around 230.000 Jews who contributed to the history of the “Promised Land” were buried here. While visiting the cemetery it is recommended to pay attention to the Izrael Poznański mausoleum and tombs of manufacturers and their families: the Prussaks and Silbersteins. There is a part of the necropolis which is called “the ghetto field”. 200.000 Jews not only from Łódź but also from other countries went through the ordeal of the ghetto, which was situated in the northern part of the city. Today’s tourists can learn about the history of “Litzmannstadtghetto” following the trail which starts at Bałucki Square and finishes at the Radegast station from where transports with ghetto inhabitants departed for Chełmno and Oświęcim (Auschwitz) A specially prepared map and a guidebook (available in the Tourist Information Centre) will be of great help while visiting particular points on the trail. i Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel/Fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55 Tel: (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-Mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl i Monumentum Iudaicum Lodzenese Foundation 18 Pomorska Str., 91-416 Łódź Tel/fax: (+48) 42 639 72 33 E-Mail: fundacja@lodzjews.org www.lodzjews.org i The Jewish Community in Łódź 18 Pomorska Str., 91-416 Łódź Tel/fax: (+48) 42 632 04 27, Fax: (+48) 42 633 51 56 E-Mail: fundacja@lodzjews.org www.lodzjews.org Łódź www.ziemialodzka.pl The Łódź Germans In the 1830s German handicraftsmen, first of all, weavers and cloth makers came in flocks to Łódź.The first cotton mill of Christian Wendisch started its production in 1827 and next mill was opened by Ludwik Geyer in 1828. The beginnings of the fifties of the 19th century witnessed a new era in the development of Łódź industry related to the progress of Karol Scheibler’s empire. Together with the thriving textile industry, fortunes of manufacturers settled in Łódź multiplied and grander and grander factories and palaces, which constitute today’s heritage of multi-cultural Łódź, were built. Łódź owes the fact of becoming “Polish Manchester” mainly to Germans and Jews. The tourist trail spanning the buildings erected by German industrialists: Scheibler, Schweikert, Geyer, Grohman, and Heinzel as well as evangelical churches, public edifices, former German theatres and schools is to introduce tourists visiting Łódź to the history of the city and its German inhabitants. The most distinguishing destinations on the trail are: the industrial and residential complex of K.Scheibler, the “White Factory” of Ludwik Geyer, the palace of Juliusz Heinzel (today’s seat of the City of Łódź Office), the Schweikerts’ palace (currently the European Institute), and three evangelical churches including the most impressive church of St Matthew (Piotrkowska Street 283) which has been used till today. i PTTK (guided tours) 12a Wigury Str., 90-301 Łódź Tel./Fax: (+48) 42 636 15 09, (+48) 42 636 87 64 E-Mail: pttk.lodz@wp.pl, www.lodz.pttk.pl i Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel/Fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55 Tel: (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-Mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl i Fabricum Group s.c., (guided tours) Drewnowska 58 Street 91-002 Łódź Tel./Fax: (+48) 42 636 28 25 E-Mail: biuro@fabricum.pl, www.fabricum.pl Łódź Łódź Russian traces in Łódź i Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel/Fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55 Tel: (+48) 42 638 59 56, E-Mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl i Fabricum Group s.c. E-Mail: biuro@fabricum.pl, www.fabricum.pl i i Bureau of Promotion, Tourism and International Cooperation City of Łódź Office 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel: (+48) 42 638 44 76, Fax: (+48) 42 638 40 89 E-Mail: promocja@uml.lodz.pl, www.uml.lodz.pl PTTK (guided tours) 12a Wigury Str., 90-301 Łódź Tel./Fax: (+48) 42 636 15 09 (+48) 42 636 87 64 E-Mail: pttk.lodz@wp.pl, www.lodz.pttk.pl The Old Cemetery www.ziemialodzka.pl Łódź The city od four cultures In the history of the development of Łódź industry Russians did not play a very important role but till today there are numerous monuments related to the presence of Russians in times of Russian rule in Łódź. These are mainly Orthodox churches and chapels, buildings of former Russian institutions (e.g. banks) and tombstones and graves preserved in cemeteries of the city. Undoubtedly, the best-known monument is the Orthodox cathedral church dedicated to Aleksander Newski (at the corner of Narutowicza Street and Kilińskiego Street). The church was designed by Hilary Majewski and erected after endeavours of the construction committee whose members were the richest industrialist of other religions: Izrael Poznański and Karol Scheibler. The church, built in neo-Byzantine style on an octagonal plan with the dome in the centre and a small tower in the façade, has a décor of the interior typical of Orthodox religion: a grand iconostas brought from St Petersburg, walls covered with old icons and procession crosses from the 17th and 18th centuries. Not far from the place, in a side street (Piramowicza Street) tourists can see the church of St Olga, another Orthodox one, which used to be once a part of an orphanage. Near the Old Cemetery there stands a former garrison Orthodox Church dedicated to St Aleksy (1895-96) and built for the Tsar regiment stationed in Łódź in times of the Russian rule (Św. Jerzego Street). The church was used also as a riding arena. In the Orthodox quarter of the “Na Dołach” cemetery (Telefoniczna Street) there is a cemetery chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Falling Asleep. The Old Cemetery is the burial place for Catholics, Protestants and believers of Orthodox faith. Magnificent mausoleums, tombs and graves of all those contributing to the grandeur of industrial Łódź can be found here. The Catholic quarter of the necropolis, apart from an eclectic mausoleum of Juliusz Heinzel and his family, is more modest than the Protestant part and its graves have much lower artistic value. However, historically it is much more significant. Polish intelligentsia, heroes of the January Uprising (1863-64), the 1905-07 revolution, the Polish-Bolshevik War (1919-21) and World War II (1939-1945) and many famous Łódź inhabitants found their last resting places here. The majority of the most valuable monuments are located in the Protestant part of the cemetery since Protestants were the wealthiest group among Łódź industrialists, traders, entrepreneurs and local intellectuals. The neo-Gothic mausoleum of Karol Scheibler and his family is the most prized monument of this part of the cemetery. The old Orthodox cemetery is the smallest part of the necropolis. These are graves of representatives of the Russian community living in Łódź since the second half of the 19th century. They were mostly officials, policemen and military men whose tombstones are usually modest and of lower artistic value. The exception is a sepulchral chapel of the Gojżewskis bordering the Catholic part of the cemetery. An interesting thing here is that Mr Gojżewski was buried in the Orthodox part and his wife, who was Catholic, was buried in the Catholic part. i i The Old Cemetery Welfare Organization At Ogrodowa Street in Łódź Mailing address: 12a Wigury Str., (PTTK), 90-301 Łódź Fabricum Group s.c., (guided tours) E-Mail: biuro@fabricum.pl, www.fabricum.pl i Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel/Fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55 Tel: (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-Mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl i PTTK (guided tours) 12a Wigury Str., 90-301 Łódź Tel./Fax: (+48) 42 636 15 09, (+48) 42 636 87 64 E-Mail: pttk.lodz@wp.pl, www.lodz.pttk.pl Museums and galleries Łódź Łódź Museum of History of the City of Łódź Łódź One of the most beautiful buildings in the city – Izrael Poznański’s Palace – is used as the seat of the Museum of History of the City of Łódź. This interdisciplinary museum was founded in 1975 and has gathered a wide range of artefacts related to the history of Łódź – a city from the medieval period, yet celebrating its ‘golden age’ in the 19th century. When visiting the historic interiors you can learn about the history and culture of the past ages and about the dynamics of transformations in the last and the present centuries. The museum also presents important figures and events connected with Łódź – A. Rubinstein, A. Tansman, J. Kosiński and J. Karski, as well as collections commemorating the events which shaped this multinational, multicultural and multidenominational industrial metropolis. The museum is housed in the 19th-century palace of Karol Scheibler, one of the most important industrialists of Łódź. The Museum of Cinematography, which took over the building in 1986, collects exhibits and documents the history of Polish cinematography – film art, technique and production – which has been centred around Łódź for many years. The museum collection includes valuable, often unique appliances of the period immediately preceding the development of cinema: magic lanterns, stereoscopes and optical toys. An important part of the collection are film set designs, costumes, décor for animated and feature films, and one of the largest European collections of Polish and foreign film posters. www.ziemialodzka.pl i i Museum of Cinematography pl. Zwycięstwa 1, 90-312 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 674 09 57, fax: (+48) 42 674 90 06 E-mail: muzeum@kinomuzeum.pl, www.kinomuzeum.pl Łódź Łódź Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum Art Museum The museum was created in 1956 as a result of combining the Archaeological Museum and the Ethnographic Museum. The permanent exposition encompasses an ethnographic and numismatic exhibition, illustrating the history of money in Poland. At the end of 2008 the permanent exposition was enriched with archaeological exhibition, reconstructing the history of settlement in central Poland, from the distant past to the 17th century. This is the only museum in the country with a rich collection of exhibits related to puppet theatre and puppet films. The Puppet Show Section presents décor designs, puppets, elements of stage scenery, recordings, programmes, posters and photographic documentation of performances. i Museum of History of the City of Łódź 15 Ogrodowa Str., 91-065 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 654 03 23, (+48) 42 654 00 82 www.muzeum-lodz.pl Museum of Cinematography Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum in Łódź pl. Wolności 14, 91-415 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 632 84 40, Tel./fax: (+48) 42 632 97 14 E-Mail: maie@maie.art.pl, www.maie.lodz.pl The Art Museum of Łódź, operating since 1930, is famous and valued in the whole world. It presents works by such celebrities as Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Władysław Strzemiński, Katarzyna Kobro and Henryk Stażewski. In 2008 a new chapter in the history of the Art Museum in Łódź started. A new building of the museum – MS² – was opened on the premises of the Manufaktura complex. 3000 m² of the new Art Zone will be occupied by permanent exposition and 600 m² will be designated for the organisation of temporary displays. A demanding exhibition programme, accompanying meetings, film projections and concerts make the museum a place vibrant with life. i ms – Art Museum 36 Więckowskiego Str., 90-734 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 633 97 90 E-Mail: muzeum@msl.org.pl, www.msl.org.pl i ms² 19 Ogrodowa Str., 91-065 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 634 39 48, Fax: (+48) 42 634 39 62 E-Mail: muzeum@msl.org.pl, www.msl.org.pl Łódź Łódź Factory Museum ‘Inner Tube’ of Łódź A modern, interactive exposition of the museum illustrates the history of the factory, created by Izrael Kalmanowicz Poznański in the second half of the 19th century, the history of the industrial fortune of the Poznański family, the development of textile mills, the technique of manufacturing of cotton fabric and the everyday work of workers. The exhibition is supplemented with regular demonstrations of the operation of original weaving looms from the 19th century, and with old chronicles, documentary films and samples of factory materials and products. Museum visitors also have a chance to listen to stories told by old factory workers. The workshops, as an active form of exploring the museum, contribute to transferring the knowledge of this place and people who lived here to the next generations. The ‘Inner Tube’ is the first canal in Poland open to visitors. Its construction started in 1926, according to a design of the author of the sewage and water supply system in Łódź – William Lindley. This 142-metre long, 1.5-metre wide and nearly 2-metre long brick tunnel was designed as a system for rinsing big collector sewers under the streets running from Wolności Square in all directions. The ‘Inner Tube’ operated in this form until the 1970s. The modern design of the ‘Inner Tube’ is based on the presentation of archive photographs and documents concerning the construction of Łódź canals. The documentary photographs displayed in the ‘Inner Tube’ (glass negatives with a unique collection of photographs of pre-war Łódź) come from the archive of a local water and sewage company. i i Factory Museum 58 Drewnowska Str., 91-002 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 664 92 93 E-Mail: muzeum@manufaktura.com www.muzeum.manufaktura.com Museum of History of the City of Łódź 15 Ogrodowa Str., 91-065 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 654 03 23, (+48) 42 654 00 82 www.muzeum-lodz.pl Łódź Museum of Cartoons Galleries An exhibition held in the new headquarters of the legendary film studio Se-ma-for, located in one of the buildings of the historic EC-1 thermal power plant. The exhibition consists of dolls and parts of the scenery of the most popular cartoons and animated films made by the studio. Children will discover new characters, and their parents will recall fond memories of their childhood: Miś Uszatek, Penguin Pik-Pok, the Moomins. The museum guide will share the secrets of creating films, animation techniques, and show one of the most valuable exhibits of the museum: an Oscar statuette given to Se-ma-for for one of its newest films – Peter and the Wolf. Animated film screenings and many different workshops aimed at children enrich the Museum offer. In Łódź there are also many galleries, presenting different art forms. The most important galleries include: • Municipal Art Gallery www.miejskagaleria.lodz.pl • Ars Nova www.arsnova.pl • Atlas of Art www.atlassztuki.pl • FF Gallery www.galeriaff.eu i i www.ziemialodzka.pl Łódź Museum of Cartoons 1/3 b. Targowa Str., 90-022 Łódź tel. (+48 42 681 54 74, (+48) 502 496 350 e-mail: muzeum@se-ma-for.com www.se-ma-for.com Museums and galleries Łódź • Opus www.galeriaopus.pl • Icon www.galeriaikona.pl • Adi Art. www.adi-art.com • ŁTF Gallery www.ltf.com.pl • Galleries of the Academy of Fine Arts • Manhattan www.asp.lodz.pl www.galeriamanhattan.pl • East Gallery • (ZPAP) – ‘Upstairs’ Gallery www.wschodnia.pl www.zpap.org.pl Cultural Information Centre in Łodź 102a Piotrkowska Str., 90-004 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 633 92 21 E-mail: biuro@cik.lodz.pl www.cik-lodz.pl Łódź Łódź Culture and leisure ‘Fala’ Aquapark The ‘Fala’ Aquapark is the largest complex of swimming pools in Poland, opened at the beginning of 2008. It consists of an indoor part and an outdoor part, open in the summertime. The aquapark design draws on orangeries and palm houses (which were once a centre of social life and a place of leisure and recreation), thanks to which it has the atmosphere of a tropical garden in the middle of the city. The whole complex occupies 10 hectares and the total surface of the swimming pools is 2,450 m². The indoor part includes: 4 swimming pools (sports swimming pool, leisure swimming pool, children’s swimming pool and, of course, swimming pool with a wave machine), a complex of 5 saunas and a ‘SPA and Wellness’ centre, which offers standard face and body beauty treatments, aromatherapy and music therapy. The outdoor part features swimming pools and a special beach of 120 m². There is also a play area and a paddling pool with heated water (32°C) for the youngest visitors. Every day, the entrance tickets cover special water entertainment – games for children, aqua aerobics, water activities for seniors and parents with children, and swimming lessons. Additonally, the ‘Fala’ Aquapark organises a wide range of events, such as a Tuning Show, ‘Miss Fali’ beauty competition and – very popular – Naturists’ Night. i i Aquapark Łódź Sp. z o.o. Unii Lubelskiej Avenue 4, 94-208 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 688 08 87 E-Mail: spa@aquapark.lodz.pl www.aquapark.lodz.pl Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel/Fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55 Tel: (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-Mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl Łódź www.ziemialodzka.pl City of greenery Despite its industrial character Łódź offers its visitors dozens of nooks full of greenery. In Łódź, there are over thirty city parks. The most commonly visited place is the “Zdrowie” Park. Kids are attracted to the nearby Zoological Garden where they can admire exotic animals from all over the world and the Łódź Funfair. Huge predators, reptiles or aquarium fish are particular favourites among visitors to the zoo and the funfair is an excellent venue for having fun. Located nearby, the biggest botanical garden in Poland attracts tourists (not only from the region) with its rich collection of plants. Beautiful, colourful and aromatic specimens await visitors in the Japanese Garden, Rockery or Ornamental Plants Section. The modern Palm House in Żródliska” Park grows and exhibits tropical plants, cacti and other succulents. Numerous exotic plants and the oldest palm trees in Poland can enchant visitors. Within the city boundaries there lies “Łagiewnicki” Forest – one of Europe’s biggest areas of woodland (12 km²) offering active recreation in the open air. You can find here both hiking and biking routes and even some routes for horse-riders. Mount “Ruda” in “Ruda Pabianicka” invites visitors to a modern 580-metre sledge run. i 10 The Botanical Gardens 36/38 Krzemieniecka Str., 90-303 Łódź Tel: (+48) 42 688 44 20, Fax: (+48) 42 688 44 14 E-Mail: sekretariat@botaniczny.lodz.pl www.botaniczny.lodz.pl i The Palm House J.Piłsudskiego Avenue 61, 90-329 Łódź Tel: (+48) 42 674 96 65 E-Mail: sekretariat@botaniczny.lodz.pl www.botaniczny.lodz.pl i i The Łódź Zoological Garden 8/10 Konstantynowska Str., 93-303 Łódź Tel: (+48) 42 632 75 79 Fax: (+48) 42 632 92 90 E-Mail: angra@zoo.lodz.pl www.zoo.lodz.pl Łódź Funfair 3/5 Konstantynowska Str. Tel: (+48) 42 633 99 51 Mobile: (+48) 501 778 906 E-Mail: lunapark@lunapark.lodz.pl www.lunapark.lodz.pl Łódź Łódź Pubbing, clubbing & shopping i Tourist Information - Manufaktura Manufaktura Rynek, 91-002 Łódź Tel./fax.: (+48) 695 13 11 13 E-mail: it.manufaktura@rotwl.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl i Culture and leisure By many tourists and Łódź inhabitants the city is seen as an ideal place for doing shopping in not too expensive but elegant boutiques along Piotrkowska Street. Łódź Shopping Gallery, huge shopping centres on the outskirts and enormous market squares in the satellite towns of Rzgów, Tuszyn and Głuchów also attract shoppers. Łódź is the centre of Polish clubbing where the fun lasts till dawn. A lot of pubs have very interesting interiors arranged in Art Nouveau style; some are eclectic, avant-garde with modern music. Exclusive restaurants welcome their guests offering besides Polish dishes also dishes of Mediterranean, Jewish, Oriental and Far Eastern cuisines. Everybody can find something to suit their tastes. ”Manufaktura”, a recently opened commercial and entertainment centre localized on the premises of Izrael Poznański’s revita-lized factory complex, provides an excellent opportunity of combining shopping and entertainment. An immense commercial and entertainment complex surrounding a market square was built in the city centre covering an area of 27 ha. Visitors find here many restaurants, over 300 shops, discotheques, a bowling alley, climbing wall and multi-cinema with the only in the city of Łódź three-dimensional system of projection “IMAX”. A luxurious hotel, the branch of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Science and Technology for kids, the Museum of the Place, and International Fashion Promotion Centre are under construction. Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel/Fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55 Tel: (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-Mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl Art and culture www.ziemialodzka.pl Łódź Several dozen cultural institutions- theatres, cinemas, museums and galleries, hundreds of theatre, film, music, literary and artistic events, and over 60 international festivals and competitions can be visited or seen in Łódź. The Łódź Grand Theatre, apart from its classical repertoire, invites audiences to Łódź Ballet Meetings every two years – one of the world’s most renowned festivals of dancing and choreography. Professionals have a unique chance of exchanging experience in a variety of choreographic styles and dancing techniques. For viewers, it is an unforgettable opportunity to seeunusual performances with ballet big names. The Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra organizes numerous festivals and regular musical concerts. For several years during holidays the “Colour of Poland” Festival – excellent concerts of organ and chamber music – has been organized in the most picturesque nooks of the region, mainly in historic churches, palaces and manors. Łódź Art Center is a cultural-artistic institution localized in the 19th-century factory complex. The main aspect of its activity is to promote Łódź and animate culture. The centre provides seats for cultural institutions, exhibition space, venue of festivals, conferences and meetings. The most distinguished events organized by Łódź Art Center are: International Biennial of Art, and the International Festival of Photography. i i The Grand Theatre in Łódź Plac Dąbrowskiego, 90-249 Łódź Tel: (+48) 42 633 99 60 E-Mail: teatr@teatr-wielki.lodz.pl www.teatr-wielki.lodz.pl (PL) Kazimierz Dejmek Nowy Theatre in Łódź 93 Zachodnia Str., 90-402 Łódź Tel. (+48) 42 633 44 94 www.nowy.pl i i Łódź Art Center 3 Tymienieckiego Str., 90-365 Łódź Tel/Fax: (+48) 42 684 20 95 E-Mail: info@lodzarecenter.com www.lodzartcemter.com Cultural Information Centre in Łódź 102a Piotrkowska Str., 90-004 Łódź Tel: (+48) 42 633 92 21 E-Mail: biuro@cik.lodz.pl, www.cik-lodz.pl i The Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra 20/22 Narutowicza Str., 90-135 Łódź Tel: (+48) 42 664 79 18 E-Mail: filharmonia@filharmonia.lodz.pl www.filharmonia.lodz.pl 11 www.ziemialodzka.pl Events and festivals Łódź Łódź Łódź Explorers Festival Fokus Łódź Biennale Festival For over 10 years the Explorers Festival has been attracting to Łódź outstanding individuals from the world of extreme sports and travel. The festival message is simple and clear: ‘Have dreams and arouse your passions to make your life more beautiful and colourful’. This unique festival makes it possible to meet unusual people, learn about their fascination for the world and natural need to discover and explore it. The guests of the Explorers Festival include Piotr Pustelnik, Bertrand Piccard, Sir Christian Bonington, Erich von Däniken and Marek Kamiński. Festival visitors can watch dozens of travel films, listen to explorers’ stories and take part in the Great Geography Lesson. A unique, interdisciplinary artistic event dedicated to contemporary art. It is organised in the city space and is a reference to the artistic event which began in Łódź in 1980 – The Construction in Process. Artists taking part in this festival create their projects (expositions, installations, projections, actions, workshops) in public space: in shop windows, shopping arcades, factories, pubs, and flats, with the viewers witnessing the creative process. One of the basic assumptions of the festival is spontaneous creation of a platform of cooperation, mutual promotion and exchange of experience between artists. The viewers can gain knowledge about the newest contemporary art and its effect on the modern city structure. i i Fokus Łódź Biennale Office 56/9 Kościuszki Avenue, 90-428 Łódź Tel. (+48) 42 636 36 02 E-mail: biuro@biennalelodz.pl www.biennalelodz.pl Łódź Łódź The Four Cultures Festival International Festival of Comics Continuation of the festival which refers to the four cultures which are inseparable part of the history of Łódź. The festival is to show the cultural achievements of Poles, Jews, Germans and Russians – the nations which built Łódź. The rich festival programme will provide events for fans of music, films, theatre and literature. Apart from concerts, performances, film reviews and numerous expositions being held all over the city, there is also a rich offer for children and young people. The latter should be especially interested in workshops aimed specifically at them. The festival uniquely brings together young and adult recipients of culture, those from Łódź and visitors. Its main goal is also to teach people to be tolerant and to inspire and prove that multiculturalism gives us an exceptional chance to create unique, diverse and high-quality cultural undertakings. The International Festival of Comics has been organised in Łódź since 1991. This is the greatest event of this kind in Central and Eastern Europe, which attracts several thousand participants from Poland and abroad every year. During every festival there are meetings with graphic designers, scriptwriters and publishers, who come to Łódź from all over the world. The festival has hosted authors from the USA, Russia, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Austria and Great Britain. The invited guests not only meet with the audience but also conduct drawing and scriptwriting workshops. Thanks to the festival and the thriving comic environment Łódź has been called for years ‘the Polish capital of comics’. i 12 Łódź Alpine Club 7 Cementowa Str., 91-859 Łódź E-mail: biuro@festiwalgor.pl www.explorersfestival.pl City of Dialogue in Łódź 5 Plac Wolności Tel. (+48 42) 636 38 21 E-mail: info@miasto-dialogu.pl www.4kultury.pl i Łódź Community Centre 18 Traugutta Str., Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 633 98 00 w. 244 E-mail: festiwal@ldk.lodz.pl; radon@ldk.lodz.pl www.komiksfestiwal.com; www.ldk.lodz.pl Łódź Łódź Tansman Łódź Design The Tansman International Festival and Competition of Musical Personalities is an undertaking with an original and universal idea of international renown. The festival organisers implement this idea by searching for and promoting original and unique young musical personalities, regardless of their specialisation. The jury evaluates performers’ technique and interpretation, and above all, their personality. The idea behind this event is to promote the music of Aleksander Tansman – a composer connected with Łódź. Every year there are symphony and chamber concerts with the participation of winners and Grand Prix laureates of previous editions of the competition. Łódź Design – the International Design Festival in Łódź is the biggest and most important design-related event in Poland. New York Times recommended it as one of the most widely recognised Design Festivals in Europe. The festival shows the newest international trends and Polish design. The exhibitions are about design and everything related to it – starting with industrial design, through graphic design, and ending with fashion. Łódź Design cooperates with the best Polish and foreign culture centres and design schools. The festival, held in the second half of October, features not only the Main Programme exhibition, the Make Me! contest exhibition, the School Review and other exhibitions in galleries, museums and cultural institutes. The festival also consists of panel discussions, lectures, workshops by world-famous designers, meetings with famous designers, street happenings and concerts. i The Aleksander Tansman Association of Culture Promotion in Łódź 14/51 Krzyżowa Str., Łódź Tel./Fax: (+48) 42 657 86 66, Mobile: (+48) 601 295 495 E-mail: wendland@tansman.lodz.pl, wendland@lodz.msk.pl www.tansman.lodz.pl i Łódź Art Center 3 Tymienieckiego Str., 90-365 Łódź Tel./Fax: (+48 42 684 20 95 E-mail: info@lodzartcenter.com, info@lodzdesign.com www.lodzartcenter.com Łódź Sports and Entertainment Arena Other most important festivals and events: •Christian Culture Festival •Cinergia Forum of European Cinema •Fashionphilosophy - Fashion Week Poland •Festival of Science, Technology and Art •Fotofestiwal – International Festival of Photography in Łódź •International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant •MEDIATRAVEL – Civilisation and Media Art Festival •Nordland Art Festival •The Grand Prix Jazz Melomani JAZZ OSCARS •The International Ballet Festival ŁÓDŹ BALLET MEETINGS •The International Festival of Explorers, Travellers and Active People MEDIATRAVEL •The International Graffiti Festival OUTLINE COLOUR FESTIVAL •The Łódź Festival of Good Taste •The National Media Festival HUMAN IN DANGER •The National Tourist Song Review YAPA i Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel./fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55, Tel. (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl Łódź Calendar of other events and festivals Events and festivals Łódź The Sports and Entertainment Arena, is opened from the public from June 2009, it is one of the most modern facilities of this kind in the country. During sports or cultural events the new arena can seat 10 thousand spectators. It is also possible to provide 3,5 thousand additional chairs, which means that during the greatest events the facility in Łódź have a total capacity of 13,5 thousand. The arena is used as a sports venue for numerous disciplines, including volleyball, basketball, athletics and martial arts, and as a venue for different cultural events. The most important events organised in the arena: World League volleyball tournament, followed by the women’s volleyball and men’s basketball European championships, Final Four and A-ha, Depeche Mode and Rammstein concerts. i Atlas Arena Łódź 7 Bandurskiego Str., 94-020 Łódź Tel./fax: (+48) 42 272 15 13 E-mail: info@atlasarena.pl www.atlasarena.pl 13 Łódzkie www.ziemialodzka.pl Landscape parks in the Łódź Province So far, 7 landscape parks have been created in the Łódź Province to permanently protect the most valuable environmental and landscape elements of the region. Both animate and inanimate nature is protected. There are the following landscape parks: • Bolimów Landscape Park • Warta-Widawka Landscape Park • Łódź Hills Landscape Park • Przedbórz Landscape Park • Spała Landscape Park • Sulejów Landscape Park • Załęcze Landscape Park. Four of them – Warta-Widawka Landscape Park, Łódź Hills Landscape Park, Spała Landscape Park and Sulejów Landscape Park – are located entirely in the Łódź Province. The remaining three parks have transborder character, i.e. they lie on the border of different provinces: Bolimów Landscape Park – Łódź Province and Mazovia Province, Przedbórz Landscape Park – Łódź Province and Świętokrzyskie Province, Załęcze Landscape Park – Łódź Province, Silesian Province and Opole Province. The total surface area of the landscape parks in the Łódź Province is 97,945.2 ha, which constitutes approx. 5.38 % of the total area of the Łódź Province. Moreover, there are 88 nature reserves in the Łódź Province, with a total surface area of nearly 8,000 ha. Most of them are forest reserves (67). They have been created to protect the remains of natural ecosystems, old tree stumps, rare tree species and trees growing within and outside their natural range. Additionally, the Łódź Province has 9 flora reserves, 6 peat-bog reserves, 2 landscape reserves, 1 fauna reserve, 1 water reserve, 1 halophilic reserve and 1 inanimate nature reserve. The largest protected area of this kind is the ‘Jeziorsko’ fauna reserve, protecting a bird sanctuary in the southern part of an artificial water reservoir with the same name. In total, the landscape protection system in the form of landscape parks and natural reserves occupies nearly 9% of the area of the Łódź Province, i.e. approx. 1,800 km². i 14 Local Information Centre 67 Sienkiewicza Str., 90-009 Łódź Tel./fax.: (+48) 42 662 09 70 E-mail: it.centrum@rotwl.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl Łódzkie Smardzewice Dendrologic garden and alpinarium The Breeding Centre of European Bison A dendrologic garden, alpinarium and forest experimental areas constitute a part of the Forest Research Institute of Warsaw Agricultural University (SGGW) in Rogów. The arboretum boasts Poland’s biggest collection of maples and its specialties are Chinese trees and bushes. The alpinarium presents trees and plants coming from mountainous regions and the garden of protected plants. Tourists are recommended to visit the Museum of Forest and Timber with a collection related to birds and mammals and also botanical exhibits and samples of timber. In Smardzewice – Książ there is a famous centre for breeding bison named after the Polish president Ignacy Mościcki. Initially American bison were bred here – the first 4 animals were imported from as far as Canada as a gift for the president of the II Republic of Poland – Ignacy Mościcki, from Polish residents in Canada. Since 1936 bison brought from Białowieża have been bred in the centre. Twenty wisents are kept as breeding stock. Tourists can observe a bison’s family in a specially designated area. The farm currently has an area of 72.4 hectares, and it is located in the protected area of the Spalski Landscape Park. The centre reports to the Management of Kampinowski National Park. i Arboretum in Rogów of SGGW 95-063 Rogów, Tel:/Fax: (+48) 46 874 81 36 E-Mail: arbor@wp.pl, www.arboretum.sggw.pl i The Breeding Centre of Bison 9 Tomanka Str., 97-213 Smardzewice Tel/Fax: (+48) 44 710 86 20, Mobile: (+48) 606 903 525 www.kampinoski-pn.gov.pl Kołaciniek ZooSafari Kołacinek Adventure Park The ZooSafari in Borysew, near Poddębice, has over 300 animals of 60 species from 5 continents, all on 22 hectares of land. Located in the valley of the Ner River, ZooSafari features camels and other rare animals like albino kangaroos or zonkeys. In ZooSafari animals can only be ‘hunted’ with cameras. The youngest visitors will have a chance to play with goats, donkeys, African sheep and alpacas in a mini zoo. There is also a Grill-Bar with delicious cuisine waiting for those who are tired of walking. The Kołacinek Adventure Park is located in Kołacinek near Brzeziny. From April until the end of October guests can visit the Dinopark, which offers guided tours along a Mesozoic path, lifesized dinosaur models and educational activities. A novelty is the Kołacinek Grange, presenting a typical Polish village from 150 years ago. In the wintertime, from mid-November to mid-February, the park offers to its visitors the Santa’s Park. One can meet here, for example: Santa Claus, Father Frost, Baba Yaga and free-range reindeer. Guests also have a restaurant and a hotel at their disposal. i ZooSafari Borysew 25, 99-200 Poddębice Tel.: (+48) 43 678 47 48 E-mail: biuro@dylen.pl www.zoosafari.com.pl i www.ziemialodzka.pl Borysew Interesting facts of the world of nature Rogów The Kołacinek Manor Kołacinek 21, 95-061 Dmosin Tel.: (+48) 46 874 76 86, (+48) 46 874 05 53 E-mail: centrala@dino-park.pl, centrala@krainamikolaja.pl www.dino-park.pl, www.krainamikolaja.pl 15 Religious architecture Łódzkie Studzianna-Poświętne Gidle The basilica of Oratorians Monastery complex of the Dominicans The place is related to the miraculous painting of the Holy Family of Nazareth, whose holiness was acknowledged in 1671. 2 years later in the presence of a congregation of over 30,000, the picture was moved to a newly built wooden church. Numerous pilgrims, knights getting ready for important battles and even kings: Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki and Jan III Sobieski witnessed miracles. In the first half of the 18th c the church was consecrated. It is highly recommended to see the worshipped picture, altars covered with lacquer and a dome ornamented with frescoes and images of saints. The monastery was erected between 1640-55. The early-Baroque church houses the smallest object of worship – a stone figure of Mother of God of Gidle. According to a legend, found by a peasant and rashly hidden in a chest, the figure brought about the blindness of his family. Only after offering the figure to the nearby church, did the family recover their sight. The monastery has a library with several thousands volumes and a small museum exhibiting two historic oak tables specially made on the occasion of Jan Sobieski’s visit who was marching with the relief of Vienna. www.ziemialodzka.pl i 16 The monastery of the Philippine priests 7 Główna Str., 26-315 Poświętne Tel: (+48) 44 756 41 00, Fax: (+48) 44 756 45 86 Retreat House Tel: (+48) 44 756 41 00, Fax: (+48) 44 756 45 86 E-Mail: sanktuarium@rodzina.net, www.sanktuarium.net.pl i Local Information Centre and Tourist Information Desk in Gidle 22 Pławińska Str., 97-540 Gidle Tel/Fax: (+48) 34 327 28 86 E-Mail: gci@gidle.pl www.gidle.pl, www.gidle.dominikanie.pl Wielgomłyny Wieluń and its environs Monastery complex of Pauline order Wooden churches in “Wieluń” style Jakub Koniecpolski and his mother Dorota of Sienno founded the monastery in 1465-66. Despite its later extension in Baroque style (the 17th c ) the monastery has preserved till today its original Gothic bulk. Valuable works of Gothic art: a baptismal font ornamented with coats of arms, a fully expressive wooden and polychrome Pieta dating back to the beginning of the 15th c and the late-medieval bronze tombstone of the Koniecpolskis from 1475 – one of Poland’s most valuable monuments of this type- can be seen inside the church. Numerous wooden churches in the area of Wieluń share some common characteristics so they are acknowledged by experts on church architecture to be built in the “Wieluń style” or representing the “Wieluń type of Małpolski style”. The churches were built in a carcass construction form, with one nave and a narrower chancel. Tower belfries of columnar construction growing wider towards the bottom adjoin the naves. Valuable polychromes have been preserved in some interiors. Churches in Grębień (the oldest wooden church in Łódź region), Gaszyn, Kadłub, Łaszew, Popowice and Wiktorów are the finest examples of this style. i i Monastery of Pauline Rynek 8 Order 97-525 Wielgomłyny 97-500 Radomsko Tel. (+48) 44 787 10 66 www.wielgomlyny.paulini.pl i The Museum of Wieluń Region 13 Narutowicza Str., 98-300 Wieluń Tel. (+48) 43 843 43 34 E-Mail: mzw@poczta.onet.pl, www.muzeum.wielun.pl (PL) Tourist Information Desk in Wieluń (Regional Public Library) 23a Śląska Str., 98-300 Wieluń, Tel: (+48) 43 843 96 35 E-Mail: biblioteka@powiat.wielun.pl Łódzkie Romanesque structures of central Poland i www.ziemialodzka.pl Seven monuments of architecture representing totally or partially the Romanesque style have been preserved within the boundaries of the current region of Łódź. Due to their uniqueness and historic significance these buildings are considered to be the most valuable not only in the region. The collegiate church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Aleksy in Tum (the district of Łęczyca ) built in the 12th century is regarded as the biggest and the best-preserved Romanesque collegiate church in Poland. It is built of granite and sandstone in the corners. Its main entrance is ornamented with a richly carved offset portal made of sandstone. Numerous, valuable medieval decorative elements including wall paintings and historic tombstones have been preserved in the church interior. On the left bank of the river Pilica in Inowłódz (district of Tomaszów main photo) tourists may admire the fortified church of St Idzi. The church was built during the reign of the king Ladislaus Herman as the votive offering for his son’s birth – Boleslaw the Wry-mouth. A single-nave structure made of sandstone is topped with an apse on one side and a cylindrical tower on the other. Twin Romanesque windows (biforia), a frieze of round arcading and profiled cornice are the main ornaments of this modest structure of the church. The Romanesque church of St Nicolas in Żarnów (district of Opoczno) was built in a similar layout. Only fragments of the church including an emporium and a tower permanently combined with the present church have been preserved till nowadays. One of the best-preserved Cistercian Europe’s fortified abbeys can be found in Sulejów Podklarztorze (district of Piotrków ). The most valuable element of the complex is the Romanesque basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury with a magnificent portal and rosettes. A chapter house with its palm vault, which was at the time of its construction a daring achievement, is exceptional in Poland. Currently, the chapter house is used as the place where sacred monuments are displayed. The former outbuildings of the abbey house a luxury hotel and a small museum gathering exhibits related to the history of Sulejów. The church dedicated to St Ursula and Eleven Thousand Virgins erected on the bank of the river Warta valley in Strońsko (district of Zduńska Wola ) is recognised as a real pearl of architecture. A single-nave church built in the 13th century, it is considered to be one of the oldest brick constructions in Poland. A Romanesque tympanum carved in sand stone and representing a dragon devouring a locust is highly recommended. The medieval past of the collegiate church in Ruda (district of Wieluń) is testified by a fragment of the Romanesque wall together with a portal and windows. In nearby Krzyworzeka (district of Wieluń ) a stone belfry from the 13th century and a small 12th century church, reconstructed several times, have been preserved. Early-medieval ramparts in Tum, Widoradz near Ruda and Żarnów, related to the oldest centres of authorities in the territory of the current region of Łódź are the best evidence of early settlement of the above mentioned places. Local Information Centre 67 Sienkiewicza Str., 90-009 Łódź Tel./fax.: (+48) 42 662 09 70 E-mail: it.centrum@rotwl.pl, www.ziemialodzka.pl 17 18 www.ziemialodzka.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl 19 www.ziemialodzka.pl Defensive architecture Łódzkie 20 Oporów Łęczyca The residence of Oporowski’s family Residence of Boruta Devil A small Gothic knight’s castle in Oporów belongs to one of the most valuable monuments of medieval fortified architecture in central Poland. Its construction was begun already in 1425 by the Voivode of Łęczyca – Mikołaj Oporowski and continued by the Archbishop of Gniezno – Władysław Oporowski. The building on a square plan with two fortified towers is placed on a man-made island surrounded by a moat. According to a legend the ghost of the castellan of Oporów’s daughter – the White Lady haunts the castle. Since 1947 the castle has housed the museum exhibiting works of art and artistic craftwork from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The Gothic castle in Łęczyca was erected around 1330 initiated by King Casimir the Great. The castle and the town were surrounded by fortified walls and a moat separated the town from the castle. Considered by Łęczyca inhabitants as the residence of Boruta Devil, a malicious prankster, currently the castle houses the museum collecting exhibits of excavations, commemorating the past of Łęczyca, and also works of folk artists, including numerous images of the legendary devil. Tourists can admire a beautiful view of the town and its area from the tower. Every year in August the courtyard of the castle is filled with knights coming from all over the country to take part in a tournament held among others by the Brotherhood of Knights. i Museum – the Castle in Oporów 99-322 Oporów, Tel: (+48) 24 285 91 22, Fax: (+48) 24 274 70 58 E-Mail: zamekoporow@poczta.onet.pl www.zamekoporow.pl, www.oporow.pl (PL) i The Museum in Łęczyca 1 Zamkowa Str., 99-100 Łęczyca Tel: (+48) 24 721 24 49 (the Castle), Tel /Fax: (+48) 24 721 89 97 (the Office) E-Mail: muzeum@zamek.leczyca, www.zamek.leczyca.pl Rawa Mazowiecka Pabianice Castle of Mazovian Dukes The pearl of Renaissance architecture The reconstructed octagonal tower, original ground walls and fragments of the foundation are the remains of the 14th-century castle of Mazovian dukes. The fortress in Rawa was the place where the tax for the upkeep of soldiers of the Republic of Poland was held. The castle and the town were completely destroyed during the Swedish invasion of Poland. The ghost of Ludmiła, the Duke of Siemowit’s wife, who was accused of being unfaithful and walled in the castle, haunts the ruins. The legend was used by William Shakespeare himself in his “Winter Tale”. The tower presents exhibitions of the Museum of the Region of Rawa. The Renaissance fortified manor house erected between 156571 is the most representative example of this type of structures in Poland. From 1833 to 1939 it was the seat of the municipal authorities. After World War II the Museum of Pabianice was founded here. The interiors boast beautiful polychromes dating back to different periods, including the most valuable Renaissance ones coming from the 16th c. The nearby school building also exhibits some collections e.g. the art collection of Central Africa with a complete outfit of a tribal medicine man and a unique in Poland late-Celtic iron helmet excavated from the warrior’s grave dating back 2000 years. i i Tourist Information Desk in Rawa Mazowiecka 5 Kościuszki Str., 96-200 Rawa Mazowiecka Tel: (+48) 46 814 57 40, Fax: (+48) 46 814 46 31 E-mail: pit@powiatrawski.pl, www.powiatrawski.pl The Museum of Pabianice Stary Rynek 1/ 2, 95-200 Pabianice Tel: (+48) 42 215 89 82, 42 215 54 87 E-Mail: muzeum@mail.epic.pl, www.muzeum.zamek.leczyca.pl Łódzkie Bąkowa Góra, Majkowice Castle of Drzewiecki’s family Ancient knights’ hearths Impressive ruins in Drzewica are the remains of the castle erected between 1527-35 on the initiative of the Archbishop of GnieznoMaciej Drzewiecki, armorial bearing Ciołek. Four huge corner towers impress the visitors even nowadays. The gate in the highest, north-eastern tower leading to the castle. Traces of the drawbridge over the moat filled with water of the river Drzewiczka can still be seen. Since the end of the 18th c the stronghold had housed the Bernardine nunnery, yet after a great fire in 1814 it was abandoned by the sisters who moved to St Catherine nunnery in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. Since that time the castle has remained in ruins. The stronghold in Bąkowa Góra might have been built by Zbigniew Bąk, one of co-workers of King Ladislaus Jagiełło. The structure was in the possession of many owners and even for some time it belonged to knight robbers who harassed merchants travelling along the river Pilica valley. Near the ruins the 17th-century manor house of Małachowski’s family can be seen. In neighbouring Majkowice, an interesting complex of three structures of fortified architecture: traces of the medieval rampart in the boggy meadows of the Pilica, ruins of the “Surdęga” castle (the 14th–15th) and the impressive ruins of the residence of the Majkowskis erected in the 16th c have been preserved. i i Tourist Information Centre in Łódź 87 Piotrkowska Str., 90-423 Łódź Tel/Fax: (+48) 42 638 59 55, Tel: (+48) 42 638 59 56 E-Mail: cit@uml.lodz.pl www.drzewica.pl Tourist Information Centre in Piotrków Trybunalski PTTK, Plac Czarnieckiego 10, 97-300 Piotrków Trybunalski Tel/Fax: (+48) 44 647 70 52, Tel. (+48) 44 732 36 63 E-Mail: biuro@piotrkow.nonprofit.pl, www.powiat-piotrkowski.pl Wieruszów Old rampart on the river Warta From Ptolemy to Wierusz The oldest historic monuments in the area are ramparts – remains of old fortified settlements. They date back to the 6th – 13th centuries and are usually localised on rivers or in other inaccessible places. Today, remains of old settlements – old ramparts can be found e.g. in Tum, Stare Skoszewy, Sieradz, Wieruszów and Żarnów. In Konopnica, located on a high bank of the river Warta there are remnants of an old, cone-shaped rampart known as “The Castle”. It was inhabited between the 13th and the first half of the 14th centuries. Experts of the subject recognise it as one of the biggest and most interesting medieval fortified settlements in central Poland. From the rampart there is a superb view over the river Warta valley. An enormous fortified settlement covering an area of 48 ha and with 600-700 m in diameter is limited by the rivers Prosna and Niesób and from the south by the embankment 440 m long and 4 m high. The place has been considered to be the remnant of the fortified settlement of the culture of the Łużyce region (700-400 years B.C.). In 1964 four ornamented vessels dating back to so called “Roman influences” (c the 1st AD) were excavated in the area. Ptolemy, an ancient geographer, marked this place as “Arsonium” on his map. Excavations can be seen in the Archaeological Museum in Łódź. It is not far from the settlement to the ruins of the castle in Wieruszów and the monastery of Pauline monks. Both these places are linked by the tourist trail “From Ptolemy to Wierusz”. Tourist Information Desk (Local Public Library) 23a Śląska Str., 98-300 Wieluń Tel: (+48) 43 843 96 35, www.um.wielun.pl i Tourist Information Desk in Wieruszów (Regional Public Library) 8 Waryńskiego Str., 98-400 Wieruszów Tel: (+48) 62 783 11 88 E-Mail: pbwieruszow@wp.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl Konopnica i Defensive architecture Drzewica 21 Palaces and manors Łódzkie Nieborów and Arkadia Poddębice Palace and a romantic garden Renaissance palace of Grudziński’s family The complex of a palace and a park designed by Tylman of Gameren belongs to one of the most renowned aristocratic residences in Poland. In 1774 it came into possession of the Radziwiłłs. The complex consists of: a palace, coach house, manufactory, outbuilding, orangery and two parks – a formal park and an English-style park. Not far from Nieborów, in Arkadia Duchess Helena Radziwiłł founded in 1778 a romantic landscape park. Tourists can admire the Temple of Diana, the park’s main attraction, and artificial ruins: the Temple of the Archpriest, Roman Aqueduct, Gothic house, and built of rocks, the artificial Grotto of Sibyl. Zygmunt Grudziński, the Squire of Poddębice and Voivode of Rawa, started the construction of the palace in 1610. The final shape was achieved in the 19th century after final reconstruction ordered by Napoleon Zakrzewski. A five-storeyed 17-metre tower topped with a Renaissance dome can be seen from the south-east. On the other side of a loggia there is a chapel built on a decagon plan with well-preserved painting and stuccos of the vault. Currently, the chapel houses the Regional Chamber preserving memorabilia related to the history of Poddębice and its environs. www.ziemialodzka.pl i i Community Centre in Poddębice – Regional Historical Chamber 9/11 Mickiewicza Str., 99-200 Poddębice Tel/Fax: (+48) 43 678 29 91, Tel.: (+48) 43 678 22 12 E-Mail: pdkis@op.pl Wolbórz Sokolniki Residence of bishops of Kujavia Region Rococo originating from Saxony The Baroque complex of the palace and park in Wolbórz was erected in 1768-73 by bishop Antoni Ostrowski according to the design of an Italian architect, Francesco Placidi. The palace was meant to be a summer residence of Kujavia bishops. It consists of a palace, two outbuildings, utility rooms and a guardhouse as well as a parade courtyard and a park. Currently, the complex is occupied by one of Poland’s best agricultural schools and a small museum chamber with memorabilia of the town’s history founded on the initiative of the Society of Friends of Wolbórz. The complex of the palace and the park in Sokoliki was built in the second half of the 18th c commissioned by Łukasz Bniński, an owner of Sokolniki county, and designed by a Dresden architect, Frederick Nax. The palace was redecorated in the 19th c and after its recent renovation it serves as a hotel and a restaurant. It is a onestoreyed building erected in Saxon Rococo style, on a rectangle plan, with a high frontal projection. The formal park covering 4 ha surrounds the complex. In times of the Principality of Warsaw, the titular sovereign of the Principality, Saxon king, Frederick August III, frequented the palace. i 22 Palace in Nieborów (branch of the National Museum in Warsaw) 99-416 Nieborów, Tel: (+48) 46 838 56 35 E-Mail: kancelaria@nieborow.art.pl, www.nieborow.art.pl The complex of schools – Agricultural Centre of Constant Education The Palace in Wolbórz 107 Modrzewskiego Str., 97-920 Wolbórz Tel. (+48) 44 616 43 51, Tel/Fax: (+48) 44 616 41 68 E-Mail: info@zswolborz.pl www.zswolborz.pl, www.wolborz.ugm.pl i The Palace in Sokolniki (Hotel and “Sokolnik” Restaurant) 4 Wrocławska Str., 98-420 Sokolniki, Tel/Fax: (+48) 62 784 50 67 E-Mail: sokolnik@sokolnik.com.pl www.sokolnik.com.pl Łódzkie Działoszyn Classical palace and a horse stud farm The palace of the Męcińskis The classical palace in Walewice was erected in 1783 for the royal chamberlain, Anastazy Walewski. According to a legend, it was a secret place of trysts between countess Maria Walewska and Napoleon, the Emperor of France. The palace was restored to its former beauty after 1997 and at present it houses offices of a renowned and highly reputed stud farm of Anglo-Arabs and hotel rooms. A nearby stud farm offers horse riding courses, horse rides, rides in a carriage, riding holidays and other forms of activities. The Renaissance palace in Działoszyn was built around 1600 by Andrzej Męciński. A two-storey construction was erected on an artificial embankment; its foundations were made of stone and walls of stone alternate with bricks. The legend has it that King Stanisław August Poniatowski resided in the palace. Today a thoroughly restored palace surrounded by a renovated garden and a park houses some cultural and educational institutions. A Tourist Information Desk is located here as well. i i Palace in Walewice Stud farm in Walewice Walewice, 99-423 Bielawy Tel. (+48) 46 838 21 14, Fax: (+48) 46 838 28 72 E-Mail: biuro@walewice.pl www.walewice.pl. Tourist Information Desk in Działoszyn 22 Zamkowa Str., 98-355 Działoszyn Tel. (+48) 43 843 00 15 E-mail: pbp@powiatpajeczno.pl Ożarów Museum in the Walewskis’ manor house Corner annexe manor house The manor in Tubądzin was erected at the end of the 18th c on the initiative of Maciej Zbijewski. In 1891 it came into the possession of Kazimierz Walewski, a lover of history and geography, who gathered all exhibits presented today in the Museum of the Walewskis. Visitors can see here numerous family oil portraits, glass and china goods, ancestral silverware, a rich collection of books including antique ones, and furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries. A historic park covering 3 ha surrounds the manor. Classical music concerts are held in Tubądzin. The local larch manor was built in 1757. The building of log construction with a Polish broken roof with wooden tiles is, nowadays a seat of the Museum of Manor Interiors. A collection of portraits of the noblemen of Wieluń, (the 17th-19th centuries) stylish furniture such as wardrobes, travelling trunks, chests, a drawing chest dating back to the 18th century, Meissen china and silverware from the 18th c are worth seeing. Tourists can visit a representative living room and hunting trophies room, dining room, bedroom, boudoir of the hostess, a young girl’s room and a study. In nearby Kocilew (1km) you can see a reconstructed wooden windmill. The Museum of the Walewskis in Tubądzin (branch of the Regional Museum in Sieradz) 98-285 Wróblew, Tubądzin Tel: (+48) 43 821 37 26 E-Mail: mos@pro.onet.pl www.muzeum-sieradz.com.pl i The Museum of Manor Interiors in Ożarów (Branch of the Museum of Wieluń) The Society of Friends of the Museum of Manor Interiors in Ożarów 98-345 Mokrsko, Tel/Fax: (+48) 43 841 17 24 E-Mail: ozarow@onet.eu www.mwdozarow.ovh.org www.ziemialodzka.pl Tubądzin i Palaces and manors Walewice 23 Łódzkie Tomaszow Mazowiecki Monuments of technology Open-air ethnographic museum (skansen) of the river Pilica and Blue Springs Historic natural resources of the Pilica valley brought about the creation of the open-air museum on the riverbanks. Its founder and a host is Mr Andrzej Kobalczyk. A historic watermill, where thematic exhibitions are held, has been placed in the museum. Poland’s biggest collection of millstones is displayed in a shed. Enthusiasts of World War II militaria can be attracted by spectacular acquisitions of the museum – an armoured personnel carrier together with its reconstructed equipment pulled out from the river bottom and a unique wreck of a German prime mover. Another part of the museum exhibits a rich collection of historic boats and kayaks of the Polica together with other valuable archive material, iconography and extensive publications devoted to the river Pilica and its region. The museum was awarded a certificate of the Polish Tourist Organization for the Best Tourist Product of 2005. Located close to the museum is a unique geological-landscape nature reserve called Blue Springs (Niebieskie Źródła). It protects the northernmost Polish karst spring. Water pours out of crevices in Jurassic limestone and comes from two large spring pools of water up to 4.5 metres deep. Numerous islets and flood waters can be found within the reserve. i The Open-Air Museum of the River Pilica and Its Region 9/11 Modrzewskiego Str., 97-200 Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Tel. (+48) 44 723 00 03 E-mail: info@skansenpilicy.pl www.skansenpilicy.pl i Tourist Information Centre 3 Mościckiego Str., 97-200 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Tel: (+48) 44 726 03 78, Tel/Fax: (+48) 44 724 84 98 E-Mail: promocja@powiat_tomaszowski.pl www.powiat-tomaszowski.pl Konewka, Jeleń www.ziemialodzka.pl Mysterious buildings in the Spała Forest On account of its location and unique character, Pilica and its surroundings have witnessed important historical events. Those who are ready to feel a prickle of excitement are invited to visit the complex of old German bunkers from the period of World War II in Konewka and Jeleń in the Spała Forest. It was before the outbreak of the war that the Germans decided to create a system of commanding military operations with the use of staff trains. However, in the first months of the fight in 1939 it turned out that there were some drawbacks of this solution: sensitivity to attacks from the air and problems with communication. In order to solve these problems special bunkers were designed, which offered enough space for trains and protected them against the attacks. An example of such buildings is the bunker in Jeleń (355 m long) and the bunker in Konewka (380 m long). The bunkers were provided with technical facilities, considerably improving the comfort of train crews. Initially, the bunkers were used in accordance with the designation to protect staff trains, yet, with time, they started to be used also for protecting freight trains and for storing materials from the nearby plants. At present, there is an underground tourist route in the bunker in Konewka, thanks to which one can explore this mysterious building and see a military exhibition. i 24 Tourist Route ‘Bunker in Konewka’ Mobile: (+48) 501 430 321 E-mail: info@bunkierkonewka.pl, imax@go2.pl www.bunkierkonewka.eu i Wydział Informacji Turystycznej Starostwa Powiatowego w Tomaszowie Mazowieckim 3 Mościckiego Street, 97-200 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Tel. (+48) 44 726 03 78, Tel./Fax: (+48) 44 724 84 98 E-mail: promocja@powiat-tomaszowski.pl i Local Information Centre 67 Sienkiewicza Str., 90-009 Łódź Tel./fax.: (+48) 42 662 09 70 E-mail: it.centrum@rotwl.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl Łódzkie Rogów – Rawa Mazowiecka – Biała Rawska Narrow-Gauge Railway in Rogów i The Rogów Narrow-Gauge Railway 37 Dworcowa Str., 95-063 Rogów Tel: (+48) 46 874 80 23 E-Mail: info@kolejrogowska.pl www.kolejrogowska.pl Valley of the Grabia River Locomotive shed Wooden mills and mill homesteads The Skierniewice locomotive shed was founded in the first half of the 19th century to operate steam engines of the Vienna-Warsaw Railway. The main element of the complex is the bow-fronted concourse with 23 bays for steam engines. In 1994 on the initiative of the Polish Society of Railway Lovers (PSMK) the complex was registered as listed buildings. Since 1988 the Society has been gathering historic rolling stock in Poland’s first grassroots museum. At present, exhibits amount to nearly 100. The collection boasts several “gems”, including the world’s unique battery traction equipment of “Wittfeld” system, a collection of vans used among others in films; “Schindler’s List” or “The Pianist”, a saloon car of the Chairman of Poland’s Council of State Gen. A.Zawadzki and many others. One of the inexorably passing mementos of the past are the watermills, quite uncommon nowadays, scattered across the Łódź Province. The yellow tourist trail connecting the technical monuments, which runs through the district of Łask, was called ‘Mills on the Grabia’. From the thirty mills built on this 77-kilometre long river only several have survived. Walking along the trail one can see, for example, the still working mill in Wola Marzeńska, the mills in Zielencice, Brzeski and Kozuby, and mill ruins in Emilianów and Okup Fabryczny. A gem of wooden architecture is definitely the complex of mills in a place called ‘Talar’. In most cases the mills are in private hands and they can be visited on prior arrangement with the owners. i Locomotive shed 1 Łowicka Str., 96-100 Skierniewice Tel. (+48) 46 81 81 323, Mobile: (+48) 602 312 262 E-mail: zarzad@psmk.org.pl www.psmk.org.pl i i The Polish Tourist Country-Lovers’ Society (PTTK) – Branch in Łask (Garrison Club) 1 Plac Lotników Łaskich, 98-100 Łask Tel.: (+48) 43 675 37 76 E-mail: pttklask@poczta.onet.pl, www.pttklask.ex2.pl Tourist Information Point in Pabianice Railway station 37 Łaska Str., 95-200 Pabianice Tel.: (+48) 42 205 43 14, E-mail: uminformacja@wp.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl Skierniewice Monuments of technology In February 1915 in Rogów railway station German railway military troops started the construction of a narrow-gauge railway (the width of the track (600mm) leading to the frontline. After World War I, a 49-km railway line was taken over by the Ministry of Railway. In 1954 the line was changed into a 750 mm gauge one. In 1996 it was officially recognized as a monument of technology. Today, the line is the only museum railway in the region of Łódź. Volunteers take care of this historic railway and they spare no efforts to open the museum of railway on the premises of Rogów railway station. Today, visitors can see “Borman & Szwede” tank car from 1904, an “Orenstein & Koppel” steam locomotive from 1920, or a rich collection of sugar carriages from before 1939. On Sundays between May and September you can take a ride on a tourist train to Głuchów. On request, the train runs all year round. 25 Łódzkie Uniejów Conferences&Spa ‘Uniejów’ Thermal Springs The thermal springs in Uniejów, situated over 2000 metres underground, are a natural treasure of the Łódź Province. Their brine with a temperature of 68°C has unusual properties. The springs in Uniejów are unique on a national scale. The hot water is used for heating the city. Yet, it can also be used for other purposes. Hot baths in brine have a therapeutic effect on different diseases, e.g. rheumatic, orthopaedic and traumatic conditions, on diseases of skin, nose, ear, throat and larynx, and on neuralgia, discopathy and neurosis. The potential of the springs can be used thanks to the ‘Uniejów’ Thermal Springs – a modern leisure and sports complex consisting of 3 pools – swimming pool, brine pool and children’s pool – and a sauna complex with Finnish sauna, Turkish bath, aromatherapy, laconium (sauna with a temperature of 40-45°C for relaxation) and tepidarium (relaxation room with heated floor and deckchairs). Additional attractions include canoe rental (for canoeing trips on the Warta River) and carriage rides. The complex also features a full-size football pitch with turf heated with the use of thermal water, volleyball and beach ball courts, and tennis training walls. There are not only natural treasures in Uniejów. This recreation and leisure complex lies at the foot of a 14th-century castle surrounded by an English-style park from the 19th century. This historical heritage is reflected in the Knights’ Castle offering 45 beds, Knights’ Academy classes and traditional bath in wooden tubs with brine. i i TERMY UNIEJÓW Spółka z o.o. in Uniejów 37 Polna Str., 99-210 Uniejów Tel./fax: (+48) 63 288 80 71 E-mail: termy@uniejow.pl www.termyuniejow.pl Knights’ Castle ‘Hot Springs’ 6 Zamkowa Str., 99-210 Uniejów Tel.: (+48) 63 288 89 50 E-mail: termy@uniejow.pl www.termyuniejow.pl Spała www.ziemialodzka.pl Tsars and presidents’ health resort Spała is a famous holiday town situated on the Pilica River. It hosted Polish kings, Russian tsars and in later times the presidents of Interwar Poland: Stanisław Wojciechowski and Ignacy Mościcki. The historic highland-style church dating from 1923, brick water tower from the beginning of the 20th century and the life-sized cast-iron bison monument (symbol of Spała) are a must for tourists. The Central Sports Centre, which is at the same time a famous Olympic Preparation Centre, offers indoor sports halls and swimming pool, gym, health and beauty spas, cryotherapy centre and tennis courts. Spała can be a starting point of a bicycle trip to Tomaszów Mazowiecki along a 12-kilometre bicycle path. It is also a perfect place for lovers of antiques and handicraft. The Spała Fair of Antiques and Folk Handicraft has been organised here for a few years. Apart from the Central Sports Centre, visitors to Spała and its neighbourhood have at their disposal a dozen or so different facilities offering accommodation, conference rooms and SPA&Wellness, the most important of which are the four-star Mościcki Hotel, the President Hotel and the Tsar’s Manor. i 26 Local Tourist Organisation in Spała 3 Nadpiliczna Str., 97-215 Spała Tel.: (+48) 44 710 05 11 www.spala.pl i Tourist Information Point in Spała 2 Piłsudskiego Street, 97-215 Inowłódz Mobile (+48) 514 206 859 www.galeria.spala.info.pl www.spala.info.pl i Wydział Informacji Turystycznej Starostwa Powiatowego w Tomaszowie Mazowieckim ul. Mościckiego 3, 97-200 Tomaszów Mazowiecki Tel. (+48) 44 726 03 78, Tel./Fax: (+48) 44 724 84 98 E-mail: promocja@powiat-tomaszowski.pl Łódzkie Wola Chojnata The Ossa Hotel The Chojnata Palace The Hotel Ossa**** Congress & SPA, located in the heart of Poland (60 km from Warsaw and Łódź), attracts tourists with peace and quiet, and picturesque landscape. It offers to its guests highstandard rooms and luxury apartments. The hotel has a spacious and functional congress centre with a complex of conference rooms, including a room for 1600 people. It is distinguished by its unique and very extensive restaurant offer. The hotel Wellness & Spa Institute, with 16 health and beauty parlours offering a wide range of treatments and health and relaxation massages, looks after the health and beauty of the guests. Additionally, the hotel has a relaxing water and thermal centre. The palace and park complex in Wola Chojnata is definitely a pearl of architecture and the pride of the Rawa district. The local Renaissance palace was erected in the second half of the 19th century by the Węsierski family, according to a design of the famous architect Henryk Marconi. It is surrounded by a landscape park from the beginning of the 19th century, a brick granary dating from the first half of the 19th century and an old stable. Today, the completely renovated residence houses a luxury conference and hotel centre with a restaurant, banquet and conference rooms, sauna, gym and health and beauty spa. i Hotel Ossa**** Congress & SPA 1 Ossa Str., 96-200 Rawa Mazowiecka Tel.: (+48) 46 813 26 00, Fax. (+48) 46 813 26 01 E-mail: info@hotelossa.pl, www.hotelossa.pl i Pałac Chojnata Wola Chojnata 59, 96-230 Biała Rawska Tel. (+48) 46 813 88 30, Fax: (+48) 46 813 88 17 Mobile: (+48) 513 126 775 E-Mail: recepcja@palacchojnata.com www.palacchojnata.com Łódź Comfort Centrum-Hotele The Bełchatów region is mostly associated with a brown coal mine, yet contrary to appearance this is a comfortable and interesting place for a holiday. There are several hotels and conference and recreational centres, for example: the Sport Hotel***, the Santin Hotel***, the Wawrzek Hotel** and the Wodnik Hotel***. The hotels feature swimming pools, saunas and well-equipped conference rooms. Those who like active leisure will find something for themselves in the Kamieńsk Mountain Sports and Recreation Centre, and thrill-seekers can go on an off-road vehicle trip to the bottom of the brown coal mine. ‘Centrum-Hotele’ Sp. z o.o. – the owner of several hotels in Łódź: the Centrum Hotel***, the Światowit Hotel***, the Savoy Hotel**, the Mazowiecki Hotel** and the Polonia Palast Hotel** – has been operating under this name since July 2008. At present, CentrumHotele offers nearly one thousand beds and twenty conference rooms. This is the largest hotel and conference base in Łódź. The hotels are located in the city centre, in most cases along the elegant Piotrkowska Street, in the vicinity of railway stations and shopping centres. They are a perfect starting point for exploring the city and the whole Łódź region. i i www.ziemialodzka.pl Bełchatów Local Information Centre 67 Sienkiewicza Str., 90-009 Łódź Tel./fax.: (+48) 42 662 09 70 E-mail: it.centrum@rotwl.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl Conferences&Spa Rawa Mazowiecka ‘Centum-Hotele’ Sp. z o.o. 68 Kościuszki Avenue, 90-432 Łódź Tel./Fax: (+48) 42 632 10 30, Tel. (+48) 42 636 87 45 E-mail: info@centrumhotele.pl 27 Active tourism Łódzkie Zalew Sulejowski and Jeziorsko lakes The Łódź Province Water reservoirs in Łódź voivodeship Canoe trails Łódź voivodeship has two large water reservoirs: Zalew Sulejowski on the Pilica River and Jeziorsko on the Warta River. The first one is perfect for all kinds of water sports. During summer, regattas, sailing courses and camps are held here. The canoe and kayak route of the Pilica River runs along the lake. There are also footpaths and bicycle routes along the shore line. The other one, Jeziorsko, is the largest water basin in Łódź voivodeship, with the area of 4230 hectares (10.5 thousand acres). The southern part of it is the biggest nature reserve in the region. Shallow waters, numerous small isles and marshy areas create the perfect environment for birds nesting here (130 species). The northern part, thanks to the actively developing tourist base, is a perfect place for people enjoying active tourism. The Łódź Province has several interesting possibilities for canoeing enthusiasts. The canoe trail of the Pilica River, which belongs to the most beautiful river valleys in central Poland, is worth special attention. In the Łódź region the river flows, among others, through Przedbórz, Bąkowa Góra, Sulejów, Spała and Inowłódz. It is also worth going on the Warta River, flowing through such picturesque areas of Łódź as the Załęcze Landscape Park or the Warta-Widawka Landscape Park. Canoeists looking for more challenging rivers can go on the Widawka River, the Rawka River or the Drzewiczka River. www.ziemialodzka.pl i 28 i The Centre of Information about Łódź and the Region 67 Sienkiewicza Str., 90-009 Łódź Tel./Fax: (+48 42 662 09 70 E-mail: it.centrum@rotwl.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl Local Information Office 67 Sienkiewicza Str., 90-009 Łódź Tel./fax.: (+48) 42 662 09 70 E-mail: it.centrum@rotwl.pl, www.ziemialodzka.pl The Łódź Province The Łódź Province Amber Route Marked bicycle paths At first glance, the Łódź Province doe not seem to be associated with amber. Erroneously. According to archaeological research, part of the Amber Route – an ancient trade route for the transfer of amber from the Baltic Sea to the Roman Empire – might have run across the Łódź Province. Roman archaeological finds in the valleys of the Warta River and the Bzura River attest to this assumption. Thus, the Łódź Province offers to visitors a trip following the route of ancient Romans. The section of the Amber Route running through the Łódź Province can be covered by bicycle, admiring monuments of wooden architecture, such as the churches in the area of Wieluń. In the Łódź Province the Amber Route stretches from Wieruszów to Wieluń, yet there are plans for cooperation between the partner districts and regions of the Łódź Province. The Łódź Province offers over 3000 km of marked bicycle paths to all those who like spending their leisure time in an active way. Most of the marked paths are short and run through the most attractive towns of a given region. There are, for example, the routes in the Załęcze Landscape Park or in the districts of Wieruszów, Wieluń, Poddębice, Tomaszów, Zgierz, Łowicz, Skierniewice, Łask and Bełchatów. There are also longer paths consisting of many stages, with a possibility of stopping for the night. Such paths include: ‘eSKa’ in Sieradz, the route ‘Through the District of Wieruszów’, the Zygmunt Goliat Bicycle Path running around the Sulejów Reservoir or the recently marked ‘Route of Hot Springs’ (Łódź, districts of Zgierz, Pabianice and Poddębice). i i The Polish Amber Route in Wieluń 13 Narutowicza Str., 98-300 Wieluń E-mail: bursztyn.wielun@wp.pl, www.nabursztynowymszlaku.pl Local Information Office 67 Sienkiewicza Str., 90-009 Łódź Tel./fax.: (+48) 42 662 09 70 E-mail: it.centrum@rotwl.pl, www.ziemialodzka.pl Łódzkie Bełchatów, Kamieńsk Mountain “Down the pit” and Active all year round i Kamieńsk Mountain Ozga k. Kamieńska, Tel.: (+48) 44 733 07 77 E-mail: info@gorakamiensk.info, www.gorakamiensk.info i BOT Lignite Mine in Bełchatów Tel: (+48) 44 737 30 00 Fax: (+48) 44 737 34 56 E-Mail: info@kwbbelchatow.bot.pl www.kwbbelchatow.bot.pl The Łódź Province Horse Riding Trail Agritourism The Region of Łódź boasts over 150 equestrian centres and, moreover, there are several dozen others which have offers also for horse riding enthusiasts .The most popular equestrian centres are connected by a tourist Horse Riding Trail which has two circular routes: the outer (1067 km long) and the inner (270 km long). Numerous links between both routes have been designed. Studs, specialized horse riding centres and numerous agritourist farms are located along the trail. Tourist can stop for the night, have their meals or they can feed and water the horses. i i i i i i i i The Łódź Province has an extensive agritourism offer. Diverse landscape, vast forests, water reservoirs and clean rivers create perfect conditions for relaxation in the country. Agritourism farms, which can be found in different parts of the Łódź district, offer the cheapest accommodation, own cuisine, opportunity for mushroom picking and fishing, and bonfire/barbecue evenings. Agritourism Forum President: Wiesław Matkowski Tel.: (+48) 43 679 00 63, Mobile: (+48) 508 280 727 Agritourism Association of the Zgierz District President: Zbigniew Hauke Dzierżązna 38, 95-100 Biała Tel.: (+48) 42 717 84 87 [Zgierz region] Association of Agritourism Villages of the Valley of the Pilica River and the Sulejów Reservoir President: Elżbieta Ksyt Tel.: (+48) 44 724 62 67, Mobile: (+48) 507 772 525 [Tomaszów and Piotrków region] Agritourism Association of the Wieluń District President: Halina Piekara 26 Targowa Str., 98 – 320 Osjaków Tel.: (+48) 43 842 34 01 [Wieluń region] Opoczno Association of Agritourism Farms President: Elżbieta Zajączkowska Tel.: (+48) 44 756 24 18 [Opoczno region] Agritourism Association of the Wieruszów District President: Józef Niechciał 8 Waryńskiego Str., 98-400 Wieruszów Tel.: (+48) 62 783 11 88 [Wieruszów region] Agritourism Association of the Poddębice District President: Wiesław Matkowski Tel.: (+48) 43 679 00 63, Mobile: (+48) 508 280 727 www.ziemialodzka.pl Region of Łódź Local Information Office 67 Sienkiewicza Str., 90-009 Łódź Tel./fax.: (+48) 42 662 09 70 E-mail: it.centrum@rotwl.pl, www.ziemialodzka.pl E-mail: wsiodle@lodzkie.pl; www.wsiodle.lodz.pl Active tourism The Kamieńsk Mountain Sports and Recreation Centre, located on the hillside of the highest artificial mountain in central Poland near Bełchatów, invites to adventure holiday all year round. Kamieńsk Mountain has a true height of 196 m and was formed as a result of exploitation of the nearby brown coal mine BOT KWB Bełchatów S.A. The Kamieńsk Mountain Centre is open all year and offers a lot of exciting attractions. There is a chairlift equipped with chairs for four people, a modern safe 1100-metre long toboggan run, bicycle paths, mini adventure park with freeride bikes, golden bungee, inflatable jungle and special climbing walls with three towers (3 m, 6 m and 7 m high). In winter one absolutely must go skiing and try out the three professional ski runs. The main run is 760 m long and has an altitude difference of 123 m. The entire ski slope is illuminated for night skiing, provided with artificial snow and groomed with the use of a snow truck. Rescuers from the Jurajska Group of the Mountain Voluntary Rescue Team (GOPR) supported by medical personnel look after the skiers’ safety. Beginners can learn to ski under the watchful eye of instructors from the BIWAK skiing and snowboarding school operating in the Kamieńsk Mountain Sports and Recreation Centre. It is worth staying here for longer. The Centre offers accommodation and food in a new building located at the foot of the mountain, in Bełchatów (Sport Hotel***) and in the Wawrzkowizna Sports and Recreation Centre. The Bełchatów mine is the biggest and the most modern opencast lignite mine in Poland. The size of the strip mine and machines working there can make tourists giddy. Visitors are really impressed by the strip mine seen from viewing terraces in Kleszczów and from outer dumping grounds. Visitors can drive off-road vehicles provided by the mine to get down the pit (difference in elevation 200 m) where you can admire gigantic diggers and dumping conveyers at work and learn something about the mine. 29 Folklore and traditions Łódzkie The Region of Łowicz Łowicz Striped cloths and paper cuts A Corpus Christi procession Łowicz folk costumes because of their wide range of colours are representative of the whole country. A female outfit consists of a cotton blouse with baggy sleeves, a skirt gathered at the waist, a striped apron and a flowery headscarf. Men wear white shirts with collars tied in a knot with a purplish red ribbon, woollen orange striped trousers, a tight long-sleeved jacket made of black cloth, and also a white or black russet coat tied at the waist with an orange belt. Paper cut outs of round, rectangular and oblong shapes and made of so-called “glossy” paper with dominating geometrical and plant elements are distinguishing features of Łowicz Folklore. Corpus Christi Day – the festival of the Body and Blood of Christ – is one of the most significant holidays in the Catholic Church. It originated in Liege, Belgium in 1274. In Łowicz, participants of the procession express not only their religious faith but also their unusual attachment to the culture of the region. Wearing colourful, striped costumes they carry the Host walking in crowds of inhabitants and tourists gathered to watch this multi-colourful procession. Similar festivity is held in nearby Mąkolice (district of Zgierz) – centre of folk weaving and embroidery. www.ziemialodzka.pl i i Tourist Information Centre in Łowicz Stary Rynek 3, 99-400 Łowicz Tel./Fax: (+48) 46 837 57 71 E-Mail: centrum@powiat.lowicz.pl, promocja@powiat.lowicz.pl www.lowickie.eu, www.powiat.lowicz.pl Maurzyce near Łowicz Sromów Łowicz Ethnographic Park Folk Museum of the Brzozowski family The park in Maurzyce features the characteristic constructions of Łowicz villages. Currently in the museum there are over 30 structures which present two village spatial layouts: a so called old village appearing till the first half of the 19th c in the shape of an oval with a central square, and a new village with streets commonly appearing in the second half of the 19th c. Both in houses and utility buildings visitors can see characteristic elements of furnishings of interiors and ways of their decoration. Nearby the museum there is the world’s first welded road bridge designed by Stefan Bryła. The museum in Sromów was founded on the initiative of the folk artist, Julian Brzozowski. As a keen collector he gathered over 400 folk carvings moved by mechanisms designed by their authors. The figurines show the life in a village in the Łowicz region. They were made by Julian Brzozowski, his son Wojciech Brzozowski and other members of the family. Visitors can see old outfits, chests, sideboards, Łowicz paper cutouts and a collection of 35 horse-drawn carts coming from Łowicz area – carriages, britzkas, sledges and old peasants’ carts, together with harnesses and old agricultural machines and utensils. i 30 The Museum in Łowicz, Stary Rynek 5/7, 99-400 Łowicz Tel: (+48) 46 837 39 28, Fax: (+48) 46 837 36 63 E-Mail: muzeum@low.pl, www.muzeum.low.pl Open-Air Museum in Maurzyce Maurzyce 11a, 99-400 Zduny Tel: (+48) 46 838 81 20 (open-air museum) Tel: (+48) 46 837 39 28 (Museum in Łowicz) E-Mail: museum@low.pl, www.muzeum.low.pl/skansen.htm i Folk Museum of Brzozowski family Sromów 11, 99-414 Kocierzew Tel: (+48) 46 838 44 72 Łódzkie Opoczno Regional Museum and Ethnographic Park Museum and folklore of the region The Museum is located in the 17th-century tenement house at the Market Square. Rich archaeological and ethnographic collections, work of arts, handicraft products and historical documents are gathered here. The museum shows the past of Sieradz region from prehistory to present times but also folk art, folklore and local customs. Sieradz Ethnographic Park with original peasant cottages built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries is located on the river Żeglina, near the castle hill. Monuments of the country buildings and local folklore and traditions have been mainly preserved in the northern part of Opoczno region. The most interesting objects are wooden cottages with traditionally arranged interiors decorated with paper cutouts. Fabrics, outfits and painted eggs, which have been sold till nowadays at a fair before Easter, attract tourists’ attention. Paper cutting is still vividly cultivated. Opoczno folk outfits and beautiful embroidered works are highly recommended. The most renowned centre of embroidery is Bielowice. The Regional Museum in Opoczno boasts many interesting exhibits of this region. i Regional Museum in Sieradz 2 Dominikańska Str., 98-200 Sieradz Tel: (+48) 43 827 16 39, Fax: (+48) 43 822 30 20 E-Mail: mos@pro.onet.pl, www.muzeum-sieradz.com.pl i Regional Museum in Opoczno Plac Zamkowy 1, 26-300 Opoczno, Tel/Fax: (+48) 44 755 23 19 E-Mail: museum-opoczno@o2.pl, www.popczno.pl Bolimów Flower carpets The Konopczyńskis Pottery Workshop Before Corpus Christi Day a lot of inhabitants of Spycimierz can be met in meadows and fields picking up flowers, leaves and bark for huge carpets that are arranged for the day. The carpets are about 2 km long and participants of the procession can admire flowery arrangements in forms of angels, hearts, grape bunches, monstrance, crosses, national symbols or various geometrical patterns. Similar carpets are made from petals on the octave of Corpus Christi in the Passionist church of St. Paul of the Cross in Rawa Mazowiecka. Bolimów is a place with old pottery tradition. The first record of the pottery workshop appeared in 1812. A pottery guild with a dozen members operated here till World War I. The Konopczyńskis are one of the families continuing this fascinating tradition. By appointment tourists can visit the workshop and get to know the technique of throwing clay pots and the whole process of creating ceramics. The workshop often organizes shows and presents their products at folk art exhibitions. Town Council of Uniejów – Local Information Centre 13 bł.Bogumiła Str., 99-210 Uniejow Tel/Fax: (+48) 63 288 80 77 E-Mail: uniebib@op.pl, www.uniejow.pl i www.ziemialodzka.pl Spycimierz and Rawa Mazowiecka i Folklore and traditions Sieradz The Konopczyńskis Pottery Workshop 87 Dworska Str., 99-417 Bolimów Mobile: (+48) 502 433 958, (+48) 513 196 953 E-Mail: aftki@wp.pl www.garncarz.bolimow.net 31 Events and festivals Łódzkie Region of Łódź Uniejów Regional Fair The knight’s tournaments At the end of August and beginning of September the Regional Fair, the biggest in the region, a non-commercial, outdoor, massive event is held in Piotrkowska Street. This is a unique opportunity for Łódź communities and districts, partner regions but also natural history centres, folk artists, colleges and universities to present their achievements. Visitors have a chance to taste delicacies of regional cuisine, enter competitions, see exhibitions, admire knights’ fights, watch the parade of brass bands, and finally to broaden their knowledge of the region of Łódź. Folk bands and rock stars perform on stages and shows of modern dances are also held. At the end of August the castle park in Uniejów is crowded with knights wearing armour, burghers, maidservants and farmhands who arrive for the annual knight’s tournament. Show fights, open competitions with prizes are held, and stalls groan with a variety of goods and souvenirs. The public have a unique chance to see the only siege engine in Poland, shows of firing guns and minting of mediaeval coins, and can take part in the search of the mysterious treasure of the archbishop. www.ziemialodzka.pl i Marshal’s Office of the Łódź Voivodship Department of Promotion and International Co-operation Al.Piłsudskiego 8, 90-051 Łodź Tel.: (+48) 42 663 36 00 Fax: (+48) 42 663 36 02 E-mail: info@kdk.art.pl, www.kdk.art.pl Town’s Council in Uniejów – Local Information Centre 13 bł. Bogumiła Str., 99-210 Uniejów Tel/Fax: (+48) 63 288 80 77 E-Mail: uniebib@op.pl www.uniejow.pl , www.ciluniejow.republika.pl Gajewniki Piotrków Trybunalski Horse riding Festival The town of intersections and interactions Held in August, it is the most important horse riding event in Łódź voivodeship. After changing the location of the last festival – Tubądzin Riding Championship – in 2004, the event has been held in Gajewniki. The festival quickly became very popular and gained renown among horse enthusiasts. It is organised by the Agro-Aves Association and lasts for two days, during which thousands of people enjoy watching show jumping and harness racing competitions. Not only professionals and representatives of Poland take part in the competitions. Amateurs, especially young ones, do it as well, which allows to promote this interesting sport. Other events include dressage, stunt horse riding, quadrille, horse and cart parades, and even races of horses with off-road vehicles. The festival becomes increasingly significant each year, and the range of accompanying events expands (shows promoting folk authors and artists, knight tournaments, firework displays and more), which in turn attracts more spectators. The number of people attending the event regularly reaches 15 thousand. ”Interaction“- the International Festival of Action Art (May) has been held since 1999. Over 150 artists from 40 countries presenting their understanding of the world through art, variety of cultures and traditions have taken part in the festival so far. Thanks to the commitment of the artists, town dwellers and sponsors a unique festival of contemporary art, today one of the most important events of this type all over the world, has come into being. ”Intersections“ – Meetings of Sculptors (August) were initiated by German and Polish artists. 14 works of art created for the chosen public place have already resulted from their cooperation. The project aims at forming a unique gallery of sculpture located in silent and dead spaces of the town that are also public places. i 32 i Agro-Aves Association 2 Gajewniki Str., 98-220 Zduńska Wola tel. (+48 43 824 40 35, fax: (+48) 43 824 31 70 e-mail: agro@aves.com.pl www.stajniagajewniki.pl i i Town’s Office of Piotrków Trybynalski The Department of Culture, Sport and City Promotion Pasaż Karola Rudowskiego 10, 97-300 Piotrków Trybunalski Tel. (+48) 44 732 18 81, free info service 800 241 251 (only in Poland) E-Mail: a.przybylska@piotrkow.pl, www.piotrkow.pl Tourist Information Centre in Piotrków Trybunalski 11 Zamurowa Str., 97-300 Piotrków Trybunalski Tel./fax: (+48) 44 732 60 50, (+48) 44 732 60 49, (+48) 44 732 60 49 E-mail: cit@piotrkow.pl www.cit.piotrkow.pl Łódzkie Spała Colours of Poland The Spała Fair ‘Colours of Poland’ is an annual festival held every Saturday and Sunday from the end of June to the end of August. Every concert is organised in a different place – in historic old churches, castles, courts, palaces and museums – and is adapted to the character of the building. The Society of Friends of Łódź organises trips to all concert venues. In the last years, the festival was held, for example, in the Castle Museum in Oporów, the Romanesque St Giles’s Church in Inowłódz, the Cistercian Abbey in Sulejów and in the seat of the Łódź Art Centre in Łódź. The festival presents diverse types of music, from knight’s music, through performance and jazz to classical music. The Spała Fair of Antiques and Handicraft is addressed, first of all, to collectors of all types of antiques and people trading in them, as well as to folk artists exhibiting and selling their works. The Spała Fair is a periodic event, held once a month in the summertime. As the fair has become a tradition, several stalls with antique objects appear every Sunday. The event is accompanied by numerous attractions: stage performances, live production of wares by famous folk artists, games for children, horse carriage rides and tours around Spała with professional guides. i i The Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Łódź 20/22 Narutowicza Str., 90-135 Łódź Tel.: (+48) 42 664 79 18 E-Mail: filharmonia@filharmonia.lodz.pl www.festiwal.filharmonia.lodz.pl The Spała Fair Tel: (+48) 44 710 13 97, Mobile: (+48) 601 339 259 E-Mail: biuro@jarmarkspalski.pl, www.jarmarkspalski.pl Skierniewice Rose Festival Festival of Flowers, Fruit and Vegetables The ‘Rose Festival’ is a periodic cultural event organised by the Community Centre in Kutno. It dates back to 1975 and was originally known as the Kutno Rose Fair. The main element of the event was the exhibition of roses grown in Kutno. In 1990 the fair was renamed the ‘Rose Festival’ and its formula was slightly altered. Today, growers present the most interesting specimens of flowers, arranged in a sophisticated way and the event is accompanied by performances of music bands, presentations by folk artists and commercial stands. The highlight of the exhibition is the selection of the most beautiful rose. Skierniewice invites visitors to an international harvest festival – the Festival of Flowers, Fruit and Vegetables. This two-day cultural, scientific and commercial event has been organised in September for nearly 30 years. Visitors can explore fruit farming plots and experimental fields. The festival features the Garden and Agriculture Fair, presenting the latest trends in horticultural production. It opens with a festive parade and is enriched with concerts, shows and exhibitions. To supplement the offer, there are also art, photography and exotic animal exhibitions, fashion and hairstyle shows, happenings, sports tournaments and the Miss Festival competition. Municipal Office of Kutno Plac J. Piłsudskiego 18, 99-300 Kutno Tel. (+48) 24 253 12 19 E-mail: promocja@um.kutno.pl, rozwoj@um.kutno.pl, www.um.kutno.pl i Municipal Office in Skierniewice 12 Senatorska Str., 99-100 Skierniewice Tel.: (+48) 46 834 51 00, Fax: (+48) 46 834 51 51 E-mail: umskier@skierniewice.um.gov.pl www.skierniewice.net.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl Kutno i Events and festivals The Łódź Province 33 www.ziemialodzka.pl Interesting towns and places Łódzkie 34 Piotrków Trybunalski Łowicz Cradle of the parliament and democracy Heart of the Łowicz region This is the town of regional diets and synods of bishops, the cradle of the Polish parliamentary system. The legacy of these traditions is the Renaissance castle of King Sigismund the Old, built as a royal residence for the period of parliamentary sessions. Currently, it houses the museum exhibiting regional collections. The Town Market Square surrounded by period houses bustles with life. In the Old Town tourists are recommended to visit the Gothic church of St James, the Dominican convent with well-preserved fragment of medieval town walls and monasteries of Jesuits, Bernardines and Dominicans. Łowicz is considered to be one of the oldest towns in Poland once constituting the centre of land estates belonging to the archbishops of Gniezno. Distinguished humanists: Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski and Piotr Skarga stayed at the ‘Primate’s Palace’. While taking a stroll in the town, tourists are recommended to visit the Old Market Square with the Primate’s Gate and the cathedral basilica with the mausoleum of 12 Polish primates. The classical Town Hall and the local museum with its rich collection of folk art and a mini open-air museum are worth a visit. Poland’s smallest museum of buttons accommodated in … a suitcase can be a magnet for travellers. i i Tourist Information Centre in Piotrków Trybunalski 11 Zamurowa Str., 97-300 Piotrków Trybunalski tel./fax: (+48 44) 732 60 50, (+48 44) 732 60 49, (+48 44) 732 60 49 e-mail: cit@piotrkow.pl www.cit.piotrkow.pl Tourist Information Centre in Piotrków Trybunalski PTTK, Plac Czarnieckiego 10, 97-300 Piotrków Trybunalski Tel/Fax: (+48) 44 647 70 52 E-Mail: biuro@pttkpiotrkow.nonprofit.pl, www.piotrkow.pl i Tourist Information Centre in Łowicz Stary Rynek 17, 99-400 Łowicz Tel:/Fax: (+48) 46 837 57 71 E-Mail: centrum@powiat.lowicz.pl, promocja@powiat.lowicz.pl www.lowickie.eu, www.powiat.lowicz.pl Sieradz Wieluń Old town on the rivers Warta and Żeglina Cracow Gate and town fortifications Written sources – the Gniezno Bull of Pope Innocent II – recorded Sieradz as early as 1136. Also in the 12th century Sieradz was mentioned by an Arabic geographer al-Idrisi as one of Poland’s main towns together with Gniezno, Cracow and Wrocław. While visiting the capital of the Sieradz Region it is recommended to see a Gothic parish church from the 14th century built in the time of King Casimir the Great, a monastery of Dominicans already existing in 1300 and rebuilt many times later, the Regional Museum in a so called “post-Jagiellonian” tenement, the castle hill surrounded by a moat on the Żeglina, and the nearby Ethnographic Park of Sieradz. The history of Wieluń dates back to the 13th century. The town’s street have preserved the medieval, chequered pattern so why not take a stroll to see a Gothic Cracow Gate together with the 19th-century Town Hall, impressive fragments of city walls with towers and a former powder magazine, and ruins of the huge collegiate church blown up by the Nazis in 1939. Visitors are also recommended to spend a while visiting monasteries of Augustinians, Paulines, Piarists and the Order of Reformati, and the nunnery of Bernardines. Each of them represents different epochs and architectural styles. The former seat of sisters Bernardines houses today the Museum of the Wieluń Region. i i Tourist Information Desk in Sieradz (Regional Public Library) Żwirki i Wigury, 98-200 Sieradz Tel/Fax: (+48) 43 827 16 41 E-Mail: pit@pbp.sieradz.pl www.ziemialodzka.pl Tourist Information Desk in Wieluń (Regional Public Library) 23a Śląska Str., 98-300 Wieluń Tel: (+48) 43 843 96 35 E-Mail: biblioteka@powiat.wieluń.pl www.um.wielun.pl Łódzkie Głogowiec Władysław Stanisław Reymont St Faustyna Kowalska Władysław Stanisław Reymont (1867-1925) became famous, first of all, as a Nobel literary laureate for his novel entitled “Chłopi” (”Peasants”). Born in Kobiele Wielkie, he was raised and educated in the Łódź region. He took his first job here and began his writing career. Many places in the region are related to the writer: Tuszyn, Czarnocin. Lipce Reymontowskie, Rogów, Małków, Łódź- the capital of the region and many others. Numerous monuments and plaques are the reminders of his legacy of literature. Lipce Reymontowkie invites tourists to visit a Folk Homestead and the Reymont Museum where apart from Reymont’s memorabilia, they can see numerous exhibits illustrating the folk art of Lipce and its environs. The figure of Helena Kowalska (1905-38) is associated with Głogowiec. Born in Głogowiec and baptised in Świnice Wareckie she is known all over the world as St Faustine, the Apostle of Divine Mercy and one of the most eminent mystics of the church. Since her early childhood she had been pious, diligent, obedient and sensitive to other people’s poverty. St Faustine died at the age of 33 and was buried in Łagiewniki (today a part of Cracow) where the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy has been erected. In St Faustine’s family house in Głogowiec a small museum dedicated to the most famous inhabitant of the village has been arranged and Głogowiec itself is the local venue of pilgrimages. i i The Władysław St.Reymont Museum in Lipce Reymontowskie 10 Wiatraczna Str., 96-127 Lipce Reymontowskie Tel: (+48) 46 831 61 12, Mobile: (+48) 505 736 669 www.lipcereymontowskie.pl/muzeum_regionalne.html The Centre of Congregation of Sisters of Divine Mother of Mercy 5 Chopina Str., 99-140 Świnice Warckie Tel: (+48) 63 288 15 18, Mobile: (+48) 604 478 132 E-Mail: swinice@diecezja.wloclawek.pl Krośniewice St Maksymilian Maria Kolbe Jerzy Dunin-Borkowski St Maksymilian Maria Kolbe was born in Zduńska Wola where a museum commemorating his name was founded in 1994. The museum, located in a renovated wooden house of a weaver, features exhibits connected to the work and life of St Maksymilian, but also the furnishings of weavers houses from the 19th century. For several years the saint was living in Pabianice where he grew up and experienced the divine revelation (1906 the local church of St Matthew). M.M.Kolbe died as a martyr in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1941. Jerzy Dunin-Borkowski (1908-92) was the most respectable inhabitant of Krośniewice. Borkowski honoured with a title of “the hetman of the Polish collectors”, had been collecting masterpieces of art, craft, archives and national memorabilia for many years. In 1998 he bequeathed his grand collection to the Polish nation that initiated the Krośniewice museum. The museum is situated in the family house of the collector and some exhibits are presented in the former stables and the coach house. Tourists can visit a room devoted to Gen Władysław Sikorski, or so called Biedermeier or portrait rooms. i St. Maksymilian Maria Kolbe Birthplace & Museum 9 Św. Maksymiliana Marii Kolbego Str., 98-Zduńska Wola www.kolbe.pl i www.ziemialodzka.pl Zduńska Wola and Pabianice Interesting towns and places Lipce Reymontowskie, Małków, Czarnocin The Jerzy Dunin-Borkowski Museum in Krośniewice Plac Wolności 1, 99-340 Krośniewice Tel: (+48) 24 252 33 47, Tel/Fax: (+48) 24 252 44 96 E-Mail: muzeumkrosniewice@wp.pl, www.muzeumkrosnewice.pl 35 Łódzkie www.ziemialodzka.pl Interesting facts from the region Stara Wieś The Centre of Japanese Sports and Martial Arts “Dojo – Stara Wieś” Piątek and Sobota The Centre of Japanese Sports and Martial Arts “Dojo – Stara Wieś” is located in the picturesque Przedborski Landscape Park and was designed in accordance with the rules of the Japanese architecture. The promoter of the idea of the centre was Hidetaka Nishiyama, president of the International Traditional Karate Federation. The centre was designed in accordance with the needs and the Budo philosophy. People practicing Japanese martial arts and other sports can come to the centre. Rehabilitation sessions are being held here, which employ elements of karate training to help people with spinal curvature problems. Other activities offered by the centre are: lessons about different aspects of the Japanese culture (calligraphy, origami, ikebana, bonsai, haiku poetry), exhibitions, yabusame horse archery practice, tea-making ceremonies, survival camps, canoeing, bike trips, horse riding lessons, pilates classes, self-defence lessons for women and classes to correct spinal curvature problems among adults and children. Piątek is a geometrical centre of Poland. The beginnings of the town date back to the 14th century derives its name (Friday) from weekly markets held here on Fridays as early as the 12th century. In the market square tourists can still notice stalls from the 19th c. The Gothic parish church dedicated to the Holy Trinity and reconstructed in Baroque is worth visiting as well. In Sobota (Saturday) tourists are recommended to visit the Gothic-Renaissance church dedicated to St Peter and St Paul built around 1518 with valuable wall tombstones. The manor of Zawisza family (19th c), built in place of a construction from the 16th c with the use of elements of the assumed castle, is an interesting place to see. i i i “Dojo – Stara Wieś” 1 Stara Wieś, 97-570 Przedbórz Tel. (+48) 42 632 97 59, (+48) 42 632 85 79 www.karate.pl/inwestycja_dojo_stara_wies.php Tourist Information Desk in Łęczyca Plac T.Kościuszki 33, 99-100 Łęczyca Tel. (+48) 24 721 03 11, Tel./Fax: (+48) 24 721 89 65 E-Mail: pit@leczyca.info.pl Tourist Information Centre in Łowicz Stary Rynek 17, 99-400 Łowicz Tel:/Fax: (+48) 46 837 57 71 E-Mail: centrum@powiat.lowicz.pl, promocja@powiat.lowicz.pl www.lowickie.eu www.powiat.lowicz.pl Kutno The Łódź Province Baseball – Kutno Base Battle of Łódź (1914 ) Kutno is a town famous for baseball. In 1984 Juan Echevarria, a Cuban residing in Kutno, started to train a group of students. Today, this sports discipline is practised here by about 200 young people. In Kutno there is the European Centre of Little League Baseball – the venue for the annual Little League championships, with participants from Europe, Africa and Asia. The Little League Centre is a sports complex with a surface area of 17 hectares, consisting of two stadiums with stands with a total capacity of 4000, fields, dormitories for 200 people and an administrative building. The ‘Łódź Operation’ was the bloodiest manoeuvre battle of World War I. The battle lasted from 11th November to 6th December 1914. About 1 million soldiers served at the front from Toruń to Częstochowa. Statistically, more people died every day in this battle than in the famous Battle of Verdun in France. Both sides lost about 200 thousand soldiers. The remains of the battle are numerous ruined trenches and military cemeteries, scattered across the former battlefields. Thanks to the support of local authorities and people interested in the battle it was possible to tidy up and reconstruct a few of such places. Especially worth visiting are the cemeteries in Gadka Stara, Poćwiardówka and Rogów. i 36 In the heart of Poland Municipal Office of Kutno Plac J. Piłsudskiego 18, 99-300 Kutno Tel. (+48) 24 253 12 19 E-mail: promocja@um.kutno.pl rozwoj@um.kutno.pl www.um.kutno.pl i Municipal Office in Koluszki 65 11-go Listopada Str., 95-040 Koluszki Tel/fax: (+48) 44 725 67 00 E-mail: um@koluszki.pl, www.koluszki.pl www.lodz1914.pl Centres of Polish Tourist Organization abroad (POT) AUSTRIA Polnisches Fremdenverkehrsamt Lerchenfelder Strasse 2 A-1080 Wien tel. (+43 1) 524 71 91 12 fax.: (+43 1) 524 71 91 20 e-mail: wiev@pot.gov.pl BELGIUM Pools Informatiebureau voor Toerisme Louis Schmidtlaan 119 1040 Brussel tel. (+32 2) 740 06 20 fax: (+32 2) 742 37 35 e-mail: bruxelles@pot.gov.pl FRANCE Office National Polonais de Tourisme 9, rue de la Paix 75002 Paris tel. (+33 1) 42-44-19-00 fax: (+33 1) 42-97-52-25 e-mail: paris@pot.gov.pl SPAIN Oficina Nacional de Turismo de Polonia Plaza de Espana, 18 p. 3 /of. 15 Edificio Torre de Madrid 28008 Madrid tel. (+34) 91-541-48-08 fax: (+34) 91-541-34-23 e-mail: amsterdam@pot.gov.pl HOLLAND Pools Informatiebureau voor Toerisme Leidsestraat 64 1017 PD Amsterdam tel. (+31 20) 625-35-70 fax: (+31 20) 623-09-29 e-mail: poleninfo@planet.nl JAPAN Biuro Polskiej Organizacji Turystycznej w Tokio Shinjuku I-land Wing 5F 6-3-1, Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokio, Japonia 160-8308 tel. (03) 5323-8508 fax. (03) 5323-6751 e-mail: tokio@pot.gov.pl GERMANY Polnisches Fremdenverkehrsamt Kurfürstendamm 71 10709 Berlin tel. (+49 30) 21-00-92-0, fax (+49 30) 21-00-92-14 e-mail: berlin@pot.gov.pl RUSSIA Predstawitelstwo Polskoj Turisticzeskoj Organizacji ul. Zemlanoj Wal 66/20, ART BUILDING 109004 Moskwa tel. (+7 095) 510 6210 fax: (+7 095) 510 6211 e-mail: moskwa@pot.gov.pl THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Polish National Tourist Office 5 Marine View Plaza, Hoboken, NJ - 07030 - 5722, tel: +1-201-420-9910 fax: +1-201-584-9153 e-mail: info.na@poland.travel SWEDEN Polska Statens Turistbyrå Villagatan 2 S-114 32 Stockholm tel. (+46 8) 21-60-75, 21-81-45 fax: (+46 8) 21-04-65 e-mail: info.scan@polen.travel UKRAINE 01001 Kyiv, Khreshchatyk 25, lok. 98 tel. (+380-44) 278 67 28 fax. (+380-44) 278 66 70 e-mail: kyiv@pot.gov.pl HUNGARY Lengyel Nemzeti Idegenforgalmi Kepviselet Karoly krt. 11 1075 Budapest tel. (+36 1) 269-78-09 fax (+36 1) 269-78-10 e-mail: budapest@pot.gov.pl GREAT BRITAIN Polish National Tourist Office Westec House West Gate London W5 1YY tel. + 44 (0) 8700 675012 fax: + 44 (0) 8700 675011 e-mail: london@pot.gov.pl ITALY Ufficio Turistico Polacco via Vittorio Veneto 54/A 00187 Roma tel. (+39 06) 482-70-60 fax: (+39 06) 481-75-69 e-mail: turismo@polonia.it www.polska.travel Regionalna Organizacja Turystyczna Województwa Łódzkiego, 67 Sienkiewicza Str., 90-009 Łódź, tel. (+48) 42 662 09 70, www.rotwl.pl, biuro@rotwl.pl, e-mail biuro@rotwl.pl i Oficyna wydawniczo-reklamowa SAGALARA, 106a Lodowa Str., 93-232 Łódź, tel. (+48) 42 676 26 76 Publishing competition: Oficyna wydawniczo-reklamowa SAGALARA, 106a Lodowa Str., 93-232 Łódź, tel. (+48) 42 676 26 76, www.sagalara.com.pl, e-mail: sagalara@sagalara.com.pl Concept of the edition (2010): Tomasz Koralewski, Marek Lawin, Tomasz Mazurek Text: Ryszard Bonisławski, Iwona Borowińska, Anna Koperska-Płaczek, Agnieszka i Tomasz Koralewscy, Tomasz Mazurek, Marek Lawin, Renata Raczek, Piotr Sölle, Tomasz Szwagrzak Editors: Ryszard Bonisławski, Iwona Borowińska, Izabela Nowakowska, Gabriela Prus Photographs: Piotr Bączyński, Zbigniew Bereszczyński, Ryszard Bonisławski, Dariusz Bógdał, Ariel Ciechoński, Andrzej Danowski, Tomasz Dronka, Jacek Foks, Krzysztof Gara, Bogna Hes, Konrad Kaszuba, Maciej Kawczyński, Grażyna Kietla (Rancho Natura Plus), Tomasz M. Kolmasiak, Bogdan Kopania, Agnieszka i Tomasz Koralewscy, Katarzyna Krakowska, Mariusz Kucharczyk, Marek Lawin, Piotr Modliński, Anna Mokrosińska, Izabela Nowakowska, Włodzimierz Małek, Łukasz Piernikowski, Anna Post, Gabriela Prus, Piotr Sölle, Piotr Wypych, Tomasz Szwagrzak, Dariusz Śmiegielski, Paweł Wojtyczko, Michał Zajfert, Chwalisław Zieliński, Anna Ziemnicka i Marian Zubrzycki, Anna Zygma, oraz archiwa: Regionalnej Organizacji Turystycznej Województwa Łódzkiego, Centrum Fotografii Krajoznawczej PTTK, Urzędu Marszałkowskiego w Łodzi i Urzędu Miasta Łodzi, Grupy „Fabricum”, Starostw Powiatowych: w Poddębicach, Sieradzu i Zgierzu, Urządów Miast: w Bełchatowie, Kutnie, Opocznie, Piotrkowie Trybunalskim i Skierniewicach, Powiatowego Centrum Informacji Turystycznej i Strategii Rozwoju w Tomaszowie Mazowieckim, Małej Ligi Baseballa w Kutnie oraz Kopalni Węgla Brunatnego - BOT Bełchatów S.A., Hoteli Centrum Sp. z o.o., Hotelu Prezydent, Hotelu Ossa Publisher: Map: Piotr Dolata, Marek Lawin ISBN - 978-83-61001-53-9