Museum of Łódź

One of the key museums in the city, the Museum of Łódź showcases the magnificent mansion of factory owner Izrael Poznańki. With sumptuous interiors and rooms dedicated to pianist Artur Rubinstein, the upper levels hark back to the more prosperous side to local history. The basement museum tells the story of Łódź through less rarified perspectives. The city grew through the textiles industry and this engaging museum offers both sides of the story.

Museum of Łódź

As with the Herbst Palace, the neighbouring factory complex, and the workers housing at Księży Młyn, the house of textile industrialist Izrael Poznańki shows the vast wealth the era brought to the magnates of Łódź. Now housing the city’s main historical museum, this juxtaposition is clear. Built from 1888, this sprawling building features grand staircases and beautiful belle époque interiors. These rooms ooze luxury and cultural sophistication.

Meanwhile, the basement tells the story of more everyday life in what has been called both “The Promised Land” and “The Manchester of Poland”. Visitors can learn about the city’s development from a small village to an explosive industrial centre, partly through the convenience of geography. The day-to-day experience of workers, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs, of different cultural and religious backgrounds, are dramatised through objects and personal stories.

A good way to quickly get to know the city is with a guided tour. The Old Town Highlights Private Walking Tour, available via GetYourGuide, starts at the Museum of Łódź and is shaped by the wishes of the group. You’ll also pick up tips for where to eat and drink during your stay.

The Museum of Łódź is really well put together. The Poznańki residence is sumptuous whilst the main exhibition in the basement has been carefully and thoughtfully designed. I definitely came away with a clearer understanding of the speed, impact, and social consequences of industrialisation, in terms of the benefits it brings but also the vast inequalities. This feels relevant today.

View of the gardens

What To See In the Museum of Łódź

The Museum of Łódź is the best way to get acquainted with the city’s rapid industrial growth and subsequent history in a lush urban palace. The luxurious lifestyle of the factory owner on the upper floor is contrasted with the more lowly existence of the workers in the basement exhibits. The museum is clear and very interesting, and was very peaceful when I went to visit.

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What To Expect When Visiting the Museum of Łódź

Sat on the corner of Ogrodowa and Zachodnia, the Museum of Łódź was formerly the lavish urban palace owned by textile industrialist Izrael Poznański. It occupies a large chunk of the block containing his factory complex, now the entertainment district Manufaktura.

You enter the museum through a small doorway on Ogrodowa, opposite the PURO Łódź Centrum hotel. There’s an information counter directly to the left inside the entrance but turn right to the little ticket office.

There is a floor plan (with Braille in English) opposite the ticket office and the relaxed staff are also good at pointing you in the right direction.

The museum is broken into three exhibition areas:

• the Poznański residential area with period rooms and furnishings, as well as the gardens;
• a smaller exhibition on the history of different cultures and religions in the city;
• the history of Łódź shown through objects, documentation, and multiple themes.

There may also be temporary exhibitions when you visit.

I’ll walk through some of the highlights in the following sections:

The foot of the grand staircase

The Grand Staircase

The entrance area to the Poznański Palace makes a great statement. With a plush seating area and creaking wooden staircase, this introduction to the museum smacks of wealth and power.

You can also gain access to the gardens from the ground floor. Access is to the right of the cloakroom, at the top of the Marble Staircase. This can be visited at any part of your visit but it’s not well signed, so look at the museum map or ask a member of staff how to find it.

The great dining room

The Great Dining Room

The huge dining hall on the first floor continues the 19th century splendour of the Poznański family residence. There is a fashionable Art Nouveau influence.

Most, but not all, signage has an English translation, though these can be a little generic. There are also QR codes which offer signed videos, audio guides, and audio descriptions. These can also be activated using your mobile phone’s NFC technology. Unfortunately, these are only available in Polish so far.

The recreation room

Recreation Room

My favourite space of all, the top hats, samovar, billiards and card tables, and gramophone give off an atmosphere of smoky nights.

The palace was built between 1878 and 1903, and the Art Nouveau tastes of the day are heavily represented. Interestingly, the building was much more than just a living space. Much business was done in rooms such as these and there were warehouse areas in the basement, offices, and a shop on the ground floor.

Private apartment

Private Rooms

There is a narrow corridor on the first floor of the museum giving access to a variety of private spaces, including a Japanese-themed room and a self-contained apartment for the lady of the house. With examples of contemporary art of the time, these speak of the most modern and luxurious living.

The Poznański family were great art patrons, who paid for the education of young artists and commissioned work. Musicians and writers were also frequent guests at the palace. Theatre and musical performances were given in the Mirror Room.

Metal cast of Artur Rubinstein’s hands

The Rubinstein Rooms

The museum devotes a couple of rooms to piano virtuoso Artur Rubinstein. His grand piano and suit are on display with a host of other memorabilia, including all the awards and accolades he received from around the world. There is a cast of his hands and plenty of photographs demonstrating the full charisma of the man.

Rubinstein was born in Łódź and it is interesting to speculate how the city came to produce such a rich cultural heritage across the last century.

Łódź in Europe / Europe in Łódź

History of Łódź

Despite the grandeur of the Poznański residence, the main exhibition in the basement is the most informative part of the museum. With the unwieldy name of Łódź in Europe / Europe in Łódź: The Promised Land Then and Now, this large room tells the story of the city from the early 15th century and especially through the last 200 years, a period of rapid growth and industrialisation. The Promised Land epithet is how Łódź was referred to thanks to the possibility of work for migrants drawn to the city’s vast factories.

The layout of the exhibition is clever with a chronological timeline across one axis and four themes across the other. This spatially marks out four histories in a very clear way and you can choose which narrative to follow. The exhibition has helpfully chosen nine objects which act as highlights. There is plenty of information and context to each item, making it the best way to understand both the development of Łódź and European industrialist capitalism in general.

Display of relgious ceremonial items

The Melting Pot of Łódź

The other basement exhibition also has an unwieldy name – In the Common Backyard – Łódź, the Melting Pot of Cultures and Religions. As implied, this is an exploration of the everyday and religious lives of the citizens of Łódź after the process of industrialisation, where one of Europe’s largest populations lived alongside Catholics and Protestants, as well as an influx of Russian Orthodox people. Similarly, other nationalities moved in from neighbouring countries, bringing cultural influences with them.

The exhibition features photos and objects, particularly representing the different religious practices, and some enjoyable recreations of domestic interiors. It makes for an interesting counterpoint to the luxury of the upper floors of the building.

Jerzy Kosiński temporary exhibition

Temporary Exhibitions

There is plenty of space on the ground floor for some temporary displays. A couple of rooms were given over to the astonishing life of the writer Jerzy Kosiński, who was born in Łódź and who wrote Being There. This is a great city to learn about the rich heritage of Polish culture.

The ground floor also has a permanent exhibition called Pantheon of Great Citizens of Łódź with information about characters such as the writer Władysław Reymont, who wrote the 1899 novel The Promised Land about the growth of capitalist industry in Łódź, and the poet Julian Tuwim. You can also see scenes from The Promised Land in the very office director Andrzej Wajda filmed them in.

There is a small exhibition of photos, family trees, and other documentation, telling the story of the powerful industrialist Poznański Family, including their patronage of science and art, with an accompanying documentary film. This gives a vivid account of the European bourgeoisie in the late 19th century.

Also, look out for the scale model of the city from between the wars, and the so-called ‘Lost Quarter’, much of which was demolished to create the Łódź Ghetto. This detailed 3D map can be found close to the ticket office.

The marble staircase

How To Visit the Museum of Łódź

Although there are other stops in the area, the museum is effectively served by the 2, 3, and 11 trams which stop at the Zachodnia – Manufaktura tram stop. Just follow the crowd. Use this official Łódź timetable to plan your journey. With the Park Staromiejski behind you, cross the road towards the Manufaktura complex, then turn left and walk south along Zachodnia for a few minutes. Turn right into Ogrodowa and you’ll find the entrance to the museum just around the corner.

Museum of Łódź address: Ogrodowa 15, Łódź 91-065 Poland

The Museum of Łódź is open as follows:

• Tuesday-Thursday: 9am-5pm
• Friday-Sunday: 11am-7pm
• Monday: closed

Last entry is 45 minutes before the museum closes.

The museum is closed on New Year’s Day, over Easter, Independence Day (November 11), and over Christmas. All times and prices are subject to change, and opening hours may be different during public holidays. See the official Museum of Łódź website for information.

Tickets for all permanent exhibitions cost 25zł (20zł reduced). Tickets for all exhibitions are 28zł (22zł reduced). Tickets for people with disabilities cost 1zł and admission for children under 7 are free.

Entry to the permanent exhibitions is free on Wednesday.

Tickets can be bought in advance online from the Museum of Łódź shop. The site is in Polish and I found it difficult to use. It’s usually safe to pay on the door.

Video still from the Łódź in Europe exhibition

Tips For Visiting Museum of Łódź

• Expect to spend around 3 hours in the museum. The residential areas upstairs are more visual and, though more spectacular, are quicker to visit. The exhibitions in the basement are more text-heavy and can take longer to fully explore.
• Official guided tours are only available in Polish. There are no audioguides for hire, but many display areas have a QR code that allows for an audio commentary, but these are also only available in Polish.
• There are small, free lockers and a cloakroom, which is not always open. These are tucked into the space under the main staircase in the main hallway of the building.
• As with most places in Poland, photography and filming is allowed, as long as you don’t use a flash or tripod, or otherwise interfere with the running of the museum.
• There’s not a huge amount here for kids, so enjoyment will depend on whether individual children like looking at historical interiors.
• The website has accessibility information and features, specifically aimed at the visually impaired and visitors on the autism spectrum. Unfortunately, these are only in Polish. Similarly, there are QR codes and NFC signals all over the museum, offering different information but these are also in Polish. However, the museum floor plans have locations in Braille. There are accessible toilets and a lift between floors, with ramps and reasonably wide navigation between display areas. In terms of comfort, I found the museum to be nice and cool on a hot day, and there are places to sit on the ground floor and in the basement.
• There is nowhere to get food and drink onsite, nor is there a designated space for eating, though you might get away with eating a snack in the garden. However, the Palace adjoins the Manufaktura complex, which has an abundance of options.
• Museum giftshops are surprisingly rare in Łódź and there are not even historical guide books available here.
• You can pay for tickets with cards or cash.
• There are plenty of toilets in the museum, including accessible.
• It’s easy to miss the gardens, with rare trees and a late 19th century fountain. It’s a good place to take a break halfway through your visit. The entrance is near the top of the marble staircase to the right of the cloakroom. If in doubt, ask a member of staff.