Piotrkowska, an Historic Street in Łódź, a City in Poland

It is rare to find one street in a city that encapsulates the spirit of a town. Piotrkowska Street in Łódź does exactly that along a distance of 4.2 kilometres. The semi-pedestrianised northern section of this street is the most interesting. When Łódź was enjoying a period of prosperity due to the textile industry (1820 the 1990s) Piotrkowska was the most popular place to live and conduct business. Manufacturers built their mansions here and businesses established headquarters alongside them. This area is undergoing a gradual transformation as large residential buildings become museums, shops, cafés and restaurants. One section has been re-laid using slabs naming the citizens who have donated them. And Liberty Square at the top of Piotrkowska has been completely transformed.

Liberty Square on Piotrkowska Street in Łódź

Liberty Square (Plac Wolności was originally created as a market square in1823 this octagonal square evolved into a busy traffic circle of trams and other vehicles around a statue of Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a national hero, that appeared there in 1930. He remains there to this day but since 2024 has been surrounded by a tranquil space with a fountain, trees, benches and a children’s playground. The entrance to the Sewer Museum is on one side opposite the Museum of Pharmacy. Two buildings on the far side stand like sentinels at the entrance to Piotrkowska Street, a Catholic Church to the left and the old municipal building to the right. The latter now houses the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography. Twice daily the notes of the Prząśniczka float across the square. A ritual that is repeated further along Piotrkowska Street but this time by a musician from the window of City Hall at 106. Numerous alleys and courtyards branch off the wide Piotrkowska and inside some of these visitors will find hidden treasures, for example the artistic installation, Rose Passage.

Rose Passage on Piotrkowska Street in Łódź

When the sun shines Rose Passage (Pasaż Róży) lights up like a gigantic, fractured chandelier. Small, irregularly shaped pieces of mirror have been glued to the walls of number 3 Piotrkowska Street and the buildings in its courtyard producing disjointed reflections. This building once housed the first hotel in Łódź, Hotel Polski, and has a large courtyard at the back. Work started on this run-down passage in 2013 and took eight months to complete and bring it back to life. Every inch of every wall on this short, narrow passage has been converted into a massive mosaic of differently shaped pieces of mirrors. There is no pattern to be found in this incredible installation created by Polish artist Joanna Rajkowska, as a memorial to her daughter Rose, after whom it is named. When Rose was a baby, she was diagnosed with eye cancer. Fortunately, her treatment for this condition was successful and partially restored her eyesight. This art installation is Rajkowska’s perception of her daughter’s vision of the world around her. It is one of the artistic backyards for which Łódź is becoming famous. Nearby is another one, Birth of the Day.

Birth of the Day on Piotrkowska Street in Łódź

Birth of the Day (Narodziny Dnia) is an innovative creation at number 4 Wieckowskiego Street just off Piotrkowska Street. A narrow passage way leads into a large courtyard encircled by tall buildings with a well in the centre. Hence its local name ‘the well’. This was the canvas for Polish-born artist Wojciech Siudmak a leading light in the school of fantastic realism. Two huge murals have been created on the walls of the buildings in this courtyard, Birds in Paradise and Birth of the Day using an innovative technique. The paintings were created on 260 porcelain tiles of different sizes before being transferred to the façades of the buildings. Characters portrayed in the murals range from beautiful to grotesque representing the uncertainty of the future – what will each day bring – which way will it go – good or bad? The revitalisation of this tenement house including its artistic backyard was done as part of a project, City of 100 Tenement Houses (Mia 100 Kamienic), launched in 2011. Its aim was to restore the historic character of these buildings while meeting the needs of the people who lived there. Siudmak believed his paintings would make the residents aware they could be rulers every new day and be proud to live in such a decorated place. Back on Piotrkowska Street is the first of six sculptures featured in the Gallery of Great Łódźians and placed at intervals along the street.

The Gallery of Great Łódźians on Piotrkowska Street in Łódź

This gallery was inspired by the actor, director and great fan of Łódź Marcel Szytenchelm. The six statues were created and unveiled between 1999 and 2007 and celebrate 5 key figures and one event in the history of the city. Walking down the street the first sculpture, unveiled in 2002 is The Manufacturers’ Table. It represents the three greatest textile kings who built factories here: Izrael Poznański, Karol Scheibler, and Henryk Grohman. Further along is Rubinstein’s Piano. It is located outside 78 Piotrkowska where this famous pianist once lived. It was placed there in 2000 and rumours abounded that the family found it distasteful as the piano appeared to have wings. But it is still there and passers-by can take a seat on the piano stool.

Next in the gallery is the Lamplighter’s Monument which was place next to the Szmulewicz tenement house at 37 Piotrkowska and portrays a nameless individual changing the bulb in a street light. It was put here to commemorate the electrification of the city (one of the first in Poland) and to celebrate the centenary its power plant. The Julian Tuwim Monument was the first to be unveiled in 1999. A famous poet, he sits on a bench outside the Heinzl Palace at 104 Piotrkowska and listens to whoever sits next to him. Students believe rubbing his nose will bring good luck in exams. Władysław Reymont’s Trunk (2001) outside Kindermann’s Palace, 137 Piotrkowska 137 Kindermann’s Palace, Piotrkowska 137depicts the Nobel Prize-winning author with his notebook and sat on his luggage. Finally, Jaracz’s Armchair (2006) at 152 Piotrkowska sees the sitting in a theatre stall ready to lead the actors. Outside the Grand Hotel at 72 Piotrkowska Street the Walk of Fame starts, another celebration of great Łódźians, its Hollywood greats.

Walk of Fame on Piotrkowska Street in Łódź

On Piotrkowska Street the cinematic heritage of Łódź is celebrated by a section know as the Walk of Fame affectionately referred to by its citizens as the HollyŁódź Walk of Fame (pronounced Hollywudj). The road outside the Grand Hotel is lined on both sides by plaques representing well-known personages in the world of movies. The renowned Polish actor, Andrzej Seweryn was the first to unveil his star. He was a leading actor in The Promised Land, a film directed by Andrzej Wajda (who also has a star) that tells the story of Łódź during its heyday as the centre of the textile industry in Poland. People flocked to the town looking for work. Currently this walk features over 90 stars but the number is growing. The Grand Hotel also has a place in the history of Łódź. Since it was opened in 1888 it has remained in continuous operation. This five-star hotel underwent total renovation in 2023 and is deemed to live up to its name. The decorative façade of the Gutenberg Tenement House stands out amongst the elegant buildings that line Piotrkowska Street.

The Gutenberg Tenement House on Piotrkowska Street in Łódź

Number 86 Piotrkowska Street, the Gutenberg Tenement House, has an unusually ornate façade. It was created by its original owner, the famous Łódź printer Jan Petersilge, in 1896 to represent the art of printing. Locally it is known as Kamienica pod Gutenbergiem which references the statue of Jan Gutenberg the inventor of printing in the centre. More noticeable are the steel dragons with enlarged, glistening stomachs that have made this building a popular tourist attraction. There is a book museum on the first floor. Strolling along Piotrkowska Street visitors will have notice large colourful murals on the exterior walls of the buildings.

The Murals on Piotrkowska Street in Łódź

Murals have been created across the city of Łódź which has become the capital of street art in Poland and home to the Urban Forms Gallery. Around 200 large-format murals decorate the city are continue to be created everywhere through formal collaborations and small community initiatives. Although 2001 has been designated the year that street art began in Łódź large murals had already begun to appear occupying the entire side of unoccupied buildings. Connections with the film industry and a memorial to the numerous cinemas that once graced Łódź is the Kino Raj mural (2014) at 112 Piotrkowska Street. It replicates the façade of that cinema. But the first official large-format painting, created in 2001, can be seen on the wall of 152 Piotrkowska Street. It portrays a boat sailing out of Wolności Square. As the name Łódź means boat this is very relevant to the town and its title is the name of the town. Just beyond this mural is the Piotrkowska Centrum, the tram station, and flight of fantasy.

Piotrkowska Centrum on Piotrkowska Street in Łódź

Trams have been running in Łódź since 1898, the first trams to operate in Poland which attracted a lot of visitors. In 2015 a new tram station, Piotrkowska Centrum, was built at the junction of Piotrkowska Street with Józefa Piłsudskiego Street. The innovative steel structure was topped with multi-coloured glass canopy reflected the Art Nouveau architecture in the area. It soon became known as the Unicorn Stable as it does look like a structure from a fairy tale. This whimsical notion resulted in the commissioning of a Unicorn Monument. In 2019 a sculpture created by the Japanese artist Tomohiro Inaba was placed close to the station. It only represents half the body of a unicorn possibly to create the impression that humans only get a fleeting glimpse of this mythical creature before it vanishes.

The semi-pedestrianised stretch of Piotrkowska Street ends at the Unicorn Stable and the concentration of monuments and attractions thins out significantly after this point. A good time to take a break at OFF Piotrkowska. Close to the Unicorn Stable is a cotton mill that has been converted into a complex of offices and workshops that continue a long-established tradition of textiles. The central feature of this area is a large outdoor eating area surrounded by restaurants and food trucks and, in particular, the popular Spółdzielnia restaurant. This restaurant serves a modern, mixed cuisine but includes zalewajka a soup that is a local speciality. Dobry apetyt!

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