Lodz

About

The first written records of Lodz date back to around 1332, however, it remained a relatively small settlement until the 19th century when it rapidly expanded following an influx of German and Jewish immigrants. By the 20th century, Łódź had grown to be one of Poland’s largest cities, and one of Europe’s multicultural and industrial centers, which is reflected by the city’s architecture, where luxurious mansions coexist with redbrick factories and old tenement houses. Łódź’ most trying time came during the Nazi occupation, when its Jewish population was interned in Europe’s second largest ghetto. Today, a memorial for the victims stands at the Radegast railway station, and the Park of Survivors, where the handful of survivors planted trees to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the annihilation of the Jewish community.