Lotz, Poland

A simple Ryanair flight from Dublin or East Midlands lies Lotz, the third largest city in Poland. Ten minutes from the airport we arrived in Manufactura, the site of a former textile industry and now home to a mall, cafes, restaurants and most importantly, our hotel for the next three nights, Vienna House Andel’s.

The Vienna House Andel’s Lodz is impressive in all regards: historic red brick facade, great location, housed in a former spinning mill on the grounds of Manufaktura. The high ceilings and huge rooms in the former warehouse were impressive. The hallways and lobby were decorated with art work and old textile machines. And when we went for breakfast it got even better!  An amazing find.

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The industrial revolution saw the textile industry in Lodz boom. It became one of the biggest textile manufacturing centres in Europe. The population grew and the city prospered. Then WW2 happened and while the buildings remained largely intact, the people perished. The industry went into decline. Today urban regeneration projects have redeveloped the former textile building. Manufaktura is a vibrant cultural centre.

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We picked up our copy of Lotz In Your Pocket and headed off to explore Lotz, or as it’s called here Woodge! Piotrkowska, the longest pedestrian street in Europe at nearly 5kms is a nice thoroughfare. It’s an easy walk but there are also bikes for hire or rickshaws if you prefer. Theres lots of street art, giant murals and sculptures. The facades are also interesting. Some of them were houses of former textile factory owners and are decorated to display the wealth of the time.

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A ten minute taxi ride brought us through some of the former Jewish ghetto, past the large Jewish cemetery and out to Radegast Station. This was a poignant visit to a place with a terrible past. It was from here that Jews were transported from the nearby ghetto to extermination camps. What remains today is a thoughtful memorial to those who left this station to perish at the hands of the Nazis. At the train platform sits an old cattle truck used to transport people and behind the station are six headstones marked with the destinations to which the Jews were transported. A tunnel lined with the names and dates leads from the station to a death chamber with a tall chimney. The end of the journey,

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After that somber visit it was time to relax and unwind. Off Piotrkowska, another former textile factory site, has lots of recently renovated warehouses that now house alternative bars and restaurants. Deckchairs lined the grass area where people sat and enjoyed food from the nearby food trucks while a DJ played tunes.

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Making our way back up Piotrkowska we stopped off at an art piece called ‘Rosa’s Passage’ to admire the glass mosaic on the wall of a former hotel. Lots of glass shards reflecting the light seemed to breathe life into the alleyway.

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The ‘Museum of the factory’ in Manufaktura sits in a former factory and tells the story of how the textile industry developed and subsequently died in Lotz. There were four looms and lots of explanatory signs in Polish and English. The best part was the viewing platform on the roof where we got an overview of the whole site with information on each building.

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Time for nice Lody in the beach club, a trip to the cinema and a final cocktail on the hotel sky bar before heading to the airport.

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Lotz was a great place for a few days away. Vienna House Andels alone was worth the trip. The town is small and easy to negotiate. The flights were ok. Things are cheap. All the food we had was excellent. Another interesting and worthwhile visit to Poland.

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