After my time exploring Piotrkowska street I headed down to the south side of Łodz, where you find two museums dedicated to the city's 19th & 20th century industrial history.
First was the Herbst Palace - Historic House, which is a restored 19th century compound that illustrates how well the empresarios of Łodz lived. After that I had to check out the Central Museum of Textiles which focuses more on the source of income that allowed those industrial titans to build their palaces and live that lifestyle.
I made my way down there by a combination of tram and Bolt scooter, so I will start with some scene-setting shots of the tram stop
I once again failed to take any pictures from the outside. I think it is because my Bolt scooter was running out of battery and I was distracted by trying to find a place to park it. But you can of course check out the exterior via Google Street View.
I did take a couple of pics once I was inside the gates.
The guard was very welcoming and helpful, as we communicated with gestures and fragments. He pointed me in the right direction.
Snapped a pic of the family tree, in case I decide to do any further investigation of the principals in the story.
Some lovely garden shots ...
There were a few other people visiting the palace on this mid-April Saturday afternoon. The staff's english was not extensive, but it was better than my Polish of course. One nice woman made sure I got the self-guided tour card. Smart, low-tech, effective.
Checked out the dining room ...
Passed through the 'middle parlour' ...
And stopped to take in the 'hunting room', which seemed more like a study, or perhaps a 19th century man cave of sorts with a hunting theme. Probably nice to relax here in front of the fire some late 1800s winter Sunday.
Had my cheat sheet ready for the second floor.
Not going into detail of every room. But a few things caught my eye. First, the Herbst-Scheiblers shared my impulse to display animal-related knicknacks in their home.
Then, while this display case was pretty groovy ...
The real stars of the show for me were the ceramic fireplaces.
I love these things. Think they first hit my radar like 15 years ago during some House Hunter International episode in Sweden. I've now seen them firsthand in a few European palaces. Really should bring them back. Fantastic.
Snapped a couple more shots out in the gardens before heading over to the Textiles Museum, as I was on the clock to get there before they closed.
At the entrance of the Textiles Museum I spotted more of these gnome things at ground level. I had seen some here and there and actually learned the day before in Warsaw that they were to keep the wheels of horse drawn carriages from crashing into the walls. Clever.
Once inside I was told that the Machines in Motion demonstration was going to start in a few minutes and the guy at the desk advised me to make sure I saw that before heading off to explore the rest of the compound. With the couple minutes I did have before the demo I slipped off to take some pictures of the park that is right alongside the museum grounds. Lovely looking spot that would be nice to have in anyone's neighborhood.
Soon enough it was time for Machines in Motion. I took a few establishing shots of the scene.
And then these fellas came in and I guess they explained what was about to happen.
And then they turned on the machines ...
Kinda underwhelming if I'm honest. I don't know exactly what I was expecting. Maybe some more obvious production of woven fabric. To my eye it all looked the same, just louder. If that is what the production experience was like in the late 1800s / early 1900s, then I guess my takeaway is wow, that was some pretty monotonous work that must have made for some long days at the factory.
I had about an hour left before the museum closed, so I ducked out to see the main exhibit hall.
This was pretty cool. Somehow cooler to see the Machines at Rest.
Some educational displays about various fiber types.
And then you can walk through the evolution of the looms over 100+ years from the 1860s to the 1970s.
Surely would have been some value in having a knowledgeable guide with me to talk through the context. But I got the point.
The museum has a number of exhibits and areas to explore. You can get an idea of them on the website by checking out the permanent exhibitions. I saw a little bit of what they promote as City-Fashion-Machine.
Examples of what the stylish people in Łodz were wearing in the 1920/30s and 1970s
The slices I remember were interesting enough, but not sure how I missed what they feature in photos on their site. I feel like that would have been hard to miss. There is also the Microhistories. Łódź and its People exhibit. Unfortunately I didn't have time to fully absorb this, but it seemed well done and interesting.
With limited time I was drawn to the summer home, looking extra appealing in the golden hour light.
There is more on this "Last Summer' exhibit on the website, including more pics. These were a few of my favorite slices.
Having now ticked off my list everything I wanted to cover in my day trip to Łodz, I headed back to Manufaktura to (a) eat something and (b) get a sense of what it is like early on a Saturday evening. Whipped out the Jakodjade app and saw I had a straight shot tram ride. Easy enough.
After a lap of the food court I once again went with the reliable McD's chicken sandwich.
Outside it was becoming more lively.
Including the lines at the donut and pretzel kiosks.
Again, easy enough to navigate my way over to the train station by tram.
Train station looking sharp illuminated for the evening.
Seats on the train had a sweet 80s video game type of vibe.
And I enjoyed a smooth, quiet ride back to Warsaw.
After spending roughly 90 minutes getting familiar with Manufaktura and Poznański's Palace, my next objective was spending time exploring Piotrkowska Street. Unlike many Polish cities, Łodz does not have a central Rynek or market square. If you visit Krakow, Wrocław, Poznan, Bolesławiec, etc. those cities all have Ryneks at the center of town. That's where you find the important municipal buildings, churches, restaurants, and retail. It's the town's center of gravity and experiential magnet to which all visitors are drawn. Łodz does not have a rynek. Manufaktura has come to serve a role similar to a more traditional rynek. And it is complemented by Piotrkowska street, which is a central artery running for ~3 miles north-south through the city from Wolności Square to Plac Niepodległości.
If you visit Łodz during the more pleasant summer months you can look forward to an experience that more resembles what YouTuber FilmEveryday captures in the video below:
I was there April 11th, so it was cooler, mostly grey, and somewhat subdued. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the day and could certainly see the potential for those visiting during prime time.
Note the fellas playing ping pong. I'd enjoy having a ping pong table in my local parque
Then there is a little stretch between the park and Plac Wolności before you get to Piotrkowska. It's Nowomiejska. Eye-catching mural and empty lot. Curious to see what that turns into.
Short walk from the edge of the park to Plac Wolności, where I snapped a couple of shots and a short video to remember how it felt. Mostly quiet.
Head south and you're officially starting the stroll of Piotrkowska street.
Right near the top of Piotrkowska is the famous Pasaź Rózy.
The overcast conditions meant I didn't get the full sunshine effect of the mirrors. Still, interesting to see.
Not totally sure what this guy was offering. Some professional style video clip of you in the passage, I think. Was a tough sell this day.
The street itself is full of restaurants and shops plus interesting 19th century architecture in various states of restoration / renovation.
You see things like Nitka, which looked like a place I'd want to try were I staying here for more than 10 hours.
And then right next door, a big empty lot.
Zooming in on that pic you can read Kamienica Konesera. And running a quick Gemini search for that in english, it says that a combo residential / retail development is on the way.
I am inclined to duck down into alleyways and other miscellaneous doorways as I stroll. And I have learned in Poland in particular sometimes the most interesting bits are back behind the facades you see on the main drag. Piotrkowska street was no different. Sometimes it's just parking and trash bins.
Sometimes there are restaurants and cafes worth checking out. Like Imber and Miriam.
And sometimes it's a sharp-looking, recently renovated residential zone.
Net - don't skip the side streets when meandering around Łodz.
On my way down to see OFF Piortrkowska I veered a block east to Henryka Sienkiewicza, which runs parallel to Piotrkowska. I wanted to get a look at the park (Sienkiewicz Park). I grabbed an espresso from Kiosk and then went to enjoy it from a bench where I watched a few people exercising their hounds. Pleasantly relaxing and easy to see how it could be nice to spend a few quiet weeks in this part of the city.
Shot of a new-ish apartment building not far from the park
Given the path I took I wound up entering into OFF Piotrkowska via the back door.
I weaved my way out through the ... front yard? Feels like there should be some cornhole or badminton happening here.
Now done with my lap of Piotkowska I aimed myself to the tram stop for a trip down to see some of the musesum on the south side of the city. But first a shot of a mural and the intersection where Józefa Piłsudskiego marks the north/south midpoint of Piotrkowska.
