August 30, 2025
Łódź might not be the first city that comes to mind when planning a trip to Poland, but give it a chance and it will surprise you. Once an industrial powerhouse, today it’s a place where red-brick factories, lavish villas and bold modern art all coexist. And if you’re the kind of traveler who loves to explore through museums, Łódź is basically an open invitation: history, art, science, even a whole museum of light — the city has it all, and with its own twist.
As a foreigner in Łódź, there is nothing I have loved more than being pleasantly surprised by its cultural offer, so here is my guide addressed to anyone who wants to give this city a chance but doesn’t know where to start.
Discover the City’s Heritage
Poznański Palace – Museum of the City of Łódź
Starting with Izrael Poznański’s Palace is a safe bet when you want to understand the city’s history. Right next to Manufaktura – the immense former textile factory converted into a vibrant art, shopping and food centre – stands Poznański Palace. This impressive building showcasing different architectural styles used to be the home of the Poznański family, owner of the factory.
The underground floor of the Palace, where you will find the city museum, displays all the artefacts and information you need to get a better understanding of the city’s and country’s complex history and timeline. Łódź might be an overlooked city when it comes to tourism, but the history lovers won’t be disappointed.
For the architecture and antique pieces fans, this particular Museum is a perfect combo : the City Museum, located under the Palace, is only one part of the visit. The Poznanski family’s living quarters can also be discovered and will give you an idea of how one of the wealthiest families of the 19th century used to live. One section of the living apartments now showcases a permanent exhibition on the life of world-famous pianist Artur Rubinstein, born in Lodz in 1987.
Central Museum of the Textile Industry
This museum might be the best surprise I have had while discovering the city.
It wasn’t originally on my list of places I was planning to visit but it did not disappoint.
It might feel like a lot of the attractions around Łódź have to do with its former industrial past, but only there will you get a true sense of the all the work that was happening here, as well as an authentic peek into the many lives of its workforce : the main actor of this city for over a century.
I would first recommend taking your time to discover the culture park and the different traditional houses you can visit there. On a recreated street, typical wooden houses have been rebuilt and their structure preserved to give you the best immersion possible into the different time periods that made this city. See for yourself what the interiors of the late 19th, the early 20th centuries, the 1940s or 1970s shared houses were like. The decorations, furniture and objects will show what the lives of the Polish, German and Jewish inhabitants were like and help you understand the complex and ever changing timeline of the town.
Then, enter the red brick buildings of the former factory and you will see for yourself the impressive machinery used at all the different stages of the textile golden era of Łódź. From wooden weaving looms to the very imposing most recent versions, the lovers of crafts and trades will appreciate the ground floor, while saving one of the best parts for the last floor : the fashion collection of the museum. In that part of the exhibition, you will see some of the best examples of what was actually created in those factories until the 1980s. Saving that floor for the end is the perfect fun and visually pleasing way to end your tour of the museum and culture park, where the history lovers, technical enthusiasts and vintage fashion admirers will all find something to look at.
The Film Museum
The museum of cinematography in Łódź is a treat on two levels: for its collections, and for the building that houses them. The setting is the former Scheibler Villa, an Italian Neo-Renaissance residence surrounded by Źródliska Park. Its ornate woodwork, decorative details, and striking mosaic make the villa worth a visit in its own right.
Inside, however, the spotlight shifts to Polish film history. Łódź has long been regarded as the country’s cinema capital, with numerous classics shot in its studios and palaces. The museum traces this heritage through a wide range of exhibits: archival reels, antique cameras and projectors, original costumes, and a playful top floor devoted entirely to animation.
Whether you’re an architecture enthusiast, a movie lover, or just looking for a family-friendly activity, this museum manages to bring together those worlds—elegant 19th-century grandeur and the golden age of Polish cinema—under one roof.
Herbst Palace Museum
Built in 1875, the Herbst estate stands right next to Księży Młyn and its former factory complex. Built to house the family of Karol Scheibler’s daughter and her husband, stepping into this villa will make you feel like they all still live there. More furnished and homely than the other palaces you can visit in Łódź, this museum feels particularly intimate and will win you over with its period charm.
The details, ornamentations and atmosphere of the house alone make definitely worth visiting, but it doesn’t end there. The private garden will make you forget the city around, and for those looking to appreciate more art pieces, the former stables of the palace have been turned into a branch of the city’s museum of art and present a collection of paintings from renowned Polish artists.
So if you are travelling to Łódź, I would highly recommend not to skip this favorite of mine, it will also be the occasion to spend time in the lovely Księży Młyn area and stop at one of its restaurants and cafés.
Once you’ve had your fill of industrial palaces and the stories of factory owners, it’s time to switch gears and step into another side of Łódź: its love affair with art and avant-garde creativity.
To check out the second part of this article, click here : https://levelupngo.com/the-museum-offer-in-lodz-part-2/
Read all the articles conected to the project ” Odkryj Łódź” : https://levelupngo.com/project/odkryj-lodz/
Author : Sacha Lefèvre