Władysław Reymont Park

While the panorama of industrial Łódź, as immortalised in films and books, mainly centres on smoking chimneys, dust, and sewage flowing along the cobbled streets, the industrialists who shaped the cityscape at the time made sure to preserve enclaves of greenery. What is today called Władysław Reymont Park is a remnant of a garden created by Ludwik Geyer in the mid-19^th century between Upper Market Square (called Władysław Reymont Square today) and the premises of the White Factory. The Jasień River – the largest of several rivers in Łódź – flows through the park. These many rivers are one of the reasons for the development of the textile industry in this area. In the first decades of the 19^th century, the riverbanks would become home to so-called “posiadło” manufacturing areas, consisting of craftsmen’s shops and small-scale industry. Such means of production would over the years evolve into mass production.

In 1828, near the a large pond fed by the Jasień River, Ludwik Geyer built his first wooden house with dye-works and a percale mill. After moving to a brick manor, he demolished the old buildings and transformed the area into one of the first private parks in Łódź. The vast area of greenery was divided into two parts and surrounded by an openwork, whitewashed wooden fence. The first section featured regular, rectangular flower gardens. The second section resembled English gardens, providing a more sensual experience. The park gained recognition for its beauty. In 1898, the editor of “Gardening in Łódź. Polish Gardener” magazine wrote: “The newer sections of the Geyer gardens feature many trees and shrubs of the finest sort. One section features an abundance of rose bushes, adding much charm to the place. (…) Another garden includes a large flower patch, resembling a rose patch, in front of a very aesthetic greenhouse”.

The garden survived WWII but did not go unscathed. The Germans reduced the size of the pond by destroying the island in it. Łódź residents have been able to freely enjoy this area since 1948, when the old Geyer gardens were transformed into a city park. To this day visitors can find trees over 150 years old, including many oaks, poplars, small-leaved limes, false acacia, and spruce trees. Among them is the largest chestnut tree in Łódź, whose trunk measures 3.1 meters in girth. During a stroll, it is worthwhile to keep an eye out for two contemporary sculptures: “The Two Slugs” created in 1974 by Michał Tarkon, and a lily-shaped fountain created in 2004 by Zofia Władyk-Łuczak.

Villa moved from Scaleniowa Street

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When wealthy Łódź businessmen finished building their lavish estates in the city, towards the end of the 19^th century they turned to building their summer residences in more serene environs. The forest near Ruda Pabianicka quickly became popular as one such destination. At the time, it was a factory workers’ village where Ludwik Geyer had opened a distillery and sugar factory in 1852. This densely wooded area was famous for its microclimate. Major industrialist families, such as the Kindermanns, the Steigerts, and the Silbersteins, built their wood and brick villas there. One of the key investors in this region was a Swiss dentist – Roman Saurer. Apart from his “Hygieja” property, he built numerous villas for rent, boosting the attractiveness of Ruda Pabianicka. Soon his idea was followed by the Jewish industrialist Szaja Światłowski, a shareholder in the Światłowski, Kon & Brener Wool Products Factory. He bought a magnificent wooden residence at Zagłoby 16 street, which was most likely a present for his wife Klara, who suffered from consumption, i.e. tuberculosis. He had hoped the healthier surroundings would improve her condition.

Rich in architectural details, the structure is somewhat similar to summer villas built in the vicinity of Warsaw in the “świdermajer” style. These rather distinct wooden houses were built at the turn of the 20^th century in towns located along the so-called Otwock line, inspired by the work of Michał Elwiro Andriolli. Their design featured influences from the architecture of Swiss Alp mountain chalets and Russian dachas. Based on an irregular design, the villa in Ruda Pabianicka was a two-storey building, with a non-usable attic. The construction featured two decorative angular towers with pointed roofs and glazed verandas. Numerous windows were adorned with masterfully crafted muntins and fitted with ornamental coloured glass.

During the German occupation, the large building was divided into 18 apartments occupied by tenants. The building was used in such fashion until 2006 but after years of deterioration it became unsafe for habitation. Before being moved to Łódź City Culture Park, the residence had an unexpected moment of fame when it was used as a shooting location in an American horror film about a haunted house. The cast of the 2008 movie “House” directed by Robby Henson includes Michael Madsen and Weronika Rosati.

Church moved from Nowosolna

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The wooden church moved here from Nowosolna street is the oldest building in Łódź City Culture Park. Its history dates back to the era of Olęder settlers from the early 19^th century. From the second half of the 18^th century, the Prussian government strived to Germanise the population and to develop the sparsely populated areas near Łódź lands by bringing in settlers ready to work the land and produce goods. One of the largest of these settlements was to be Neusulzfeld – a township populated by several dozen families who came here from Württemberg around 1802. The Protestant community here grew rapidly and soon the first Evangelical-Augsburg church was built in the centre of the star-shaped settlement. Several years later a larger, more imposing church would be built – most likely designed by Sylwester Szpilowski. The architect died before construction was completed and the original design was heavily modified – for example to include a brick façade. Construction began around 1846 and lasted until around 1879–1883 as most of the work was performed by a single person – the entrepreneur Karol Zimmermann.

The church was rectangular in shape, having a wooden frame with a brick front wall. The rather simple construction followed a Classicist style evident in the three-window façade divided by double pilasters and crowned with a large triangular gable with a clock. Typically, protestant churches adhered to a two-storey design with numerous windows – straight on the ground floor and arched on the second. The building is covered by a three-hipped roof with a ridge turret crowned with an onion-shaped dome. The interior had an aisle-less layout with a separate vestibule and sacristy. The nave is surrounded from three sides by matroneums, meaning balconies, with painted balustrades. Between 1914 and 1915, Nowosolna street found itself on the front line of the war and the building suffered damage in the crossfire. Afterwards, the house of worship was renovated and outfitted with a brand new altar featuring a painting of The Last Supper.

After WWII, the church was handed over to the Catholics and rechristened as St. Andrew Bobola Church, which brought with it significant changes to the interior. The matroneums were shortened in length by 1/3 and a chancel wall was built, with the sacristy behind it. Also, a new altar and pulpit were constructed. In 1964, the interiors and the façade were decorated with polychromy by Mieczysław Saar and Józef Wasiołek. The church remained in use until 1987, when a new church was constructed on Nowosolna street. After languishing for two decades, it was moved to the premises of the Museum. Today it is used for weddings and other ceremonies as well as chamber music concerts.

House moved from Wólczańska 68

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The last of the craftsmen’s homes moved to the Park witnessed the story of one of few families who found their fortune in the “promised land”. Florentyna and August Bennich came to Łódź from Saxony to find a new life – just as Ludwik Geyer had. The couple of humble means had four children – of whom Karol would have the greatest impact on the history of the city. At the age of 23, the young Bennich, despite lacking a fortune, managed to open a factory for producing hand-made doilies and wool products. In the late 1860s, he built a wooden home for his family on his property located at Wólczańska street. The street had been built not long prior within the territory of the state-owned village of Wólka, which around 1825 was assimilated into Łódka township.

The small, single-storey house of the Bennich family had a rectangular shape, covered with a gable roof with a large useable attic underneath. The interior followed a symmetrical two-bay design, with the entrance hall in the middle. The structure was constructed from wood and brick. The outer walls were clapboard but he foundation walls and the internal load-bearing walls were built from solid bricks. The roof in the rear of the building featured a small mansard.

Three decades later, around 1896, Karol Bennich erected a large cotton spinning and weaving mill next to the house. At the time his company employed 250 people. The property spanning Wólczańska street and Piotrkowska street was divided when Spacerowa street (today known as Al. Kościuszki) was extended. As a result, the industrialist continued his investments outside of the city centre. He founded new divisions of his enterprise near Łąkowa 11 street. The Bennich family also owned villas, including one at Gdańska 89 street and one at what is now Okulickiego-Niedźwiadka 23 street.

House moved from Mazowiecka 47

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Near the church in Łódź City Culture Park, there is a second house moved there from Mazowiecka street in the Grembach district. It was built around the same time as the first one, so around the turn of the 20^th century. Just like the two-storey brown building from Mazowiecka 61 street, it was intended as labourer housing. However, due to its small original size, it could only accommodate one or two families. The building was occupied until the end of the last century. As the number of residents increased, the interior would be split into more apartments.

The building’s façade of six windows features a solution that is quite rare for Łódź architecture – the entrance is placed off-centre. This concept is unusual because both on the front and back of the building there are large mansards placed symmetrically in the middle of the gable roof. The design hinges on a framed construction, wood beam ceilings, and outer brick walls. Outer clapboard walls are painted ochre, as was discovered during renovation.

There is very little historical wooden architecture left in the old Grembach area. From the former working-class district, two rows of one-storey family buildings (the so-called famuła buildings) were preserved. These buildings feature red brick walls and were constructed after Juliusz Kunitzer passed away, when the factory was taken over by the English in 1904.

House moved from Żeromskiego 68

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On the southern side, next to the gate leading into the White Factory’s iron courtyard is a house relocated to the Museum from Żeromskiego 68 street, which in the early 20^th century, was called Pańska street. As was the case with the previously described locations, this street’s name refers to the original property owner, the industrialist Eliasz Pański, who moved there from Piotrków Trybunalski around 1900. The printer and publisher opened a large paper factory there. In 1925, the street was renamed to commemorate a famous writer and columnist instead.

The building belonged to the Paszczyński family. One part of the house served as the apartment of the carpenter Antoni Paszczyński and his wife Bronisława. Antoni’s sister, Anna, lived in the other part with her husband Bronisław Krajewski. One of the Krajewski daughters, Janina, went down in Łódź history as the director of the Ethnographic Museum between 1945 and 1954. As an ethnographer and museum curator before the war, she collaborated with institutions from Warsaw and the Pomerania region. In the ‘30s she helped create the City Museum in Gdynia.

Covered by a tall gable roof, this single-storey building resembles the wooden houses typical of Łódź craftsmen. Based on a rectangular design, the building features framed construction with clapboard walls. The decorative front door with glass panels adorned with floral motif wrought iron grating is the building’s distinctive element. On the yard side, there is a small glazed porch covered by a gable roof. Above it, there is a small mansard providing a bit of extra light to the attic.

House moved from Mazowiecka 61

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The largest of the houses in Łódź City Culture Park was moved from Mazowiecka 61, previously called Andrzej Wagner street, after the owner of the nearby properties and the brewery located at Kątna street. To this day, the area is commonly referred to as Grembach, though the etymology of this name is unclear. One theory is that it is a Polonised version of the word Grenzbühl, meaning city outskirts. It was a labourers’ district that sprung up in the village of Widzew near Łódź when the industrialist Juliusz Kunitzer built a thread factory there toward the end of 19^th century. With the arrival of the factory, wooden housing for its workers started cropping up in the vicinity. At first, these dwellings were built from scavenged materials, with no access whatsoever to the city’s infrastructure.

This two-storey building with a usable attic was meant as rental housing for the workers of the nearby factories. This simple wooden building featured a frame structure and clapboard walls. The interior design is symmetrical, with hall and stairs located at the centre. The brown façade is decorated only with a moulding separating the storeys and window frames in a contrasting blue colour.

Zdzisław Kowalczyk, who was born and spent his childhood in this house, recently reached out to the Museum. His family, consisting of his parents and grandmother, lived here together in a small room with a ground-floor kitchen. Though there was no running water, Zdzisław has fond memories of living on Mazowiecka street – especially the sense of community with the other residents, as they would spend a lot of time together. The house’s last occupants moved out in the late 1990s.

Tram Station moved from Zgierz

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The year 1898 saw the inaugural journey of the first tram in Łódź. After a short trip through the city centre, it stopped in front of the Grand Hotel, where its passengers disembarked to attend a banquet. Interestingly, Emil Geyer was one of the originators behind the idea of bringing trams to the city. To make it happen, he signed a collaboration agreement with other major industrialists. On 19 January 1901, just three years after the ceremonial inauguration, the Łódź–Zgierz tram route was opened. The route ended at New Market Square – now called Kiliński Square – where fairs were often held. It was a single-track line. As such, in the middle of the Market Square, a so-called passing loop was constructed to facilitate the flow of traffic.

A wooden station was constructed right next to the loop. Its decorative design was a reference to suburban summer architecture of the period. The small single-storey building is covered by a gable roof topped with a spike and openwork ornamentation. The façade features large windows divided into two sections, fitted with coloured glass and adorned with decorative wooden frames. The front as well as the other sides of the building are decorated with stripes in contrasting colours.

The station building included a waiting room with a furnace and storage rooms. Passengers at the beginning of the 20^th century were no doubt impressed by the large two-sided clock mounted on the front of the building. Sadly, it has not survived to this day. The station was in use for over 80 years. During the interwar period, it featured a “Ruch” kiosk and tram driver lounge. It was decorated with the official red and white colour scheme of the MPK transport company instead of the original green. Decades of intense use took their toll on the frail wooden structure. The station was then closed, and finally demolished in 1984. Luckily, pieces of it remained in storage and the station was reconstructed on the premises of Łódź City Culture Park, where it now serves as a ticket booth.

House moved from Kopernika 42

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The main alley of Łódź City Culture Park includes a blue house with red window shutters. It was moved here from Kopernika 42 street, having been built in the second half of the 19^th century in what was at the time the outskirts of Łódź, in Polesie district. In those days, the street was merely a dirt road called Teodor Milsch street, named after the man whose factory it led to. In 1878, the industrialist opened a brewery near the city forest. Later he created an “entertainment garden” next to it, which featured a restaurant, gazebos, and a concert stage. The surroundings were not all that attractive, however, as Władysław Reymont described them in “The Promised Land”: “The forest was pitiful, full of slowly dying pine trees, suffocated by the neighbouring factories, where wells drilled deeper and deeper drained the nearby lands, taking water away from the vegetation; the small river polluted with the outflow from the factory meandered between the yellowed trees like a multicoloured scarf, seeping poison into these mighty beings, spreading deadly miasma in its vicinity”.

It was an area inhabited by craftsmen of modest means. The single-storey building with a tall attic featured both living quarters and workshops. It has been determined that until WWII the building housed: a tailor shop first run by Idel Chęciński and later by Wanda Pilc; a shoemaker shop owned by Wawrzyniec Minczykiewicz and a dry-cleaners managed by Bronisława Jaskólska. The interior featured a two-bay design, meaning that the bottom floor was comprised of two rows of rooms. The building, covered with a gable roof, is distinctive for its decorative architectural details inspired by classicism. The windows and doors on the ground floor are profiled with strips and crowned with tympanums, which results in an interesting visual effect when coupled with the panelled window shutters. The construction is decorated with an inter-storey moulding and semi-circular attic windows located in the gable. The bright colour of the façade – discovered during renovation – add charm to the design.

Łódź City Culture Park

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Past the gate in the western wall surrounding the White Factory, you can see a rather surprising landscape of the city from before intensive industrialisation. From 2006 to 2008, the premises of the Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź surrounded by the greenery of Reymont Park served as a repository for various examples of wooden architecture from the turn of the 20^th century. The historic buildings, many of them lucky to have survived at all, were brought here from different parts of the region and Łódź city. The result is Łódź City Culture Park– in the early days called the Open-Air Museum of Łódź Wooden Architecture.

The complex consists of eight unique buildings: a summer villa from Ruda Pabianicka, four craftsmen’s houses, a two-storey tenement house from Łódź, a tram station building from Zgierz, and an old church from Nowosolna. Each building was reconstructed and carefully restored in an effort to recreate its original appearance. The buildings were selected so as to represent the diversity of the urban fabric of old and then placed along the cobbled streets. The layout closely resembles the historic urban structure of Łódź. This curious time capsule is further enhanced with small pieces of architecture – period-style streetlights and benches and an antique fire hydrant.

The idea to create the open-air museum as an integral part of the Museum goes all the way back to the 1960s. Its originator was the renowned first director of the institution – art historian and critic Krystyna Kondratiuk. Due to financial and organisational obstacles, her idea would become a reality only decades later. The complex has been renovated recently and – starting in December of 2020 – visitors will find inside the various historical buildings a new exhibition called “Łódzkie mikrohistorie. Ludzkie mikrohistorie” (Micro stories of Łódź and its residents) reflecting on the multicultural and textile-making history of Łódź from 1820 to 1989 through the prism of its residents’ everyday lives.

As you enter Łódź City Culture Park from Milionowa street, we encourage you to check out the statue of three bears. It is part of the “Łódź Bajkowa” (Fairytale Łódź) project comprising sculptures of beloved protagonists from various children’s cartoon series produced by the Se-ma-for Animation Studio located throughout Łódź.