Baths

Piotrkowska 282

Situated in between the eastern wing of the White Factory and the wall with the gate leading to Łódź City Culture Park is a second, oblong courtyard. It is called the “iron courtyard” on account of its solid metal floor plates. Standing in one corner is a striking and rather mysterious building with a tower not unlike one from a fairy tale castle. The building, constructed in 1907, may bring to mind fortifications but its purpose has nothing to do with warfare. This is where the Geyer family built the first baths in Łódź.

While laying the foundations of industrialised Łódź, the family found it necessary to develop new practices and methods of operation. That meant not only new technologies and means of production but also social standards. Throngs of uneducated and poor villagers came looking for employment at the factory. They needed support, education and health care. The Geyer family went down in history as philanthropists, providing social assistance to their employees – including means for maintaining proper hygiene. The plant baths included changing rooms, restrooms and bathtubs for the workers. Interestingly, these facilities remained in use until the 1950s, when the State Cotton Textiles Factory began operations.

The single-storey building design follows the Łódź style of industrial architecture from the turn of the 20^th century. That is when the majority of the red brick buildings were constructed. Their simplicity and functionality was sometimes embellished with Renaissance influences or elements borrowed from medieval defence constructions. Today, this building featuring a turret trimmed with decorative semicircles remains the only surviving factory baths in Łódź.