Art
Nouveau buildings, an old cinema turned hotel and 19th-century factory
buildings converted into lively pubs and restaurants, these are a few more
reasons why I really liked Łódź.
Of
course, the drive from Warsaw
took
longer than we expected (2 ½ hours), so we were hungry and thirsty by the time
we arrived in Poland’s third largest city in mid-August.
We
quickly dropped off our bags at Cinema Residence (Stare Kino) Hotel and set out in search of food and drink.
By this time, it was way after 5 o’clock. Time for a cocktail!
After
reading about OFF Piotrkowska, I knew this
complex, made up of old brick, 19th-century factory buildings, would
be the perfect place to start. In fact, there were so bars and restaurants here
that we saw no need to go elsewhere. These buildings make up the former Ramisch
family cotton mill factory that was started in the 1850s in the heart of the
city. The mill ended production in 1990, and the buildings fell into disrepair
until 2010 when locals breathed new life into them.
We
started out with drinks at MITMI Restobar (pronounced
‘Meat Me’), a casual bar/restaurant that featured exposed, raw brick walls and
tons of outdoor seating. We also nibbled on an interesting appetizer of savory
waffles with blue cheese and roast beef. Strange, but still tasty! Later, we
moved onto another nearby restaurant for dinner. We were lucky to even get a
seat anywhere as all the restaurants were hopping on the Friday summer night we
visited!
And
if you’re craving something sweet, there’s even a retro-style metal camper
turned into an ice cream parlor. How’s that for hipster creativity?
Now,
turning to the daytime, you’ll find ulica Piotrkowska,
which splits Łódź into two. The street, just under 5-kilometers long,
ranks as the longest pedestrian street in Europe. It is lined with
restaurants, stores, beer gardens, pubs and a mix of beautiful neo-renaissance
and art nouveau buildings. Many of these ornate buildings reminded me of the
ones we saw in Riga, Latvia, recently.
We
enjoyed walking up and down ulica Piotrkowska, and I think we almost
covered the entire street on foot while we were searching for street
art in Łódź. And if you get
tired of walking, there are several bike rickshaws available so you can rest
your feet.
Unfortunately,
during our holiday weekend visit, ulica Piotrkowska was rather quiet. We
even had difficulties trying to find an open café for breakfast. From what I’ve
read, I’m sure this street is normally as busy as OFF Piotrkowska was.
So have my recent blog posts tempted you
to plan a visit to Łódź yet?
 |
| “Turn of the Millennium” walk, from ulica Piotrkowska 98 to 146, is made up of nearly 13,000 paving blocks with engraved names of well-known and not-so-well-known citizens of Łódź . |
