Municipal Weighing House

The Municipal Weighing House in Aleksandrów Łódzki is a small neoclassical building at plac Tadeusza Kościuszki, constructed in the 1820s when the square was still the town's Market Square. The building stands to this day and is one of the oldest preserved public utility buildings in the city.

What the weighing house was used for

The weighing house was a place for official weighing of goods. A weigher worked there, who for a small fee would measure the mass of items brought to market, and his measurement would settle disputes between buyer and seller. In the city of weavers that Aleksandrów then was, such a service related to everyday trading at the Market Square. The building was erected in the southern part of the square, opposite the town hall, which also housed a store of measures and weights.

What the building looks like

The weighing house is small and very regular. It was erected on a square plan, covered with a hip roof and preceded by a slightly lower rectangular extension with a gabled roof. The corners of the elevation were framed with pilasters, and the windows and door openings in the western and southern elevations were closed with semicircles. The entrance wall of the extension is crowned with a Lombardic frieze, beneath which a small oculus was placed to light the interior. A second identical opening is located above the window on the eastern side. The entire structure was designed in neoclassical style, fashionable at the time the city was built.

The weighing house and the rest of Plac Kościuszki

Plac Kościuszki, formerly the Market Square, came into being together with the city founded around 1818 by Rafał Bratoszewski. On its southern side stands the town hall from 1824, the first built public building in the city, with a mask of Themis with covered eyes in the crowning of the facade. In the northern part were located the municipal market stalls from around 1825, designed by Henryk Marconi, demolished in the late 1980s and rebuilt in 1998, today the seat of the City Office.

At the square also stands the monument to Tadeusz Kościuszko, and a few dozen metres further the parish church of Saints Rafal and Michael the Archangels from 1816-1818, where the city's founder was buried.

What is housed in the weighing house today

The building no longer serves its original function. The digital museum run by the city indicates that it contains a small gift shop, and mapping data point to a sculpture and souvenirs in this part of the square. The interior is very small, so a visit is rather a matter of minutes rather than touring. The current function and opening hours are best checked on site or at the City Office, as this type of lease tends to change.

Practical information

• Address: plac Tadeusza Kościuszki in Aleksandrów Łódzki, southern part of the square, opposite the town hall.
• Access: suburban buses from Łódź stop in the city centre, with stops at the square. Car parking available around the square.
• What to expect: a small historic building to view from outside in a few minutes, best visited while taking a walk around the square and the nearby Park Główny.
• The interior is accessible only when a tenant operates within it, so check opening hours before your visit.