Historic Sites
considered Łódź's first Art Nouveau tenement, with a dome and a former synagogue behind it
Historic Sites
Closed
an 1894-1896 classicist tenement, the tallest residential building in Łódź when built
Historic Sites
an 1896 printer's tenement whose facade mixes neo-Gothic, Renaissance and Art Nouveau, with Gutenberg's likeness on it
Historic Sites
Open
Karol Scheibler's former trading house from 1880-1882, with a corner tower and octagonal dome
Historic Sites
Open
a 1904-1905 tenement with an Art Nouveau facade decorated with goddess masks and satyrs
Historic Sites
Open
an Empire-style facade built in stages until 1897, decorated with eagles, swans and grotesques
Historic Sites
an 1895 neo-Baroque tenement nicknamed 'pod Harpiami' after dragon-headed figures
Historic Sites
Open
a 1902-1903 bank tenement topped by a rotating 1962 neon, the first of its kind in Łódź
Historic Sites
Open
an Art Nouveau tenement built in 1902 and 1912, four floors of luxury multi-room apartments
Historic Sites
a repeatedly remodelled factory owner's palace from 1891-1893, blending neo-Renaissance, Gothic and Art Nouveau
Historic Sites
an 1910-1911 neo-Renaissance mansion with a Kielce sandstone facade, now a prosecutor's office
Historic Sites
an industrialist's 1907-1909 palace with a mosaic frieze from Venice's Salviati workshop
Historic Sites
an 1891-1892 bank building, home for decades to the legendary student club Siódemki
Historic Sites
a tenement where the Victoria hotel and Zelwerowicz's Kern theatre once stood
Historic Sites
a corner tenement with a facade predating 1845, it housed a pharmacy for decades
Historic Sites
a corner tenement by the former Meyer passage, laid out in the 19th century
Historic Sites
an 1830s tenement whose front house stood beside factory buildings in the courtyard
Historic Sites
a neo-Gothic tenement rebuilt in 1900 with two extra floors and a mansard roof
Historic Sites
an 1895 three-storey tenement built by the Berger family on a subdivided plot
Historic Sites
a tenement extended by a floor in 1888-1889 for manufacturer and philanthropist Dawid Prussak
Historic Sites
an 1904 Art Nouveau tenement next to a lamplighter statue marking Łódź's first electric shop
Historic Sites
a 1930s modernist tenement, left unfinished before the war and named after its postwar tenant
Historic Sites
Open
an 1893 tenement where Edward Heiman ran an agency business and a school with his wife
Historic Sites
a corner tenement from around 1900, its factory wing employed 50 workers in 1896
The historic sites of Śródmieście are in practice the historic sites of Piotrkowska and the nearest side streets - this is where the city's densest concentration of tenements and factory owners' palaces from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries stands. Below is a route along the street, from Plac Wolności towards Plac Niepodległości, with addresses to find along the way.
Close to Plac Wolności stands the Kamienica Abrahama Prussaka (Abraham Prussak Tenement) at number 5, with an eclectic facade combining Renaissance, Baroque and Empire styles. A few numbers further, at 29, rises the Kamienica Wilhelma Landaua (Wilhelm Landau Tenement), a former bank building with a rotating neon sign from 1962 - the first of its kind in Łódź. The Kamienica Józefa Czapiewskiego (Józef Czapiewski Tenement) at number 39 is Neo-Baroque, built after a fire destroyed an earlier wooden house.
The Kamienica Oszera Kohna (Oszer Kohn Tenement) at number 43 is regarded as Łódź's first Art Nouveau tenement - a former synagogue once stood in its courtyard. The Dom Rafała Sachsa (Rafał Sachs House) at 44 belonged to a family that produced paints, glues and matches, and the Dawny szynk Bartosza Wencla (Former Bartosz Wencel Tavern) at 45 stands on the site of the first tavern of the Łódka weaving settlement from 1827. At number 46 is the Dom Fryderyka Müllera (Fryderyk Müller House), which in 1897 hosted Władysław Reymont as he gathered material for his novel about Łódź.
The Kamienica Izraela Poznańskiego (Izrael Poznański Tenement) at number 51 was rebuilt in 1895 for the city's biggest factory owner. A few steps further, at 78, stands the Kamienica Izraela Rosenblatta (Izrael Rosenblatt Tenement), where the pianist Artur Rubinstein spent his childhood - his monument stands in front of the building, one of the more popular photo spots on the route.
The Kamienica Franciszka Fiszera (Franciszek Fiszer Tenement) at 54, decorated with lion heads, was renovated in 2015-2016. The Kamienica Juliusza Pfeiffera (Juliusz Pfeiffer Tenement) at 71 has a mural on its wall from 2000 depicting 31 well-known residents of Łódź. The Pałac Maksymiliana Goldfedera (Maksymilian Goldfeder Palace) at 77, a former bank building, was for decades home to the legendary student club Siódemki. The Kamienica Alojzego Balle (Alojzy Balle Tenement) at 87 sits next to the popular photo spot, the Pomnik Misia Uszatka (Uszatek the Bear monument).
Beyond Piotrkowska itself, it's worth taking a detour to Jaracza, where at number 45 stands the Pałac Arnolda Stillera (Arnold Stiller Palace), a factory owner's mansion rebuilt many times, combining Neo-Renaissance, Gothic and Art Nouveau elements. On Kościuszki at number 4 is the Pałac Jakuba Hertza (Jakub Hertz Palace), a residence given by Izrael Poznański to his daughter, today the rectorate of a medical university.
The whole route lies within a few hundred metres along Piotrkowska, so you can walk it in two to three hours, depending on how many stops you want to make. The facades are best viewed in afternoon light. Parking in this part of Śródmieście is paid within the city-centre zone - it's easier to leave the car on the edge and walk in.
How long does it take to see the historic sites of Piotrkowska?
A walk with stops at the most important tenements alone takes two to three hours, without going inside.
Are the interiors of the Piotrkowska tenements open to visitors?
Most are still residential or office buildings, so mainly the facades are on view. The exceptions are those that today house institutions open to visitors, like museums or galleries.
Where does the Artur Rubinstein monument stand in Łódź?
At Piotrkowska 78, next to the Izrael Rosenblatt tenement, where the pianist spent his childhood.
Is visiting the historic sites of Śródmieście free?
Yes, walking the route and viewing the facades costs nothing.
More on the architecture of the whole of Łódź is on the attractions in Łódź page and in the historic sites in the Łódź Voivodeship category. See also the separate page on tenements of Łódź and on the architecture of the city, and if you're looking for museums in former palaces - culture in Łódź.
