Kino Tatry

Kino Tatry at Sienkiewicza 40 in Śródmieście [city centre district] Łódź has operated continuously in the same location since 13 November 1907 and is considered the oldest cinema in Poland. It is a small art house cinema with 85 seats, one of the few in the country still screening films on 35mm film, with a repertoire focused on art house and arthouse cinema, without blockbusters.

Over a hundred years under different names

The cinema was founded by Oskar Kulawiński and Gustaw Mjunker, opening it as Belle-Vue in a former dance hall. Already in its first year of operation, the kinetoscope shown here provoked controversy because of the content of the screened images. In subsequent decades, the venue changed its name along with its owners: Moulin Rouge after being taken over by German merchant Benedykt Zarzyński in 1910, then Dolina Szwajcarska, in the nineteen-twenties the State Workers' Cooperative cinema, before the war Rakieta, during the occupation Mai. It has borne its current name, Tatry, since 1945.

Modernisation and technical changes

In the nineteen-thirties, brothers Bernard and Julian Firstowie modernised the cinema and equipped it with sound equipment, which allowed the transition from silent cinema to sound cinema. In 1986, Tatry became the first multiplex cinema in Łódź when a second screening room was opened. Today it is one of the few places in Poland where you can still watch a film from 35mm film, alongside digital projection.

Cinema of filmmakers and festivals

One of Tatry's rooms appeared in Andrzej Wajda's film "Powidoki" from 2016, which for Łódź film enthusiasts is an additional reason to visit. The cinema operator is Paweł Adrian, a passionate collector of the history of Łódź cinemas, and the venue operates seasonally: open mainly in the summer months, closed in winter due to heating problems in the old building. The box office opens 15 minutes before the first screening, the cinema does not show advertisements before the film, and screenings start on time.

In the neighbourhood of Sienkiewicza

The cinema lies close to the Museum of Cinematography, which for lovers of the history of film in Łódź is a natural complement to a visit.

You can also walk to Park Staromiejski, a good place for a short rest before or after a screening.

There is another art house cinema in the city, Kino Szpulka at the Łódzki Dom Kultury [Łódź House of Culture], with a similarly ambitious repertoire. However, Kino BODO at Rewolucji 1905 r. [1905 Revolution street] no longer operates, having closed permanently at the end of 2022.

Practical information

• Address: Sienkiewicza 40, Śródmieście, Łódź (90-009)
• Getting there: trams and buses in the centre of Łódź, from the outskirts of the district, travel by car usually takes 5 to 10 minutes outside peak hours
• The cinema operates seasonally, mainly in summer, and may be closed in winter due to heating. Check the programme and dates before your visit on the cinema's website
• What to expect: an intimate 85-seat venue, screenings from 35mm film, art cinema without advertisements and without blockbusters