Piotrkowska Street ( pl, ulica Piotrkowska), the main artery of

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of can ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, is one of the longest commercial

thoroughfare A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highway ...

s in Europe, with a length of around 4.2 km. It is one of the major

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

s of the city. It runs longitudinally in the straight line between the Liberty Square (Plac Wolności) and the Independence Square (Plac Niepodległości). From the very beginning this street was the central axis, around which the city grew bigger, and its development spontaneously gave the present shape to its centre. At first the city was mainly the highway, but later it changed into the city's showcase, the

leisure Leisure has often been defined as a quality of experience or as free time. Free time is time spent away from business, work, job hunting, domestic chores, and education, as well as necessary activities such as eating and sleeping. Leisure ...

and

shopping centre A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

, where the life of growing industrial agglomeration could be observed. The street deteriorated remarkably after World War II. Only after 1990 was it revitalized step by step and changed into a kind of pedestrian precinct. It has a function similar to a

market square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.

History

In the beginning, the present Piotrkowska Street functioned as a route joining

Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the second-largest city situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. Previously, it was the capit ...

and

Zgierz Zgierz is a city in central Poland, located just to the north of Łódź, and part of the metropolitan area centered on that city. As of 2021 it had a population of 54,974. Zgierz is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999); previou ...

. On this path a small, roadside urban settlement called Łódź was located. In 1821 Rajmund Rembieliński - the president of the Commission of the Province of Mazovia - took some action in order to regulate the building development in the industrial settlement. This settlement was called ''The New Town'' and it was situated in the south from the "old" Łódź. On the street plan of the settlement, the route line was outlined, and along it the cross streets and standard 17,5–21 meters wide plots with a surface area of one morgen, allotted to weaving craftsmen. Standard houses were built on those plots – a workshop, which stood facing the route, whereas the rest of the plot was a "garden" for the owner's family. At the northern end of the route, the ''New Town Market'' was outlined (now the ''Liberty Square''), which had stood in the south from the ''Old Town Market''. At first (around 1815) the name ''Piotrkowska Street'' was used to describe the northern part of the route joining both markets, whereas the southern part (the present Piotrkowska Street) didn't have any name. This means that Piotrkowska Street was a kind of courtyard and market for the huge " manufacture of Łódź", so for the whole New Town. The fact that Łódź had this function, is the reason why in this city never developed anything like a classical city centre with a centrally situated market and co-centrally expanding commercial institutions and public organizations, and Piotrkowska Street took on this role. In 1899 brothers Władysław and Antoni Krzemiński from the Polish noble family of Krzemiński of Prus III coat of arms founded the first cinema in Poland at Piotrkowska Street. Notable artists were born or lived at Piotrkowska Street, including renown Polish and American pianist

Artur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish-American pianist.

and Polish poet and playwright

Tadeusz Miciński Tadeusz Miciński (9 November 1873, in Łódź – February 1918, in Cherykaw Raion, Belarus) was an influential Polish poet, gnostic and playwright, and was a forerunner of Expressionism and Surrealism. He is one of the writers of the Young Pola ...

. In 1867, American and British Shakespearean actor

Ira Aldridge Ira Frederick Aldridge (July 24, 1807 – August 7, 1867) was an American-born British actor, playwright, and theatre manager, known for his portrayal of Shakespearean characters. James Hewlett and Aldridge are regarded as the first Black Ameri ...

suddenly died at the Paradyż Theater (Piotrkowska 175) before his scheduled performance.

Revitalization

Before 1990 Piotrkowska Street didn't differ much from other streets, although it was the most important street in the city. The plans of changing Piotrkowska Street into a pedestrian zone, resulted only in moving the trams to a horizontal Promenade (today called Kościuszki Avenue). Before this change the promenade had a function of a pedestrian avenue. In its centre there was a wide green belt, which later on was used as a tram line. There was not enough of political will to change Piotrkowska Street into a real pedestrian precinct, although this idea came back from time to time. The first step was the gradual reduction of street traffic by introducing "no parking" or "you must turn" signs on almost every crossroad from Mickiewicza Avenue to the Independence Square. In 1945-1990 the street suffered from the gradual degradation. Until the 1970s the old, eclectic apartment houses weren't considered by the authorities of those days as historic monuments. Several of them were destroyed and in their places office buildings and shopping centers were built, usually in the international style. In the 1980s some falling off decorative elements of the elevation, dangerous for the passers-by, were simply removed from the walls, even though the renovation of some chosen buildings had already begun. The character of the street changed only after 1990. In this year an architect and a member of an artistic group "Łódź Kaliska", Marek Janiak, came up with the idea of creating the ''Foundation of Piotrkowska Street''. Its goal was to revitalize this street and turning it into a pedestrian precinct. As the first one, a distance between Piłsudskiego Avenue and Tuwima Street was excluded from traffic. It was covered with colorful cobblestones and equipped with modernistic street lights and other elements of the so-called street furniture. It was strongly criticized by art conservatives and culture historians, because it didn't suit the general climate of the street. The next parts of the street in the northern direction to the Liberty Square were revitalized and excluded from street traffic in 1993-1997. They were paved with black cobblestones imitating the old pavement and equipped with more and more beautiful elements of the so-called street furniture. Every new part, however, has another kind of surface and another style of decorative elements, which is being criticized as well. Even before the last part of the street, which was meant to be a pedestrian precinct, could be given to the public use, the cobblestones on the first part were remarkably destroyed. From 1995 those cobblestones were gradually replaced by the new ones, which were more grey in color and much more solid. That created a perfect opportunity to build the monument ''Lodz Citizens of the Millennium''. Together with the decoration change of Piotrkowska Street, apartment houses and little palaces standing next to it were revitalized. Some pubs, restaurants, shops and cafés moved inside them. At first mainly the front elevations of apartment houses were renovated, but as the popularity of the street increased and some of the most attractive buildings in the front were rented, revitalization gradually reached also backyards and back-premises. Nowadays, although not all of them, the huge number of backyards are paved with cobblestones and used for trading purposes.

Today

Today Piotrkowska Street is the axis of Łódź agglomeration. Here, in its proximity, almost all of the most important administrative offices, banks, shops, restaurants and pubs are situated. The most of the events, outdoor parties, marches and official celebrations, organized by the city of Łódź, are taking place here... Piotrkowska, which was called by many people ''Bigel'' some time ago, now is more and more commonly described as ''Pietryna''. It is a cultural, political, sentimental, commercial and business centre of Lodz. Between Tuwima Street and Nawrot Street there is the ''Monument of Łódź Citizens of Millennium Change'', which is a nominal surface covering the part of Piotrkowska Street. This is probably the only monument of this kind in the world, consisting of 13.454 nominal cobblestones. Some time ago a huge shopping centre ''Galeria Łódzka'' was built next to Piotrkowska Street. This made many shops move from Piotrkowska Street, and that's why we could observe the visible standstill. But after about a year the empty spaces that remained after the previous shops, started to be used again, some of them, however, still stood empty in the beginning of 2006. In this group was one of the most representative- the former ''Dom Buta''. The similar process is being observed after another shopping centre – '' Manufaktura'' - was opened next to the northern end of the street. The northern part of the street is pedestrianised, although emergency and 'security' vehicles are allowed to speed along it - and do with alarming hostility and frequency, even weaving between the numerous beer gardens in the summer. The width of Piotrkowska Street varies between 17 and 26 meters.

OFF Piotrkowska

OFF Piotrkowska is an alternative dining and shopping area situated in the former Ramisch factory at 138–140 Piotrkowska, which operated as Franciszek Ramisch’s cotton mill until 1990. Food trucks, bars, clubs, alternative music venues, studios, design companies and publishing houses occupy the buildings and open spaces. The usable area is 6,537 sqm and the plot area is 12,898 sqm.

Łódź Walk of Fame

The walk of fame( pl) on Piotrkowska street, designed by Andrzej Pągowski in 1998, on either side of Piotrkowska: outside the Grand Hotel and across the street, includes: Roman Polański,

Pola Negri Pola Negri (; born Apolonia Chalupec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienne and femm ...

, Jadwiga Andrzejewska,

Jerzy Antczak Jerzy Antczak (born 25 December 1929, in Włodzimierz Wołyński) is a Polish film director. His film ''Nights and Days'' was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film F ...

, Stanisław Bareja, Zbigniew Cybulski, Jacek Fedorowicz, Aleksander Fogiel, Aleksander Ford,

Janusz Gajos Janusz Gajos (; born 23 September 1939) is a Polish film, television and theatre actor as well as pedagogue and photographer. Professor of Theatre Arts and an Honorary Doctor of the National Film School in Łódź, he is considered one of the ...

, Wojciech Jerzy Has, Piotr Hertel,

Jerzy Hoffman Jerzy Julian Hoffman (; born 15 March 1932) is a Polish director, screenwriter, and producer. He received the Polish Academy Life Achievement Award in February 2006. Hoffman is best known for his works in '' The Deluge'' (1974) and ''With Fire a ...

Agnieszka Holland Agnieszka Holland (born 28 November 1948) is a Polish film and television director and screenwriter, best known for her political contributions to Polish cinema. She began her career as assistant to directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej Wajda ...

, Gustaw Holoubek, Krystyna Janda, Stefan Jaracz,

Kazimierz Karabasz Kazimierz Karabasz (; May 6, 1930 in Bydgoszcz, Poland – August 11, 2018) was a Polish documentary filmmaker.

Jerzy Kawalerowicz Jerzy Franciszek Kawalerowicz (19 January 1922 – 27 December 2007) was a Polish film director and politician, having been a member of Polish United Workers' Party from 1954 until its dissolution in 1990 and a deputy in Polish parliament since ...

Krzysztof Kieślowski Krzysztof Kieślowski (; 27 June 1941 – 13 March 1996) was a Polish film director and screenwriter. He is known internationally for ''Dekalog'' (1989), '' The Double Life of Veronique'' (1991), and the ''Three Colours'' trilogy (1993 –1994 ...

Wojciech Kilar Wojciech Kilar (; 17 July 1932 – 29 December 2013) was a Polish classical and film music composer. One of his greatest successes came with his score to Francis Ford Coppola's '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'' in 1992, which received the ASCAP Award a ...

Edward Kłosiński Edward Stefan Kłosiński (; 2 January 1943, in Warsaw – 5 January 2008, in Milanówek) was a Polish cinematographer. Life and work Kłosiński completed his studies at the National Film School in Lodz in 1967. His screen debut came in 1972; ...

, Bogumił Kobiela, Marek Kondrat, Krzysztof Kowalewski, Witold Leszczyński, Tadeusz Łomnicki, Jan Machulski,

Juliusz Machulski Juliusz Machulski (born 10 March 1955 in Olsztyn) is a Polish film director and screenplay writer. Son of noted actor Jan Machulski, Juliusz became notable for his comedies ridiculing the life in communist-ruled Poland of the 1970s and 1980s. ...

, Janusz Majewski, Roman Mann, Janusz Morgenstern,

Andrzej Munk Andrzej Munk (16 October 1921 – 20 September 1961) was a Polish film director, screen writer and documentalist. He was one of the most influential artists of the post-Stalinist period in the People's Republic of Poland. His feature films '' Man ...

, Leon Niemczyk,

Daniel Olbrychski Daniel Marcel Olbrychski (; born 27 February 1945) is a Polish film and theatre actor who is widely considered one of the greatest Polish actors of his generation. He appeared in 180 films and TV productions and is best known for leading roles ...

, Cezary Pazura, Franciszek Pieczka, Wojciech Pszoniak, Włodzimierz Puchalski,

Stanisław Różewicz Stanisław Roch Różewicz (16 August 1924 – 9 November 2008) was a Polish film director and screenwriter. He directed 26 films between 1947 and 1989. His 1967 film '' Westerplatte'' was entered into the 5th Moscow International Film Fest ...

Zbigniew Rybczyński Zbigniew Rybczyński (; born 27 January 1949) is a Polish filmmaker, director, cinematographer, screenwriter, creator of experimental animated films, and multimedia artist who has won numerous prestigious industry awards both in the United Sta ...

, Jan Rybkowski,

Andrzej Seweryn Andrzej Teodor Seweryn (born 25 April 1946) is a Polish actor and director. One of the most successful Polish theatre actors, he starred in over 50 films, mostly in Poland, France and Germany. He is also one of only three non-French actors to ...

, Piotr Sobociński, Witold Sobociński, Bogusław Sochnacki, Władysław Starewicz, Allan Starski,

Danuta Szaflarska Danuta Szaflarska (; 6 February 1915 – 19 February 2017) was a Polish film and stage actress. In 2008 she was awarded the Złota Kaczka for the best Polish actress of the century. Szaflarska participated in the Warsaw Uprising as a liaison. Sz ...

, Jerzy Toeplitz, Beata Tyszkiewicz,

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...

, Jerzy Wójcik,

Zbigniew Zamachowski Zbigniew Zamachowski (; born 17 July 1961) is a Polish actor. Life and career He was born on 17 July 1961 in Brzeziny near Łódź. Zamachowski graduated from the actor's faculty of the National Film School in Łódź. He began his acting career ...

Krzysztof Zanussi Krzysztof Pius Zanussi (born 17 June 1939) is a Polish film and theatre director, producer and screenwriter. He is a professor of European film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland where he conducts a summer workshop. He is ...

, and Zbigniew Zapasiewicz.65 Piotrkowska Street Łódź, Łódź Voivodeship
/ref> File:Pola Negri gwiazda Lodz.jpg File:Roman Polanski gwiazda Lodz.jpg File:Marek Kondrat gwiazda Lodz, Piotrkowska.jpg File:AlejaGwiazd Lodz.JPG File:Gwiazda Leona Niemczyka.jpg

The road traffic

Starting from the Independence Square to the crossing with Mickiewicza and Piłsudskiego Avenues, there is a normal road traffic and this part of the street is covered with an ordinary asphalt and pavements made of concrete panels. On the part from the Independence Square to Żwirki and Wigury Streets, there still is quite an intensive bus and tram traffic. Despite this there are many shops, restaurants and pubs too, although they do not have such a representative character, as those located on the promenade.

Gallery

Image:20180913 182134 Pałac Juliusza Heinzla.jpg, Streetview with the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

on the left Image:SM Łódź Piotrkowska 74 2017 (0) ID 613237.jpg, Ludwik Geyer House Image:Łódź - Centrum, Ulica Piotrkowska - panoramio.jpg, Piotrkowska Street with Christmas decorations Image:Lodz katedra (dron).jpg, Archcathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka Image:SM Łódź Piotrkowska 78 2017 (0) ID 613239.jpg, Childhood home and monument of pianist

Artur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish-American pianist.

Image:Łódź-Geyer's White Factory (2).jpg, Central Museum of Textiles Image:Unknown soldier grave, Łódź Cathedral.jpg, Monument of the Unknown Soldier Image:SM Łódź Piotrkowska 113 2017 (1).jpg, House at Piotrkowska 113, in which a German racial research camp for kidnapped Polish children was located during World War II Image:Tenement - Piotrkowska 225.jpg, Schmidts' Tenement with one of the oldest pharmacies in the city (ul. Piotrkowska 225) Image:SM Łódź Piotrkowska 86 2017 (1) ID 613240.jpg, "Gutenberg House" - one of the most famous tenements in Łódź Image:Piotrkowska 1.jpg, Rikshas Image:Łódź-Birnbaum's tenement house.jpg, Seat of the regional branch of the

Solidarity ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...

movement in 1981 Image:Off Łódź, September 2015 01.jpg, Off Piotrkowska Centre Image:Light Move Festival in Łódź 2015 41.jpg, Light Move Festival in 2015 Image:Pomnik Misia Uszatka.JPG, Miś Uszatek (ul. Piotrkowska 87, Tourist Information Centre) Image:Laweczka Juliana Tuwima Lodz.jpg, Monument of Julian Tuwim Image:Plaque first cinema in Poland, Łódź Piotrkowska 120.jpg, Memorial plaque at the site where the first cinema in Poland was established in 1899 Image:Tablica miejsce urodzin Tadeusza Micińskiego, Łódź, Piotrkowska 29.jpg, Memorial plaque at the birthplace of poet

Image:Ira Aldrige tablica pamiątkowa Łódź Lodz 2014.jpg, Memorial plaque at the place of death of actor

Image:Margaret Thatcher plaque, Łódź 86 Piotrkowska Street.jpg, Plaque commemorating the visit of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the "Gutenberg House" Image:2003-09 - Łódź hausmalerei.png, Mural Image:Street art statue of Mark Jenkins 02, Łódź, Piotrkowska Street.jpg, Street art on Piotrkowska (by Mark Jenkins) Image:Kamienica Scheiblerów w Łodzi.jpg, Historic apartment building of the Scheibler family Image:Plan Łodzi1823.jpg, Map of the city, 1823

References

External links

{{commonscat, Piotrkowska Street in Łódź
The City of Łódź Office

Virtual Łódź

A virtual walk on Piotrkowska Street (pl)

Łódź Transport in Łódź Streets in Poland