Łódź is almost 600 years old. It got the civic rights in 1423, but the great development of the city starts in XIX century. A small village, inhabited in 1820 by 767 people, turned into one of the most powerful and rapidly growing industrial centres of Eastern Europe.

Then Łódź was inhabited by people who represented four different cultures and religions: Polish- catholic, German- evangelic, Russian- orthodox and Jews – Jewish religion. Łódź was multicultural and multinational, where Poles, Jews, Germans and Russians had a direct impact on the development of industry, architecture, culture and religion.

The Committee of the Metropolitan Cathedral was established in 1895 and included the greatest Lodz industrialists. The design competition won the German company “Wende I Zarske”. It caused a lot of controversy. Catholics in Lodz didn’t want their church was built by Protestants. Finally, Catholics won and the new project was made by Viennese architect who cooperated with Polish architects. It was built between 1901 and 1912. That basilica has three naves and was modeled on the German Cathedral in Ulm. That is the tallest building in Lodzi - it has 104,5 meters high and one of the larges churches in Poland.

źródło: http://www.katedra.lodz.pl oraz http://www.toya.net.pl

Evangelical – Augsburg Church of Saint Matthew at 283 Piotrkowska Street is the only one Lutheran church in the city. It was designed by Johanes Wende and Franz Schwechten and built between 1909-1928 The church is based on the plan of the Greek cross with extended front section topped with a huge 80-metre tower, which in the upper part takes octagonal form. The architecture of the church resembles Romanesque models found in Rhineland. Concerts of organ music have been organized there for many years.

Żródło: www.lodzkie.fotopolska .eu

źródło: www.lodzkie.fotopolska.eu

Lutheran Church of Holy Trinity at 2/4 Piotrkowska Street was build in 1828 and rebuilt in 1889. Now it is a Catholic church dedicated to Pentecost.

źródło: www.lodzkie.fotopolska.eu

Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral at 58 Kilińskiego Street is the oldest and the most beautiful orthodox cathedral. It is located near Lódź Fabryczna Station. Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral was founded in 1884 in accordance to the design by Hilary Majewski, who gave the temple a neo-Byzantine character, visible in the domes and interior details. The rich interior has a beautiful iconostasis and old icons, as well as metal processional banners. During the evening service you can hear the wonderful choir singing.

źródło: http://ozabytkach.blogspot.com

Orthodox church of Saint Olga at 12 Piramowicza Street was built in 1900 in neo-Byzantine style and is capped by round dome. Orphanage for children functioned next to the church

źródło: http://opencaching.pl

Currently there are two active synagogues in Lodz. One, which is located at 18th Pomorska Street, was founded in 1998 by foreign donors, including Make Shalom from New York and Joseph Buchman from Frankfurt am Main.

It consists of three rooms: the prayer hall, porch and little vestibule. The second - Reicher Synagogue, which is located at 28th Rewolucji 1905 Street was built between 1895-1902. It has been funded by Reicher Family by project of Gustaw Landau-Gutenteger.

źródło: http://www.synagogi.lodz.pl

The cemetery at Ogrodowa Street was established in the years 1855-1858 with separate parts for Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox.

The evangelical part includes the tombs of famous, great industrialists: Biedermans, Grohmans, Geyers, Kindermanns, Scheiblers and others. The largest tomb belongs to Scheibler family and reminds a small neo-Gothic church.

The orthodox part of the cemetery includes a neo-Byzantine chapel of Gojżewscy and the grave of Lieutenant Wiktor Michajłowicz Kaniszczew.

źródło: http://tubylec.flog.pl

Jewish Cemetery located on Bracka Street in Lodz was founded in 1892. It covers an area of 39,6 hectares. There were buried about 160 000 people. We will find there the tombs of people who contributed to the development of Lodz like: politicians, doctors, manufacturers and so on.

We find there the part of cemetery called “Ghetto Field” sacred for the victims of one of the most tragic events in human history- the Holocaust. There were buried about 43 000 victims of the Lodz Ghetto, who died of exhaustion and hunger.

źródło: http://www.blog.lodzianin.eu, http://kontakt24.tvn.pl, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cmentarz_Zydowski_Lodz_6.jpg