ŁÓDŹ PROVINCE

The Łódź Province is situated in the centre of the country. The area of the Province is 18,219 km2, and it is inhabited by 2.6 million people. The capital of the region is Łódź, with an area of 293.3 km2 and 768,000 inhabitants. In the 19th century, Łódź was a huge industrial centre. In 1945, it became a temporary seat of government. Currently it is an important academic and cultural centre, a metropolitan area, and a fast-growing business centre. Łódź boasts the biggest household appliances cluster in Europe. It is also a centre of the development of new technologies and modern financial institutions. The Łódź Special Economic Zone is one of the fastest-developing areas in Poland. It consists of 22 sub-zones with a total area of 511 ha, localized in 12 different cities of the Province.

Apart from Łódź, the most important administrative and economic centres of the region are Piotrków Trybunalski, Bełchatów, Radomsko, Kutno, Zgierz, Pabianice, Skierniewice and Łowicz. 
The Łódź Province was established in January 1919. Currently, the administrative structure of the Łódź Province encompasses 24 counties, including 3 municipal and 21 rural ones, as well as 177 communes (18 municipal, 24 municipal-rural, and 135 rural ones). The structure of employment is as follows: the majority of employed population works in services, then in industry and construction. The Łódź Province is a significant centre of production of household appliances, in particular thanks to investments by companies such as  Bosch, Siemens and Indesit. For many years now the Łódź region has been the biggest manufacturer of ceramic tiles in Poland, and a major producer of electrical energy. The “Bełchatów” mine covers nearly half of the country's demand for lignite. There are substantial natural resources, for instance chalk foundry and glass sands are mined near Tomaszów Mazowiecki. In the vicinity of Uniejów, on the other hand, there are rich resources of 98°C geothermal water (they are used for municipal heating, and in the future they will be used for tourist purposes as well).

In the logistic structure of Poland, the Łódź Province functions as a transit and interchange area. There is an extensive network of international coach connections. In Łódź there is located the Władysław Reymont International Airport, which can serve 0.5 million passengers. There are also plans to build an international airport “Skierniewice - Rawa Mazowiecka”. The proposed central localization of the future airport provides new opportunities for taking advantage of international air transportation as well as for increasing competitive effectiveness on the European and worldwide air transportation market.

The most interesting ethnographic areas of the Łódź Province include the Łowicz, Opoczno, and Sieradz regions, which draw attention with colourful traditional dresses, rich folk art (weaving, pottery, embroidery, paper cutting), as well as with continuing customs and rites. The most interesting monuments of the region include castles in Bolesławiec, Brzeźnica, Inowłódz, Łęczyca, Opoczno, Przedbórz, Byki, Uniejów, Rawa Mazowiecka, and Piotrków Trybunalski. Other impressive buildings of interest are palaces in Skierniewice, Walewice, Wolbórz, and Nieborów. One of the most beautiful Polish churches is the Collegiate Church in Tum. The Cistercian Abbey in Sulejów is a monument unique in Europe. Other religious monuments in the Łódź region include St. Stanislaw Church in Boguszyce, Holy Trinity Church in Grębień, the former Collegiate Church in Łask, synagogues in Łódź and Piotrków Trybunalski, as well as 19th century cemeteries in Lutomiersk, Witów, and elsewhere.

Academic life in the Łódź region is concentrated in the Metropolitan Area. The capital of the Province is a very big academic and international scientific co-operation centre. 27 higher education institutions (including 6 state-owned ones) with over 100,000 students, an ever-growing number of academic staff, and a varied range of schools and departments all constitute a massive intellectual and developmental potential of the region, making it one of the leading areas in Poland. Łódź is a nationally and internationally renowned research centre for chemistry, physics, and polymer technology, as well as their applications for the production of plastic and synthetic fibres. The biggest universities in the region are the Łódź University, the Technical University, and the Medical University.

The Łódź Province, which is located on the border of the central lowlands and the southern uplands, has a diverse lie of the land, which defines its unique character. Hundreds of kilometres of attractive walking trails, numerous bike routes, picturesque rivers and artificial reservoirs guarantee a great time for tourists in our region.  People fond of horse-riding, walking, sailing, canoeing, and windsurfing will find attractive offers in the Łódź Province, made even more so by a wide range of accommodation facilities.

Geographical and ecological diversity, lush flora, numerous wild animals, rare birds, as well as picturesque lakes and rivers are truly unique and enchanting. Apart from lowland landscapes, characteristic of the northern part of the region, in the border zone of the Łódź Hills there are areas with considerable relative differences in altitude and steep slopes. In the south of the Province, there are some uplands, with hill ranges of over 300 m above sea level. Substantial diversity of the lie of the land is also visible in river valleys, especially in the upper sections of the Warta and Pilica. Both of these rivers flow in wide, deep valleys, which are the most attractive parts of the Province from the recreational point of view. The Province has 7 landscape parks, 88 nature reserves, 20 nature and landscape complexes, 800 organic farms (1380 ha), several geological points of interest, and over 3,500 nature monuments. The Province has approximately 373,000 ha of woodland (according to the Regional State Forests Administration in Łódź). Some of the natural “treasures” of the Łódź Province are the Blue Springs Sanctuary in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, the Bison Breeding Centre in Smardzewice, the Arboretum and Rock Garden in Rogów, the Spała and Rogów woodland, the Korzeń peat bog, and bird breeding grounds in the backwater area of the Jeziorsko Reservoir.

The Łódź Province is a must-see region in the heart of Poland, in the centre of Europe. Visit our websites: www.lodzkie.pl.