The sudden growth of Łódź
In the 19th century, Łódź developed from being a small agricultural town into a vibrant textile metropolis at a faster rate than anywhere else in Europe.
The cosmopolitan city was built by Poles, Jews, Germans, Russians and others, who coexisted peacefully for many years.
Łódź was for a long time a quiet and provincial city; its citizens worked mainly as farmers, with some exceptions in the textile sector.
All of this began to change dramatically in 1820, when to Łódz was given the status of a factory city.
The promised Land
Thanks to the new status the city has begun to rely on government development funds and non-repayable investments to start businesses.
Łódź owes its promising new position to Rajmund Rembieliński, a Polish officer passionate about its economic and urban growth.
He was also responsible for the master plan of the new city; carefully thought out it included green and transport arteries. The philosopher and economist Stanisław Staszic came in 1825 to determine the industrial potential of the city.
After his visit he wrote that “it is a place naturally predisposed for large-scale factories, but above all for all types of wool and cotton products”.
His verdict was due to the abundance of water in the area: several basins, rivers and streams.
The neighboring forests, on the other hand, were an important source of timber supply.
Historical context
Before the last century, Łódź, which in 1820 had 767 citizens, developed into an important European textile production center with over 300,000 inhabitants.
The city’s population growth rate was nearly four times higher than the rate of rapidly expanding cities such as Manchester or Hamburg.
By the end of the 19th century, Łódź was strong enough to compete with Moscow for the vast markets of the Russian Empire.
This runaway growth is the result of a cycle: economic opportunities have attracted people whose growing numbers meant greater economic opportunities triggering a virtuous process.
This process was boosted up by the historical context: the customs abolition between the Polish border and the rest of the Russian Empire exempted peasants from working for the nobles.
Thus, the villagers could suddenly choose where to work and many of them came to Łódź looking for a better life.
Some believed that the city was the promised land of freedom and money: writer Wladyslaw Reymont also wrote a short story about the industrialization process.
The ethnic melting-pot
The incoming peasants were usually Poles; the technical know-how instead was mainly composed of German immigrants.
The first weavers were Germans and managed to establish an influential community, including owners and skilled workers who handled many of the town’s factories.
The symbolic first installation of fireplaces in Łódź was made in 1838 by Ludwik Geyer, a German manufacturer.
The Jews were another fundamental group for the development of the city; such entrepreneurs as Izrael Poznański were responsible for the city’s business.
The whole political scene was ruled by the Russians, occupiers of this part of Poland, who acted as state and military officials.
The city had a rail link since 1866, allowing for the transportation of goods and resources and facilitating economic growth.
The three big
The German Karol Scheibler was so influential that he owned almost 15% of the city’s land.
He was known for his uncompromising work ethic: he came to work at the same time as the workers (at 5am) and stayed late in the evening.
Its great rival was the Jewish producer Izrael Poznański; the two industrialists with Ludwik Geyer formed the so-called big three of the Łódź textile industry.
The Łódź tycoons also allegedly built entire private neighborhoods consisting of workers’ houses, industrial structures and impressive residences.
Księży Młyn, the area created by Scheibler, boasted a spinning wheel, hospital, school, shops and even a fire station.
The several rivers provided water energy and powered the steam engine; the golden age left an extraordinary architecture still visible today in the main road Piotrkowska.