Through all the roads (…), that came from
the every corner of the world to that “promised land”, all the paths
(…) were filled with people, hundreds wagons made noise, moving with
lighting speed, thousands whistles sounded over travellers heads and
thousands of eyes glancing at the darkness with the desire to find
that promised land”…
Wladyslaw Stanislaw Reymont "Promised Land"
£ód¼ just as Reymont described, was a city that attracted people.
It was the city of wealth and business and as such the city for
people seeking employment. Only the strongest and the ruthless,
people who minded their own business could survive here.
In the XX century, Reymont’s novel made it to the big screen, while
Andrzej Wajda made a movie under the same title in 1974. He showed
the palace and the factory as significant places along with the main
characters. He used the original factory area as the movie set.
Andrzej Wajda told the story of the conflicts between the
capitalists and working classes in the times of capitalistic Lodz.
He told the story of the social situation and the competition among
the employees working in the harsh conditions of the noisy and
dangerous factory.
However, those harsh times were the golden age for the city of Lodz.
The town was increasing in number of people, buildings, factories,
apartments and palaces. The city’s economy was rapidly growing being
fuelled by the textile industry. Those times brought together
various cultures. All those people had to learn to accept each other
and live in the same communities in harmony.
The dynamic economical city growth was interrupted by both World
Wars. The city started falling apart after the communists took over
the government in Poland. It seemed like the glory had gone away,
leaving behind only sadness.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 (which was the main
market for the central European countries), £ód¼ lost its position
as a supplier for the eastern European countries. Lots of factories
had to be closed down because the lack of demand for the products
manufactured.
The recent years have shown that £ód¼ is capable of differentiating
itself from others, it has become a very interesting place to be, it
started to attract the tourists and investors from all over the
globe. This is the reason why the city is transforming from a place
of neglect into a very prosperous place. There are more and more
international events, renovated buildings and properly managed
terrain. The Manufaktura is one of the largest investments in Poland
and the biggest revitalization project in Europe. The factory
becomes alive once again just as it happened in the 19th century and
was shown by Andrzej Wajda in his movie. Once again, there are
people coming from all directions. We can witness the mixture of
cultures once again… |
LODZ
Lodz - promised
land 
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