LODZ ŁÓDŹ

Flag of Lodz If you are looking for somewhere off the beaten track, then Lodz has it. It is the second largest Polish city, and has its own unique atmosphere. It is also sometimes known as the Polish Manchester due to its size and the fame of the textile industry that developed there in the 19th century. Unreasonably overlooked, Lodz is worth a visit and definitely deserves promotion. It features fine Art Nouveau architecture, a rowdy nightlife and the most famous Polish film school. A visit to Lodz will undoubtedly leave you with memorable impressions and a better understanding of Poland.

Memorial to Holocaust victims at Radegast railway station Fountain on Jan Henryk Dąbrowski Square Ner river near Puczniewo „Ławeczka Tuwima”

GEOGRAPHY GEOGRAFIA Lodz is located in the very centre of Poland, and still remains particularly favourable for the development of trade. The landscape can be described as being rather flat, as Lodz lies on the Central Poland Lowland area, and there are only few moraine hills on its outskirts to offset this. Although the city name means “boat” in Polish, there are no particularly large bodies of water or rivers nearby. Lodz lies on the border between the catchment areas of the Vistula and the Odra Rivers, so locally there are only some smaller rivers and brooks and these are usually hidden underground. Of course, there are still many diverse parks and woods nearby in which to commune with nature.

Districts: 5

WROCLAW WROCŁAW

The capital of Lower Silesia (Dolny Slask) has a huge Old Town built on several islands connected by over 100 bridges. Apart from its unique location, Wroclaw amazes with its volume of Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture. Several musical and theatre festivals, as well as its busy nightlife, attract innumerable visitors from all over Poland and abroad. Wroclaw's extremely complicated history, combining the cultural influences of Germany, Bohemia, Austria and Poland, has left its mark on the atmosphere of the city. Wroclaw flag

Church of St. Giles Town Hall Japaneesee Garden Grunwald Square

Water Tower Iglica

Panorama of the Battle of Racławice

GEOGRAPHY GEOGRAFIA Wroclaw is picturesquely located on several rivers: the Odra and the smaller tributaries Olawa, Sleza, Bystrzyca and Widawa. Consequently, the city lies on 12 islands linked by many bridges. The Cathedral Island, the first Slavic settlement site, is no longer an island as a branch of the Odra was filled in. Wroclaw is the capital of Lower Silesia, one of Poland's voivodships. The region to the north is characterised by flatlands and is predominantly rural, while to the south Lower Silesia is bordered by the Sudeten Mountains – a popular tourist destination in winter and in summer.

Districts: 5

GDANSK GDAŃSK

This cheerful maritime city owes its present grandeur to a thousand year of Polish-German history, with a significant period when the town was a key member of the Hanseatic League. Reflecting those times is the exclusive architecture of the Old Town, including the largest brick Gothic church in the world. Home of Lech Walesa, in 1980 it witnessed the birth of the Solidarity movement, bringing the end of Communism in Eastern Europe. Gdansk flag

Monument at Westerplatte Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970

NEPTUNE FOUNTAIN Lifeboat for the WESTERDIEK. Gdansk Shipyard Baltic Philharmonic

PGE Arena Gdańsk Lechia Gdańsk

GEOGRAPHY GEOGRAFIA Gdańsk is situated on the coast of the Gdansk Bay, a part of the Baltic Sea enclosed in the north by the Hel peninsula. While the Vistula River has no distinct delta, it has formed several branches reaching the sea. One of them is the Motlawa, upon which the city is located. The granaries, houses, cranes and hotels on the islands of the Motlawa make it a very picturesque place to visit. Gdansk has close links with Sopot and Gdynia and together they form a conurbation known as the Tricity, surrounded by the Tricity Landscape Park. All three lie in the Pomerania region, an attractive summer holiday destination where visitors from both Poland and abroad people the beaches in summer. Pomerania is marked by its small sandy hills wooded with pines, while Gdansk itself lies on a coastal plain.

Districts: 28