SENM 2017

Manufaktura

Manufaktura is one of the biggest shopping, art and leisure centres in Poland and one of the most recognizable symbols of Lodz. It occupies the total area of 27 hectares, which is equivalent to the area of about 38 football fields. 

The complex consists of 13 historic buildings and a newly built shopping mall made from glass and aluminium. The combination of modern architecture with the traditional industrial landscape preserves the unique historical atmosphere of the place, making it one of the most attractive spots on the city’s map.

Manufaktura is situated on the grounds of the old industrial complex created in the 19^th century by a textile magnate named Izrael Ponzanski. The first mechanical weaving plant was built here in 1872 and during the next 25 years it developed into a huge complex of textile factories, including not only weaving plants, but also spinning mills, a bleachery, dyeworks, warehouses,
a company store and a housing estate for thousands of workers. During the 1990s, after the political transition, the complex was liquidated and abandoned for several years. In 1999, the post-industrial complex was bought by the foreign investors and the process of its revitalisation started. The renovation and modernization works continued over the next few years and resulted in the opening of Manufaktura, a new cultural and commercial centre, in 2006.

Nowadays, Manufaktura hosts dozens of shops, restaurants, cafes and pubs, as well as the cinema centre and numerous other entertainment and sport facilities. The central point of the complex is a huge open-spaced Market Square with one of the longest fountains in Europe. Apart from that, on the premises of Manufaktura, there is the Museum of Art, with one of the biggest collections of modern art in Poland, and the Museum of the Factory, presenting the history of the place. The complex neighbours also with the Izrael Poznanski’s Palace, where the Museum of the City of Lodz is placed.