Łódź’s Ruin and Rise: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

4.0 (3 reviews) 1 h 30 min – 2 hours Free cancellation Private tour

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3 reviews

4.0

Łódź’s Ruin and Rise: A Self-Guided Audio Tour — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Łódź’s Ruin and Rise: A Self-Guided Audio Tour, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Poland’s most dramatic story of urban transformation unfolds on Łódź’s streets. On this walking tour, you’ll get to know the city that exploded from a rural backwater to an industrial powerhouse in less than a century.

You’ll see everything from the restored grandeur of a textile magnate’s palace to the tragic site of Europe’s second-largest Jewish ghetto, and get a sense of how Łódź became a “bubbling cauldron” of ambition, suffering, and relentless reinvention.

You’ll find out how visionary entrepreneurs like Israel Poznański built empires that made Łódź wealthier than entire regions, only to see it all collapse and rise again. Along the way, you’ll hear stories of the Lost Quarter’s bustling markets which vanished during the Holocaust.

On this tour, you’ll meet a city where explosive growth, devastating tragedy, and remarkable resilience created Poland’s most unique urban story – and a place still ”impatient for the world to notice.”

Private and Luxury Private Sightseeing Tours Audio Guides Historical Tours Walking Tours Low Supplier Cancellation Rate Low Last Minute Supplier Cancellation Rate Short term availability

At a glance

Duration: 1 h 30 min – 2 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Audio guide: English
Operated by: VoiceMap Audio Tours

Ages: Adults (6–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: VoiceMap App for Android and iOS
Included: Lifetime access to this tour in English
Included: Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata

Not included

Not included: Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
Not included: Smartphone and headphones
Not included: Transportation
Not included: Food and drink

Itinerary

Stop 1

Passing by

This self-guided audio tour starts at the PURO Hotel Łódź Centrum.
Manufaktura

Passing by

On this self-guided audio tour, you'll have a chance to enter the gates of Poznański’s textile empire, where 4,000 workers once labored 15-hour days, now transformed into Manufaktura, Poland’s largest regeneration project since Warsaw’s reconstruction.
Karol Poznanski Palace

Passing by

On this self-guided audio tour, you'll have a chance to stand in Israel Poznański’s palace garden, called the “Louvre of Łódź,” and learn how a Jewish entrepreneur became one of Poland’s wealthiest men.
Park Staromiejski

Passing by

On this self-guided audio tour, you'll have a chance to walk through Park Staromiejski, built over the former Łódź Ghetto’s no-man’s land.
Stop 5

Passing by

On this self-guided audio tour, you'll discover the site of the medieval Old Town Market Square, where 200,000 Jews faced a horrific fate in World War II.
Stop 6

Passing by

On this self-guided audio tour, you'll have a chance to follow part of the hidden Łódka River, one of 18 rivers that powered the textile mills which transformed Poland’s industrial landscape.
Freedom Square (Plac Wolnosci)

Passing by

The tour ends at Plac Wolności (Liberty Square), recently resurrected as the city’s beating heart.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

This tour starts in front of PURO Hotel Łódź Centrum. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.

End point

This self-guided audio tour ends in Liberty Square.

Using your ticket

VOICEMAP CODE

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Please check your email at the address you provided when you made this booking. You've been sent an eight character code you'll need to redeem your tour.

This code can be used by every member of your party. If you've booked for three people, for example, three people can download this tour using the same code.

DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS

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Once you've received your code, please follow these steps:

Install the VoiceMap Audio Tours mobile app

Create an account

Select Tour Codes from the menu, then select Enter Codes

Enter your code then select Download Now

PLEASE NOTE

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You can download the tour at any time, before or after your booking date. It’s best to download the tour before you set off for the starting point.

This tour follows a set route and includes turn-by-turn directions. It works best if you start it in the right place and follow the directions from one location to the next.

When the download completes, you’ll see a screen with a photo of the starting point and directions to it. The red start button will become active when you are at the starting point.

Remember to bring your own headphones, unless you have booked a driving tour.

SUPPORT

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For technical support and other queries, please email [email protected]