Poland - Eastern Europe - page 410

snakes along about 10km (6 miles), ending at the Jewish Cemetery (Cmentarz Z l y-
dowski), the largest of its kind in Europe, and the Radegast train station, from where
the transports to the extermination camps departed. The cemetery is open daily except
Saturdays and has a small exhibition of photographs of Jewish life in L ód 3 and the
ghetto. The Radegast station (about 15-min. walk north of the Jewish cemetery) has
been restored to its appearance during the war, with three Deutsche Reichsbahn cat-
tle cars ominously left standing on the tracks, the doors wide open.
After the war, a scattering of Jews returned to the city to try to rebuild a fraction of
what they lost. Today, the Jewish population numbers around 5,000 from a
pre-World War II population of nearly a quarter-million.
Jewish Cemetery (Cmentarz Zlydowski). Ul. Bracka. Free admission. Sun-Fri 10am-4pm.
Lód3 Art Museum (Muzeum Sztuki w Lód3i) A must for fans of modern art,
from the functionalist, constructivist 1920s to the abstract 1950s and pop-art, op-art
1960s. The collection includes works by Marc Chagall and Max Ernst. Skip the first
two floors and head straight for the museum's prize pieces on the third floor, including
several of the young rake Witkacy's amazing society sketches from the 1920s.
Wi7ckowskiego 36. & 042/633-97-90. Admission 7 zl ($2.30/£1.25), free Thurs. Tues-Fri 10am-5pm; Sat-Sun
10am-4pm.
History of Lód3 Museum If you're intrigued by the city and want to know
more, this is where to come. All about textiles, the history of the city's barons, a bit
about Artur Rubinstein, and even information on Jewish L ód 3 , all housed in the
sumptuous neo-baroque palace of L ód 3 industrialist par excellence, Izrael Kalmanow-
icz Pozna ^ ski.
Ogrodowa 15. & 042/633-97-90. www.poznanskipalace.muzeum-lodz.pl. Daily 10am-2pm; Wed 2-6pm.
Museum of Cinematography If you're a fan of international film, you'll
want to stop by to pay tribute to Poland's panoply of great directors, including Roman
Pola ^ ski, Andrzej Wajda, and Krzysztof Kieslowski, all of whom studied and worked
in L ód 3 . The museum's annual rotating exhibitions highlight the work of one of the
directors, including stills and posters from the films and various memorabilia (2006
was Kieslowski's year, being the 10th anniversary of his death). The museum is housed
in the former residence of one of the city's great capitalist barons, Karol Scheibler, and
part of the fun is just poking around this incredible neo-baroque mansion.
Pl. Zwyci7stwa 1. & 042/674-09-57. www.kinomuzeum.pl. Admission 7 zl ($2.30/£1.25), free on Tues. Tues-Fri
10am-4pm; Sat-Sun 9am-4pm.
SHOPPING
L ód 3 offers one of the most unusual shopping opportunities in Poland and possibly
all of Europe. In an effort to revitalize the city, the former textile mills have been
reconstructed and converted into an enormous shopping mall and entertainment
facility, Manufaktura (Jana Karskiego 5; & 042/654-03-08; open daily 10am-9pm),
complete with a 15-screen multiplex, a climbing wall, Europe's longest fountain at
300m (984 ft.), and an on-site sandpit for beach volleyball. The 19th-century redbrick
factory architecture is stunning and the restoration work a model for similar recon-
struction efforts around the country. If you're a fan of urban rehab or just want to
spend the day at the mall, stop by and take a look.