WELCOME to ŁÓDŹ - clil

WELCOME to ŁÓDŹ
Geography of Łódź
The city is between the height
of 162-279 meters above
the ……… level.
The temperature’s amplitude
per year equals 8,5°C
and the amount of precipitation
is 582mm.
Economy
Łódź- where it is?
Łódź is situated in Europe
in the country called Poland.
Poland borders with Germany,
Czech Republic, Slovakia,
Ukraine,……………, Lithuania and
Russia. It is in the pool of the
Baltic sea.
Administrative division
Poland is divided into 16 counties.
Łódż is located in the central part of
łódzkie county, only 30 kilometres
away from the geographic centre of
Poland.
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Cu l t u re
The urbanization ……… is
46%. The area of Łódź is 293
square kilometers. Number
of population is 715360 and
population …………… is 2441
people per square kilometer.
1. Fill the gaps with those words:
-Belarus,
-sea,
-density,
-rate
2. Match the definitions with words:
areapopulationurbanization-
The change in a county or region when it’s
population migrates from rural to urban
areas.
The line or frontier area separating
political or geographic regions.
A definitive geographic region without
direct administrative functions.
border-
particular geographic region.
county-
Account of number of residents within
a political or geographical boundary such
as a town, a nation, or the world.
3. Decide which information is true and underline it.
1. Łódź is located about 40km/30km away from the geographic
central.
2. Poland shares borders with Czech Republic, Slovakia and
Latvia/Germany.
3. The area of the city is 264km²/293km²
4. City urbanization rate is 46%/47%
5. Poland is divided into 16/14 different counties
6. The population density in Łódź is 2441/3760 people per km²
Culture
11
Łódź overview
1._____
Łódź is the third-largest city
in Poland. It is located in the
central part of the country, it
has a population over 700,000
people. It is the capital of Łódź
Region. It received its town
charter in 1423. The city’s coat
of arms depicts a boat. It refers
to the city’s name ‘Łódź’ which
may be translated literally as
„boat.” In 19th century the place
was especially popular for welldeveloped textile industry.
A lot of influential people came
here to settle down permanently
and build some factories. The most
recognizable are: Juliusz Heinzel,
Izrael Poznański, Karol Scheibler
and Henryk Grohman. In the
1823–1873, the city’s population
doubled every ten years. The
years 1870–1890 marked the
period of most intense industrial
development in the city’s history.
Many of the industrialists were
of Jewish origin. Łódź soon
became a major centre of the
socialist movement.
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Cu l t u re
2._____
Łódź was built by hands of Poles,
Germans, Jews, and Russians.
It became the fastest growing
metropolis in Europe in the late
19th century. The source of
success were people. They were
always willing to assimilate with
successive waves of immigrants
and had ability to solve problems
despite all differences: national
and religious. It is no coincidence
that the city of Łódź was called
European New York.
The remains of multicultural
past of Łódź are:
- Orthodox church located in the
heart of the city on Kilińskiego
street.
- The largest Jews’ cemetery in
Poland located on Bracka street
-Scheibler’s factory.
However, Łódź is also a perfect
blend of new and old. Among the
magnificent monuments from
the past you can find more and
more present-day renovated
or freshly erected buildings.
The new premises of various
departments of Łódź University,
the building of the Music Hall,
some hotels, shopping centers
or office buildings are just a
few examples of contemporary
architecture in Łódź. Built of
glass and still, simple and clear
in form, they often dominate
neighboring old tenements.
3._____
Łódź 4 Cultures Festival is a continuation of the festival created
by Witold Knychalski in 2002. The context of designated intentions
of the creator was a tragic finale of the multicultural society
– extermination of the Jews, Germans’ escape. All those events, led
to the invasion of Poland in 1939, ruled by Nazi Germany. The main
idea of the Festival is to promote an attitude based on openness
and tolerance to other people and their cultures.
Tasks
I. Match the tittles with the paragraphs. There is one extra
title which you don’t need to use.
A. Festival
B. History
C. Factories
D. Multiculture
II. Match the words printed in bold with their definitions:
1. the art or industry of making cloth...........................
2. someone who owns or manages a large and important industrial
company...................
3. to help someone feel that they are part of a community or culture
rather than feeling foreign....................................................
4. a situation in which separate things by chance at the same time
or in the same way.............
III. Decide which sentence is true or false and then correct the false
ones.
1. Łódź in not the capital of the Region
__
2. The name of this city comes from the Polish equivalent of the
English word boat__
3. The nations which lived in Łódź were Jews, Russians, Poles and
Gypsies __
4. Scheibler’s factory was located on Bracka Street ___
5. Łódź 4 Cultures Festival was invented by J.Kiliński __
Culture
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The Cathedral - the most beautiful church
in our city
The Cathedral is the tallest building in Łódź - 104 m high. It is also
one of the largest churches in Poland.
Location
The Cathedral is located
in Piotrkowska Street
in Łódź. It is in the very
centre of the city, which
is a beautiful, however,
loud and crowded area.
History
The first plans to built
a very big basilica in
Piotrkowska street were
made by most prominent
Łódź’s
industrialists:
Juliusz Teodor Heinzel,
Edward Herbst, Juliusz
Kunitzer, Józef Richter
i Adolf Hoffrichter in
1895.
The basilica was built between
1901-1912. One of the architects
of this neo-gothic church was a
Berliner-Emil Zillmann. In 1911 the
massive bell called Zygmunt was
donated by citizens of Łódź.
At the end of the World War I,
the church rose to the rank of a
cathedral. During the World War II
until autumn of 1941, the cathedral
functioned normally. In 1941, it
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Cu l t u re
was turned into a military storehouse. After liberation from the
Germans, it needed a series of repairs and renovations. In 1971 the
fire destroyed the roof, which was rebuilt soon. In 1989, Pope John
Paul II gave the status of minor basilica to the Łódź cathedral. Since
1992, the church has been an archcathedral and Łódź has been the
seat of the Archdiocese. Nowadays, the cathedral is not only the
biggest catholic church in Łódź but a city landmark as well.
Saint Patron of the Cathedral
St. Stanisław Kostka (1550-1568) is patron of the Cathedral. At
the beginning of the year 1568, he held church weddings. A few
months later, in August of 1568, he suffered from malaria and died
only a few days after. His relics are in Rome. Pope Benedict XIII
proclaimed him a saint in 1726.
Design and style
The three-aisle basilica
was inspired by the
Notre
Dame
cathedral
in Chartres, France, and
by the cathedral in Ulm,
Germany.
It was built in the Gothic
Revival style. The facade
of the church is built out
of the bright yellow brick
and dominated by the
high, pointed tower. The
entrance portal at the foot
of the tower is decorated
with a colourful mosaic
depicting St. Stanisław
Kostka, the patron of
the basilica. The mosaic
complements the neo-gothic architecture, wooden furnishings and
rich decor. It is worth noticing that the church was furnished by
people of different nationalities as well different religions living in
Łódź. A great example of such donation is the main altar funded by
a Catholic industrialist, Julius Theodor Heinz.
Culture
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Function
Nowadays, it functions as an ordinary church with regularly
organized masses, baptisms and weddings. However, many concerts
and shows also take place in the Cathedral.
Activity 1: Put the sentences in the historically correct order:
Łódź became the seat of the Archdiocese.
It was turned into a military storehouse.
The church rose to the rank of the cathedral.
Rich Łódz’s industrialists decided to built a basilica church in
Piotrkowska street.
It officially became an archcathedral.
It was granted the status of minor basilica.
The church had a series of repairs and renovations.
Activity 2: Are these sentences TRUE or FALSE? Correct FALSE
sentences:
1. The Cathedral is 144 m high.
2. St. Stanisław Kostka is the patron of the Cathedral.
3. The basilica is modeled after the Notre Dame cathedral in
Chartres, France.
4. The facade of the church is lined with red brick tiles.
5. The facade of the church is dominated by the high tower with
a clock.
6. There is a mosaic depicting St. Stanisław Kostka at the entrance
portal.
7. The main altar was funded by Julius Theodor Heinz.
8. The Cathedral is located in a quiet area of Łódź.
9. Nowadays it functions as an ordinary church.
10.It is the highest building in Łódź.
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Cu l t u re
Palace of Izrael Poznański
The history of the palace
dates back to 1860 when
Kalman Poznański settled
down in Łódź and started
to work as a merchant in
the cotton industry. When
his son, Izrael Poznański,
inherited his business,
the prices of cotton
increased. This event led
to Izrael’s gain in wealth
and the development of
his own textile empire. He
purchased a large block
of land in the city center
in 1877 in order to build
an impressive mansion
for his family. The Palace
was designed by Hilary
Majewski and Juliusz Jung
and built in 1890. The
residence differs from
others in size, splendour
and
architecture.
An
anecdote
says
that
Poznański once was asked
by the architects in which
architectural style he
wanted the palace to be
build. „Which style?” he
repeated slightly surprised,
„I can afford all of them”
he promptly answered. The
eclectic architecture of
the finished palace must
have satisfied Poznański’s
ambitions. People visited the luxurious residence gladly and a lot
of important social events took place there.
Culture
17
Decorations of the palace are based on ancient art and traditions
of Jewish culture. Originally the residence also included a ‘winter
garden’, which was about 770 square metres. The palace was
used mainly for reception and office functions but also housed
counting-offices and stores, and apartments for more significant
clients of the firm. The service staff lived in the attic. However,
the most impressive part of palace is the dining room. Thanks to
much unique furniture and superb interior decorations, the dining
room was known for the most famous Łódź ballroom parties. Since
1975, the palace of Izrael Poznański was the headquarters of the
City Museum of Łódź, with the records of the city’s past, and some
personal possessions of A. Rubinstein and A. Tansman, famous
musicians born in Łódź.
1. Answer the questions.
1. What is the location of the palace?
2. What are the names of palace’s architects? (2)
3. After which architectural styles was the palace built?
4. Where did the service live?
5. When did the palace of Izrael Poznański become the Museum
of Łódź?
6. When was the palace finished?
7. Who is the palace associated with?
8. What took place in the Dining Hall?
9. Who was Artur Rubinstein?
2. Complete the text.
The Palace of Izrael ______ is located in the city_____. Izrael
Poznański purchased the property at the intersection of Ogrodowa
and Zachodnia in _____ in order to build a representative mansion
for his family. The Palace was built in _____.
The history of the palace dates back to 1860 when ______ Poznański
- Izrael’s father settled down in Łódź and started to work in the
______ industry.
Decorations of palace are based on ______ art and traditions of
______ culture.
Since 1975, the palace of Izrael Poznański was the location of
_______
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Cu l t u re
3. Decide if the sentence is true (T) or false (F). Correct those
that are wrong.
• The palace is located on Piotrkowska street. • Kalman Poznański settled in Łódź in the 19th century. • Izrael was the son of Kalman. • The palace is the headquarters of the Art Museum. 4. Write down what these numbers mean.
✓ 15 –
✓ 1860 –
✓ 770 –
✓ 1900 –
✓ 1975 –
5. Choose
museum.
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
which of these things you can find in the palace
Reminders of Artur Rubinstein Clothes from 19th century Personal objects Modern artists’ paintings Reminders of Alexandre Tansman Record of the city’s past
Machines 6. Answer the questions.
✓ Where is the palace located?
✓ Who is the palace associated with?
✓ What took place in the Dining Hall?
✓ Who were Artur Rubinstein and Alexandre Tansman?
7. Describe the
architecture of
the building.
Culture
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Piotrkowska Street
Łódź used to be a textile industry
center with lots of factories,
wealthy industrialists’ residences
and tenement houses. Piotrkowska
Street is famous for its rich history
and heritage. This crowded street
starts from the Liberty Square and
runs for over 4 km to end at the
Independence Square. Undoubtedly,
it’s one of the longest commercial
streets in Europe. It was set in
1821 just to connect two small
but important towns - Łęczyca and
Piotrków. Being very important as
for communication, it quickly became
a central place to run businesses and to trade.
Certainly, all the buildings densely lining down Piotrkowska
street weren’t built at once and in one style. It is a good example
of eclectism. On Piotrkowska we can see architecture typical for
styles such as neo-Romanesque, neo-Gothic, neo-Renaissance, neoBaroque or Art Noveau.
Piotrkowska street is partly
a promenade with numerous
interesting objects, but
especially the Monument of
Łódź Citizens of Millennium
Change is worth mentioning.
It’s a unique concept of
monument
covering
the
surface of a part of the
street, which consists of
13 000 plaques with their
founders’ names placed among grey cobblestones. It is very original
and somehow surprising, but it is still a part of the street normally
used by pedestrians all the time.
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Cu l t u re
Another
characteristic
part
of Piotrkowska is the Walk of
Fame. The stars in Łódź are given
to people connected with film
industry. That’s partly because
there is the National Film School
in Łódź where many future actors,
directors, photographers, camera
operators and TV staff have been
educated.
A stroll down Piotrkowska Street
is a must for everyone visiting
Łódź since it tells a lot about
city’s culture and history. Besides,
everybody will find something
interesting to do there. You can go to the shops, museums and
restaurants. It is also a perfect venue for cultural events, festivals,
marches and state ceremonies.
EX 1
Match the definitions with the printed in bold words from the
text.
• having profit as the main aim .........................
• the entertainment industries involved in producing and
distributing movies .........................
• art joining different styles .........................
• connected with producing fabrics .........................
• stones used to make the surface of a road ..........................
EX 2
Write the questions to the answers.
...............................................................................................
They are given to people connected with film industry.
...............................................................................................
It is over 4 km long.
...............................................................................................
The town names are Łęczyca and Piotrków.
...............................................................................................
Because it had great meaning for communication.
Culture
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EX 3
Cross out the wrong word.
• Łódź used to be an industrial / tourist town.
• A characteristic part of Piotrkowska is Walk of Bravery/Fame.
• Piotrkowska street was built in 1850/1821.
• Races/cultural events take place on Piotrkowska street.
Ex 4 Design a postcard from your town. Try to find most characteristic
places or objects and take photos of them. Use computer sofware
like Adobe Photoshop to develop your pictures and elaborate
final design. Here is an example of the postcard created by Agata
and presenting main street in Łódź.
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Cu l t u re
a postcard designed by Agata IIIb
Ex 5 Fill in the blanks with the missing worlds. Complete each gap
with only one word.
Piotrkowska Street
Piotrkowska Street is the most famous street in Łódź and one of
the longest commercial streets in Europe. Firstly, Piotrkowska
street was used 1.... a road to connect nearby small towns. 2....
the beginning it was like a central axis around which the city was
growing and developing gradually. By 3.... time it became cultural
and commercial centre, where city life concentrated. Numerous
office buildings, eclectic tenements, various shops, pubs, coffee
shops, restaurants and clubs were located 4.... this street to create
unique, a bit artistic, atmosphere, famous even outside Łódź.
Understandably, the majority 5.... cultural events take place 6....
Piotrkowska street. We can find there a lot of shops, restaurants,
antique tenements and of course the “Gallery of Great Citizens of
Łódź” in a form of bronze-cast statues. Among them there are a
figure of pianist Artur Rubinstein, a figure of awarded with the
Nobel Prize writer Władyslaw Reymont and a figure of theatre
director Stefan Jaracz. Well-known statues are also “Three Factory
Owners” and “Lamp man”. While strolling along Piotrkowka street,
we can also sit on a bronze bunch next to a figure of poet Julian
Tuwim. To delight the youngest there is also ‘Monument of Uszatek
Bear’. Łódź 7.... often associated with movie world and for this
reason 8.... is the Alley of the Stars in Piotrkowska. No doubt, it
must have been inspired 9.... the similar alley in Hollywood.
Ex 6
Have you ever thought about being an actor/actress? Would you like
to have your name placed in the Alley of Stars? What would you do
if you had? Finish sentences using conditionals with your ideas.
1. If I played in James Bond’s film, ....................................................
2. If I was known all over the world, ................................................
3. If I earned a lot of money, ............................................................
Culture
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Ex 7
Match pictures to the names of monuments in Piotrkowska street.
_______
_______
________
_________
________
________
a)’Reymont’s Coffer’
b)’Uszatek Bear’
c)’Lighthouse-keeper’
d)’John Paul II’
e)’Tuwim’s bench’
f)’Rubinstein’s grand piano’
Ex 8
True or false?
1. On Piotrkowska Street rarely any events take place. ___
2. On Piotrkowska Street there is the Alley of Stars. ___
3. Piotrkowska Street used to be a central axis of Łódź.___
4. Piotrkowska Street is in Warsaw. ___
5. This street isn’t famous in Poland. ___
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Cu l t u re
The Off Piotrkowska Project
A majority of all the attractions
in Łódź can be found either along
Piotrkowska street or within its
short distance.
The most popular place on the city’s
culture map is located at 138/140
Piotrkowska Street.
The OFF Piotrkowska project is one of the most unique in Poland
because it gathers the representatives of various creative
industries. It is located at the place that belonged to Franciszek
Ramisch and previously was a cotton factory. Now the place
cultivates arts and culture and supports creative businesses. A lot
of various cultural activities are carried out there.
Here we can find a lot of coffeehouses, music clubs, pubs, numerous
restaurants and fashion designers’ stores. A mini skateboard ramp
is installed at one of the yards. Any time of the year you can have
a relaxing time in a lounge chair listening to live or DJ-played
music.
In October 2014, Off Piotrkowska celebrated winning the contest
“New 7 Wonders of Poland” by the National Geographic Traveler
magazine.
Exercises:
1. Finish the sentences:
Piotrkowska Street is full of…
The OFF Piotrkowska is located…
The aim of the OFF Piotrkowska project is…
You can find there numerous…
In 2014 OFF Piotrkowska won…
Culture
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2. Search the words from the text in the word search below:
A I O N C
B N K L I
S F A C T
K J T O K
G N Y N R
A T E T W
A L T E R
B R A S K
R T WT D
C O F F E
L U
E W
O R
M G
E C
C O
N A
I Y
O W
E H
B B
B N
Y N
I S
V B
F I
T I
T R
G J
O U
I
M
G
U
N
K
V
D
K
S N
K
E
O
M
L
E
A
L
E
G K
I O
G H
K H
I O
O U
S Y
X F
T K
I F
D
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E
ART FACTORY
The Art Factory in Łódź is a cultural institution situated on the
premises of the 19th century factory in the Priest’s Mill (Księży
Młyn). The place was the property of Karol Scheibler, the owner
of industrial complex constructed over the 1880s and 1890s.
The buildings situated there were used to store textile products.
Between the buildings we can still see the remains of a railways
belonging to former owners. Nowadays we can find there the Łódź
Art Center and Art Factory.
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Cu l t u re
The Art Factory was created in January 2007 by Łódź Art Center,
Chorea Theatre Association and The City of Łódź Office. The
activities of the Art Factory are mostly concentrated on theatre,
modern art and art education. The Factory regularly organizes
educational projects, prepares lectures, seminars, workshops and
meetings with artists and leading experts of culture and art. It
also concentrates on music projects and concerts.
Exercises:
1. Put the missing words in the sentences:
a. The Art Factory is a ....................................................institution.
b. The activities of Art Factory are mostly .................... on theatre and
modern art.
c. The Art Factory regularly organizes .............................. projects.
d. The Art Factory prepares meetings with artists and leading
.............................................. of art and culture.
2. Are these sentences TRUE or FALSE?
A. The Art Factory in Łódź is a cultural institution situated on the
premises of the 19th century factory near Piotrkowska Street.
B. The Art Factory was created in January 2006.
C. The activities of the Art Factory are mostly focused on theatre,
modern art and art education.
Culture
27
28
Cu l t u re
Murals of Łódź
____
First paintings on the walls were created 30000 years BC. Art
history is full of examples of exquisite murals in caves, tombs,
churches, castles and private houses. In the 20th century intriguing
murals, very often carrying social and political messages, became
to appear in many towns and cities around the world, also in Łódź.
From painting illegally to being highly acclaimed for their creativity,
street artists went a long and sometimes turbulent way. The Etam
Cru-comprised of Bezt (Mateusz Gapski) and Sainer (Przemek
Blejzyk) have been lucky enough to have a chance to create legally
street murals in the cities of Poland, including Łódź, for more than
ten years. They have been so successful that even painted massive
murals in Richmond, the USA, for the Richmond Mural Project.
Culture
29
____
Back to Łódź, the
large scale paintings
embellish some boring
and often run down
buildings in the city
center, giving them new
life and significance. At
the moment there are
more than thirty murals
in the town, much more
than ever appeared in
other Polish city. They
are created within
an artistic project
Urban Forms Gallery
by artists from all
over the world. There
are paintings by the
Spanish Aryz, Kenor and
3ttman, the Chilean
Inti, the Brazilian twin
brothers Os Gemeos, the Belgian ROA, the French Remed and the
Polish M-City, Tone, Proembrion, Etam Cru, Sepe and Chazme.
____
Do the residents of Łódź like the paintings covered the building
walls in their city ? Most people are impressed with the murals,
while the very small number of citizens think that such colourful
paintings do not match with an old and a bit neglected city center.
But the truth is that thanks to these large-format works of art
Łódź has become famous not only in Poland but also abroad.
____
Łódź street art has been recognized as one of the most interesting
cultural events in Europe by the Americans. ABC News prepared
and broadcasted a short documentary about the murals. In 2012
prestigious French magazine Graffiti Art ranked Urban Forms festival
30
Cu l t u re
one of the five most
important street art
events in the world. The
street art of Łódź was
also praised by the XA
Luan service in Vietnam.
Exercises
1. Read the text quickly
and choose the best
heading for each
paragraph.
A. What do people think
about murals in Łódź?
B. Where have they
appeared and what
have they won?
C. Murals in Łódź.
D. Murals in the past
and nowadays.
2. Read the text more carefully. Decide if these statements are
true (T) or false (F).
1. The Etam crew has three members. ...
2. They painted massive murals only in Poland. ...
3. There are more murals in Łódź than in other Polish cities. ...
4. Everybody likes murals in Łódź. ...
5. A short documentary about street art in Łódź was made by
ABC News. ...
6. Murals won some awards. ...
3. What is street art? Explain in three sentences.
4. What do you think about street art? Are murals nice and
necessary or ugly?
Culture
31
5. Complete the text below.
The city of Łódź in Poland (1)_______ promoting the work of
street artists from around the world (2)_______ a way of giving a
new cultural dimension to the city (3)_______ population is around
700000 inhabitants at the moment. Starting in 2009, the Urban
Forms Gallery has placed more than 30 large murals on elevations
in and around the city center.
The very successful public and private (4)_______ has attracted to
the town new businesses and investments, and of course tourists
who can (5)_______ a map to see the great street art works within
just a few hours. As an example of gathering together the artists
of different origin to create extraordinary artwork in (6)_______
of the reinvigoration of the inner city, this one seems to be very
successful.
The big group of (7)_______ than thirty works features artists
such as Remed from France, Os Gemeos from Brazil, Aryz from Spain,
and, along (8)_______ one Polish artist named M-City from Gdynia
and two Łódź’s talents Bezt and Sainer from the ETAM Crew.
1
a) are
b) has
c) been
d) is
2
a) by
b) as
c) like
d) in
3
a) that
b) which
c) whom
d) whose
4
a) partnership
b) sponsorship
c) relationship
d) friendship
5
a) find
b) watch
c) follow
d) track
6
a) service
b) support
c) care
d) work
7
a) beside
b) nearly
c) about
d) more
8
a) for
b) by
c) with
d) from
32
Cu l t u re
Culture
33
Light Move Festival
Lux Pro Monumentis Foundation established Kinetic Art Festival of
Light to introduce a change of the city’s image by light and modern
technology. The idea of Light Move Festival is to show how light can
enrich the urban space. The combination of unique local identity
and historical heritage of Łódź with modern technologies and art
provides an exceptional opportunity for promotion of the city.
Festival of Kinetic Art has been organised in Łódź since 2011.
The fourth edition was held in the heart of the city, including
Piotrkowska street, in October 2014 and gathered enormous
number of spectators. Nearly 300 000 citizens and tourists admired
spectacular multimedia 2D and 3D video projections, laser shows,
artistic light installations, architectural illuminations of some
buldings, performances and concerts.
This unique event is aimed at discovering the night face of Łódź.
Polish and international artists of light are invited to the festival
to present their exhibitions, colourful installations, breathtaking
interactive projections and video-art shows.
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Cu l t u re
The festival covers not only artistic and social but also educational
aspects. Students from schools of art are given the chance to
exhibit their works in public places.
Ex 1
Match the words (1-9) with their definitions (a-i).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
establish
enrich
urban
space
spectator
aim
cover
breathtaking
heritage
a) make something better
b) intend to achieve something
c) extremely beautiful
d) make something start to exist
e) the traditions, art, buildings, etc. that
are part of the history of a nation
f) include
g) someone who watches a public activity
or event
h) area
i) of a town or city
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35
36
Cu l t u re
Avant-garde art in Łódź
Constructivism in art
International Constructivism was initiated in May 1922 at the
Düsseldorf Congress of International Progressive Artists and in
September 1922 the Manifesto of International Constructivism was
issued. It was the strict opposition to subjectivity and individualism
as well as the dedication to the ‘systematization of the means of
expression’. Art was seen as‚ a method of organization that applies
to the whole of life’ and as ‘a tool of universal progress’.
Polish modern artists
By the mid-1920s Constructivist views were commonly shared by
artists in Holland, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland. In Poland,
Władysław Strzemiński and Katarzyna Kobro were the key figures
in the Block Group, a Constructivist movement. Their programme
put emphasis on ‘the inseparability of the problems of art and
society’ and recognized the need for ‘disinterested creation in art’.
They focoused on ‘the autonomy of the artwork and the need to
systematize artistic elements‘.
Władysław Strzemiński (21 November 1893, Minsk – 28 December
1952, Łódź) – Polish avant-garde painter, art theorist and educator.
Also, he is recognized as one of the pioneers of modern art in Poland.
He studied at Vkhutemas (the Russian state art and technical
school). Strzemiński was also a student of Kazimir Malevich
Unism - the new theory
In his paintings, Strzemiński looked for the unity of background
and image, which lead him to invention of Unism in 1927. This new
style in art showed ‚unity between the artwork and the place of
its creation‘. In his book called ‘The theory of vision’ Strzemiński
described his original art style which considerably influenced
Polish modern painting of the 20th century. He also initiated the
collection of modern art in museum in Łódź. Except for painting and
art theory, he was also interested in typography, town planning
and architecture.
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37
The bloom of art after the war
After the Second World War, most of Polish cities were destroyed
and dying out, but in contrary to this, the art was developing in
Poland. Strzemiński wanted to help artist and he began teaching
students in the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. The Academy created
in 1945, was renamed in honor of one of its founders, Władysław
Strzemiński, in 1988.
Katarzyna Kobro was born in 1898 in Moscow and died in 1951
in Łódź. She came from really multinational background - her
father was a German living in Latvia, and her mother was Russian.
However, she was educated in Moscow, she spent her adult life in
Poland. She was one of the most interesting female sculptors of
the 20th century and a woman ahead of her time in many ways.
Kobro’s abstract sculptures and spatial compositions were mostly
concentrated on the movement of a form into space. She added to
a three dimensional composition the colour (primary colours, black
and white) and the fourth dimension - time, since we need time to
look at and move around the sculpture. Besides abstract sculptures
she created lots of figurative compositions - women‘s nudes.
Exercises:
I. Complete sentences.
1. Władysław Strzemiński was born in ____ and died in ____.
2. He was an originator of _____________.
3. He studied at________ and was a student of___________.
4. In 1988 ____________________________________ was
renamed in honor of Władysław Strzemiński.
5. Katarzyna Kobro was born in ____ and died in ____.
6. She was a _____________.
7. She added ______ and _________ to her spatial compositions.
8. She also created ___________ sculptures.
II. Find in the text word to the definition.
1. not related to physical objects or real events and actions –
2. represents people, objects, and scenes, rather than representing
feelings or ideas –
3. people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly
with respect to art, culture, and politics –
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Cu l t u re
III. Describe the artwork presented below.
http://msl.org.pl
Katarzyna Kobro Spectial Composition (4) 1929
http://msl.org.pl
Władysław Strzemiński Unistic Composition 13, 1934
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39
1. Match the titles with
paragraphs. Two titles are
given extra.
A. General information.
B. Alumni.
C. Films.
D. Organization of the School.
E. Studies.
I. The National Film School in Łódź aims at educating future film and
theatre actors, directors, photographers, cameramen and also TV
staff. It was funded in 1948 with the idea to be moved to Warsaw
as soon as the capital city was rebuilt. Luckily enough for Łódź and
its citizens, the school remained at the place it was established,
quickly becoming famous not only in Poland but also overseas.
II. At Łódź Film School there are four departments: Film and TV
Direction Department, Direction of Photography and TV Production
Department, Acting Department and Film Art Organization
Production Department. Each faculty takes different time to
graduate from. Acting studies take 4,5 years but Screenwriting
faculty takes 5 years with the division into bachelor’s degree given
after three-year-studies and lasting 2 years master’s studies.
III. The school was created by famous Polish actor Leon Schiller,
who also became its first rector. Among the school graduates there
are lots of well known actors and directors such as Jan Machulski,
Julisz Machulski, Władysłw Pasikowski and even Oscar winners:
Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polański and Zbigniew Rybczyński.
2. Two famous graduates from National Film School in Łódź
Roman Polanski is a director, producer and also appeared in some
films as an actor, one of the widely recognized Polish people in film
industry. Although he was born in France, grew up in Poland. He
survived the Second World War. Very early he took up acting and
decided that he wants to make films. His first short films amazed
the public with originality, surreal sense of humor, and insight
into human nature. He is mostly known for ‘Rosemary’s baby’,
40
Cu l t u re
‘Chinatown’ and The Pianist’. He was given numerous awards,
such as Cesar Award and Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or and
was nominated few times to the Oscar Award, which he won for
directing ‘The Pianist” in 2002. He’s married to French actress
Emmanuelle Seigner.
Janusz Gajos is one of the best Polish actors. His first big role was
in a popular WW2 series “Czterej pancerni I pies” (Four Tankmen
and a Dog). He is best known for his roles in “Three Colours: White”,
“Interrogation” and “The Revenge” and recently appeared in highly
acclaimed by critics and awarded with Berlinale Silver Bear film
‘Ciało/Body”. Besides acting, his great passion is photography.
The first exhibition of his photos took place in Katowice in 2002.
After reading a short biography of Roman Polański and
Janusz Gajos, decide if the sentences contain true or false
information.
Polański’s first film was “The Pianist”
Gajos’ passion is painting Polanski’s wife is Emmanuelle Seigner Gajos took parts in comedy series Polański won the Oscar Award
Gajos played in “Rosmery’s Baby” TRUE / FALSE
TRUE / FALSE
TRUE / FALSE
TRUE / FALSE
TRUE / FALSE
TRUE / FALSE
3. Use the given words to complete the text.
Second World War, victory, Poland, declared, bombed, directed,
defeats, Star of David, Germany
„The pianist”
‘The Pianist’ is a drama film _________ by Roman Polanski, with
Adrien Brody playing the main character. The film was based
on the autobiographical book The Pianist showing the life of
the Polish-Jewish musician and composer Władysław Szpilman
during _______________ . The film was a successful cooperation
between _________, the United Kingdom, _________ and France.
The beginning of the story is the moment when Władysław played
in the radio studio in Warsaw but the studio was ________ by
Culture
41
Germans. It was September 1939, just the outbreak of World
War II. Szpilman hoped for a quick _______, but soon he learned
that Britain and France had ________ war on Germany. But Germany
________ Poland quickly and its troops entered Warsaw, where
life for Jews became unbearable: tragic and dangerous. The Nazi
authorities shut down or took over their businesses and made the
Jews to wear blue ___________ armbands...
4. Match the words with definitions.
a. a person who speaks their opinion about
1. Screenplay
2. Audition
3. Critic
4. Improvisation
something they have knowledge about
b. a short performance in which you act so that
someone can decide if you are good enough
to perform in a particular film or play
c. it’s a document that contains for e.g.
dialogues of all characters
d. doing something without preparation
5. Choose the correct form.
a.
The first film screening in history of Łódź took place on/at August
the 19th.
b.
Yesterday Mary went/ has been to the Museum of Cinematography
in Łódź.
c.
‘If I were/ would be I would take part in this casting’.
d.
Similarly to books, films also can give some advice/ advise and
teach the viewers.
e.
Making an animated film needs lots of slow/slowly work and
patience.
42
Cu l t u re
6. Answer the questions.
a. Do you know some films which were produced by graduates from
Film School in Łódź.
What do you think about those films?
b. What is your favourite film? Why this film?
7. Project
Do research on the Internet how a film is made. Ask your family and
friends if they know anybody who is in the film industry. Then use
the gathered information to prepare a project about the process of
film making. While preparing your project focus on:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Creation process
Casting
Marketing
Special effects
How long making a film takes
What does a producer do
Prepare your project in a form of the Power Point presentation.
Culture
43
Christmas in Poland
Christmas is a very special time for Christians
worldwide because it is the celebration of
the birth of Jesus Christ. Poland is a land
of intriguing traditions, superstitions, and
legends. Its people have always combined
religion and family closeness at Christmas time.
Gift giving plays only a minor role in the rituals,
emphasis being placed instead on making special
foods and decorations.
Traditionally, Advent is an important season in the Polish year, with
special church services held every morning at 6 am. People try to
be peaceful while waiting for Jesus to be born. The four Sundays of
Advent are said to represent the 4,000 years of waiting for Christ.
Some of the special things that people do during the Advent are
baking gingerbread and making Christmas decorations. Gingerbread
is formed into a great variety of shapes, including hearts, angels,
animals and St. Nicholas figures.
Beginning very early on Christmas Eve, a strict 24-hour fast is
observed which ends with a huge Christmas feast. In the evening,
families unite for the most carefully planned meal of the year, the
Christmas supper, called Wigilia. According to tradition, bits of hay
are spread beneath the tablecloth as a reminder that Christ was
born in a manger. The table is always set with one extra set, in case
a stranger or the Holy Spirit should appear to share the meal. In
honor of the star of Bethlehem, the meal cannot begin until the
first star of night appears. Once the star appears, a special rice
wafer blessed by the parish priest, called opłatek, is broken into
pieces and shared by all. Then, the meal can begin. The Christmas
Eve menu consists of twelve vegetarian dishes.
44
Cu l t u re
Poppy seed cake, gingerbread cookies, cheesecake, beet or dried
mushroom soup, dumplings stuffed with sour cabbage, carp, herring
and noodles with poppy seeds, honey and raisins, and dry fruit
compote are truly Polish Christmas foods.
After the meal people gather around the Christmas tree talking
and singing carols. Later, children check the beautifully wrapped
presents under the tree and give them out. Santa Claus might also
bring presents. Christmas Eve is finished by going to church for a
Midnight Mass service. The Christmas Days, the 25th and 26th of
December are often spent with family and friends, enjoying the
time together.
Answer the following questions.
1. What and when is Advent?
2. What do people do in Advent?
3. What is the most carefully planned meal of the year in Poland?
4. What is opłatek?
5. How many dishes does a Polish Christmas Eve supper consist
of?
6. Which fish is typically eaten at Christmas in Poland?
7. What is Midnight Mass?
8. What are some examples of Polish Christmas sweets?
9. What are traditional Christmas songs called?
10.What is the name of the typical Polish menu served on Christmas
Eve?
Look carefully at the coded letters and read the message:
! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ + = ? < > } { [ ] / - „
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U W Y Z
= ! } -
! ? $
) < { % > *
The answer is:
Culture
45
Polish Easter Customs and Traditions
Easter is the oldest and the most important Christian festival. It
commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Poland, this
holiday has a very strong religious significance.
The Easter season, a time known as Lent, begins 40 days before
Easter Sunday, on Ash Wednesday. On this day, when people go to
church, the priest puts ash on their heads as a symbol of death and
humility. During Lent, the custom is to stop doing things which you
like but aren’t good for you, for example eating sweets. You should
also be good to other people.
The last Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday and
commemorates Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. Palm Sunday, or Niedziela
Palmowa, is the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem and people
greeted Him with palm branches. Since real palm trees do not grow
in Poland, people make them of paper, dried flowers, grasses and
ribbons. Instead, lots of people go to church with willow branches.
However, making fake palm trees is a very old and popular tradition
and, in the south of Poland, competitions for the highest and most
beautiful palms are held every year.
The Holy Week begins after Palm Sunday. Maundy Thursday, or
Wielki Czwartek, the day which commemorates the Last Supper, is
the beginning of the Easter Triduum. On this day, there is a special
church service and this mass ends Lent.
Good Friday, or Wielki Piątek, is a significant day of the Holy Week.
On this day, people are not allowed to eat meat and sweets, or drink
alcohol. Some people only eat bread and drink water. Everyone
should go to church and pray because it is the day when Christ died
on the Cross. Before crucifixion Jesus was beaten, tortured and was
made to carry the cross. In the afternoon, symbolic tombs of Christ
are put up in churches, which are usually decorated by worshipers.
Visiting the tombs is one of the customs of Easter.
46
Cu l t u re
On Holy Saturday, or Wielka Sobota, people bring small, beautifully
decorated wicker baskets with some bread (in memory of Jesus who
was laid in the tomb), white sausage, salt, pepper, a few coloured
eggs and an Easter sugar lamb to church to be consecrated by
the priest. Dyeing eggs is one of the most popular and enjoyable
customs of Easter. There are a lot of traditional techniques used
for this occasion. Although we can buy special paints or stickers
at shops, a very old way of dyeing eggs is by boiling eggs in water
with onion peels, a tradition which is still practiced at many homes.
Eggs can turn yellow, red, light or dark brown, depending on the
amount of onion peel and time of boiling.
Holy Sunday (Wielkanoc) is the most important Easter day when
Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. Very early in the
morning, at 6 o’clock am, church bells ring very loudly and the
Resurrection mass is held. Afterwards, families gather for Easter
Breakfast, share blessed eggs and wish each other Happy Easter.
There are two main types of cake make on Easter. One kind is
a yeast cake baked in a special round shape called “baba”.
Culture
47
Another kind of cake is called “mazurek”, which is flat, circular or
rectangular, covered with very colourful and sweet icing, candied
fruit peel, raisins, almonds and nuts. Another kind of traditional
sweets is “pascha”, a dessert made of cheesecake made from soft
cheese.
The last day of the festival is Easter Monday (Lany Poniedziałek).
An old folk tradition we have on „Śmigus Dyngus Day” is that people
sprinkle each other with water.
Activity 1:
Unscramble the letters using the words from the word bank
below:
SPMLA
RSOCS
TELN
TSPIRE
TBAEKS
BOTM
OEESRCRURTSIN
SGEG
HRCUHC
ESHEACECKE
HSA
.........................................................
.........................................................
.........................................................
.........................................................
.........................................................
.........................................................
.........................................................
..........................................................
.........................................................
.........................................................
.........................................................
Activity 2:
Complete the sentences with the words:
Jerusalem, joy, bread, eggs, meat, Triduum, water, tomb, Christian
1. Easter in Poland is the most important ..................................
holiday.
2. One week before Easter we celebrate Palm Sunday (Niedziela
Palmowa), the day when Jesus rode into .....................................
and people greeted Him with palm branches.
3. On Maundy Thursday (Wielki Czwartek) it is the beginning of
Easter ....................................
48
4. On Holy Friday (Wielki Piątek) we don’t eat ...............................
5. Holy Saturday (Wielka Sobota) is day when Christ was laid in
the .......................................
6. The basket contains traditional food, first of all: ........................
which are painted in different colours and patterns and
............................ (in memory of Jesus).
7. The central day of Easter is Holy Sunday (Wielkanoc) is a day of
........................ because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
8. On Easter Monday (Lany Poniedzialek) we have „Smigus Dyngus
Day”. It is the custom of pouring .............. on one another.
Culture
49
What do you know about Christmas
and Easter customs and traditions of Poland?
Check your knowledge now !
1. What is the most traditional dish for Christmas Eve supper?
• Pizza
• Eggs
• Carp
• Doughnuts
2. What soup is the most popular for Christmas Eve supper?
• Tomato soup
• Cucumber soup
• Mushroom soup
• Chicken soup
3. How many dishes are served for supper on Christmas Eve?
• 7
• 12
• 13
• 16
4. What traditional cakes do Polish people eat at Christmas?
• apple pie and cheese cake
• apple pie and poppy seeds cake
• ginger bread and chocolate cake
• poppy seeds cake and cheese cake
5. What do we place underneath the tablecloth on the Christmas
Eve table?
• sand
• grass
• hay
• coins
6. When do we start Christmas Eve supper?
• with the moon rise
• at 7 o’clock pm
• when the first star appears in the sky
• with the sunset
50
Cu l t u re
7. Santa Claus gets into a house through:
• a door
• a window
• a chimney
• a keyhole
8. When are we given presents?
• on Christmas Eve
• on 25th December
• on New Year’s Eve
• on 6th January
9. Poles bring some food in decorated baskets to church for
blessing on:
• Palm Sunday
• Good Friday
• Holy Saturday
• Easter Sunday
10.How do Poles celebrate Easter Monday called ŚmigusDyngus?
• give presents to each
other
• pour water on each other
• throw painted eggs at
each other
• send cards with special
greetings
11.What
do
Poles
paint
colourfully at Easter?
• peanuts
• eggs
• buns
• willow branches
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51
‘Pierogi’
Dumplings (Pierogi) are one of the most popular dishes in Poland.
Dumplings are made of a thinly rolled dough and can be stuffed with
various fillings, also with mincemeat. Vegetarian dumplings are
made of mushrooms and cabbage. Especially this kind of dumplings
is popular during the Christmas Eve supper. According to the Polish
tradition, food must be meatless that day. Other kinds of dumplings
are sweet and can be filled with blueberries or strawberries as
well as dumplings filled with a sweetened cheese. They are very
delicious and popular especially during the summer.
Exercises
1. Put the recipe in the right order.
Ingredients :
• 3 cups of wheat flour
• half a teaspoon of salt
• 0.75 cup of boiling water
• 0.25 cup of cold water
• half a teaspoon of oil
• It takes 30-40 min to make about 30 pieces of dumplings
A. Cut circles out of the dough by using a cup. Place the filling in
the middle of every circle and fold it to form a dumpling.
B. After 5 minutes add a quarter of a cup of cold water, stir it.
Once again cover the dough with a cotton cloth, and set is aside for
15 minutes.
C. Pour 0.75 of cup of boiling water into the bowl, stir the mixture
with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with a cotton cloth and set
aside for about 5 minutes.
D. After 15 minutes add half a teaspoon of vegetable oil (sunflower
or olive oil). Knead the dough until it becomes smooth but
stretchy.
52
Cu l t u re
E. Pour 3 cups of wheat flour into the bowl. Pour the flour through
a sieve. Then add half a teaspoon of salt.
F. Now, the dough is ready to prepare dumplings. Before you start
rolling it out, you should flour the pastry board. Roll out the dough
on a pastry board (or simply on a table) until you reach the thickness
3 millimeters.
2. Describe what can you see in the pictures?
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53
Folk art from Łowicz
Two centuries ago in
Poland, paper cutotus
became a chip and handy
way to give some colour
and artistic flair to
very modest peasants’
houses. The technique of
making cutouts seemed
to be rather simple
since only manual skills
and
creativity
were
required. Those delicate, often lace-like designs were cut freehand
with the sheep shears. Thin single colour papers were folded
a few times. Basic shapes of birds such as roosters and peacocks
as well as flowers were first cut out and then opened up. Many
different regional styles of cutouts were developed, however folk
cutouts from Łowicz, a small town in Łódzki Region, were the most
distictive.
Other typical folk decorations from Łowicz area were mobiles made
of straw, crepe paper, ribbons and wool. They were called ‘pająki’
(spiders) and hung in the middle of the ceiling in the peasants’
houses.
Łowicz folk art still might be treated as a rich source of inspiration
not only for artists, designers but for everyone willing to try these
old techniques.
54
Cu l t u re
STUDENT’S TASKS
Supplies: thin coloured paper, glue, a pair of scissors, white and
coloured cardboard, Sellotape, some sticks and straws.
Make a simple one colour cutout
1. Fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise. Remember that the
coloured side must be inside.
2. Draw one half of the design (birds, trees, flowers, etc.) on the
folded paper. Your design may be fancy or just simplified even
geometrical.
3. The cutout must be one connected piece.
4. Cut the design precisely out and open the paper up so that will
form a symmetrical shape.
5. Place the final piece on white or coloured cardboard to contrast
with the cutout then glue it to the background.
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55
Make a round multicolour cutout.
1. Draw a circle on the coloured paper.
2. Cut out the circle.
3. Fold the circle in half, coloured side inside.
4. Draw a design on the folded piece and cut away parts that are
not elements of the design.
5. Cut out differently coloured smaller shapes and glued one on
top of the other. Each added colour must be smaller than the
preceding one.
6. Glue the finished cutout to a large square of white paper,
leaving a pretty wide margin around.
56
Cu l t u re
Make a folk art mobile
Your task is to design and make a mobile. While doing this task
follow some websites with examples of traditional folk mobiles
from Łowicz.
1. Using some sticks and straws design your mobile.
2. Draw some flower-like shapes on coloured cardboard. Cut
them out with scissors.
3. Attach the shapes to the sticks and straws.
4. Connect the units to have your mobile completed.
Culture
57
Natural environment of Łódzki Region
Compared to other big cities in Poland, Łódź has got very a specific
location. It is situated on the watershed, that is a border between
two river-basins. The watershed is not a subsidiary one, it is the
watershed between two biggest rivers in Poland - the Odra and the
Vistula river.
Geological and tectonic structure
Tectonic units in Łódź region developed in the Jurassic. In the
Quaternary the tectonic units were covered by deposits brought
here by ice-sheet, thus called glacial deposits. The thickness of
deposits in vicinity of Łódź varies greatly, from over100 m to few
meters only.
Mineral resources
Calc-marl rocks dated back to the Cretaceous are locally used as
building material, especially in areas of shallow occurrence of the
rocks. This takes place in some areas not far from Łódź. The whole
58
Nat u re
region is characterized by occurrence of Mesozoic geothermal
waters. They are higly-mineralized and their temperature reaches
around 60 ºC. On the grounds of the occurrence the new geothermal
lido have been found. It is situated in Uniejów, 50 km to the north
of Łódź.
The most important mineral resource of nowadays Łódź region
is brown coal. The coal is being worked on large-scale several
kilometers to the south of Łódź. Extraction of brown coal is of
crucial economic importance because it creates new workplaces
and implies the weathness of surrounding towns and villages.
In Quaternary glacier moved onto the region of Łódź two times and
arranged nowadays topography. It left huge layers of clay, sands,
gravels. These natural resources are easily accessible in regard
of cost effectiveness and because of their abundance. They are
practically inexhaustible.
It is worth mentioning that iron ores were extracted to the north
of Łódź, in Łęczyca.
Types of landscape
In the Łódź region two types of landscape are most common. One
is old-glacial and second is called the landscape of valleys and
accumulative plains. In the most eastern and southern edges of the
region there is the highland landscape.
N ature
59
Hydrographic system and the foundation
of industrial Łódź
There are 215 kilometers of the Warta River within Łódź
voivodeship. The biggest river of the region is the Warta. It flows
across the western part of the region. Second largest river is the
Pilica River. Its valley is very interesting as for its wildlife. The river
constitutes the eastern border of the province 30 km lengthwise.
The third largest river is the Bzura River. The springs of the Bzura
River are situated in close vicinity of vast Łagiewnicki Forest. It
flows to north by and large.
Before industrial revolution territory of nowadays Łódź was
abundant in young rivers. Men’s activities changed this. Due to
deforestation, urbanization and inappropriate drainage rivers of
Łódź hold by far less water than in the past. Some of the rivers
flow across northern part of the city. All these rivers played crucial
role in industrial development of Łódź. Abundance of water-rich
rivers was the main factor leading to a location of textile industry
in Łodź in the 20’s of the 19th century. Łódź owes its development
to springs and young rivers, present here about 180 years ago.
60
Nat u re
Climate
The climate in Łódź is temperate. It is characterized by moderately
cold winters and mild summers lasting for about three months.
Warmer half of the year (from May to October) is much less cloudy
than the colder half. The most frequent are western winds.
Thunderstorms occur mainly during summers.
Flora
The flora of the region is typical for Central Europe. There are
about 1200 species of vascular plants. Because of the elevation
above sea level, the nearest vicinity of Łódź is characterized by
presence of some mountainous species. One of them is Silver Fir
growing even within borders of Łódź. It is present in Łagiewnicki
forest (northern part of the city).
Fauna
Łódź region is not a distinct region as for its fauna. It has got
a transitional character. There are actually no species of endemic
animals. The best known are birds, fish and some groups of insects.
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There are many species of vertebrates in the vicinity of Łódź. One
of most spectacular species are black grouse and somewhat similar
hazel grouse. Łodź is a place when one can hear simultaneously songs
of two nightingales: Thrush Nightingale and Common Nightingale.
Species that increased its number is Raven. Formerly extremely
rare, now quite easy to encounter, especially in landscapes where
fields are neighboring with forests.
Among mammals there are species of big animals, such as deer and
wild boars. These are easy to observe. There are also mammals
which biology is not that well known These are: edible dormouse
and hazel dormouse. They are active during nights, very secret and
difficult to observe.
Exercise
Summarize the article very briefly in a form of a graphic presentation
for example a mind map.
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Nat u re
The Green City of Łódź
Parks in Łódź
In the past the area of Łódź
was overgrown by impassable
forests that was cut through
by some rivers and their
valleys. Since there were lots
of materials needed to build
the village and the moving
river water to give the energy
needed to drive machinery
people decided to settle
down there. And that way in
the place of the forest first
a village then the city grew
up. In the 19th century rich
industrialists proved that
it was possible to build big
textile factories and create
large parks at the same time.
For the decades of the 20th
century, when no one cared for our environment, Łódz was associated
with horrible air pollution that could even threaten its citizens with
breathing difficulties, asthma and other very serious diseases of
respiratory system. Nowadays, the factories are closed. Some of their
premises have been converted into apartments and offices or like Izrael
Poznanski’s factory into a big entertainment and shopping centre
called ‘Manufaktura’. Łódź has become a green city not only because
of Łagiewnicki Forest, which is the largest urban forest complex in
Europe located within the city and famous for the boar living there in
wild and the oldest buildings in Łódź - small wooden chapels. There are
also beautiful parks there. A lot of parks! Over 30! Most of the parks
remained as they were in the end of 19th century, giving us the same
pleasure as their founders and owners experienced.
Julianowski Park
Adam Mickiewicz’s Park is commonly known as ‘Julianowski’ after the
name of its founder - Julius Heinzel (1834-1895). His family moved
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63
to Lodz, probably from the area of today’s
Czech Republic, while his father was German.
Julius Heinzel built three magnificent palaces:
in Piotrkowska Street, in Łagiewniki and one
in Julianowski Park. Unfortunately, in 1939 it
was destroyed during the bombing. The most
interesting places in Julianowski Park are:
Scythemen’s Oak - the name comes from the
time of the National Uprising of 1863, when,
the insurrectionists gather together under the
oak, armed with scythes ready for the battle. This oak is 30m high and
4m in circuit. In 1984, the famous tree was written in the register of
national monuments. It is also worth noticing that the river Sokołówka
whose length is estimated to be around, 10.2 km flows through the park.
This is one of the longest rivers in Lodz. September 1939 it became
a seat for the staff of Łódź Army under General Juliusz Rommel.
Herring’s Park
Before World War II, there was a famous fish market there. At the
market, salted herrings were sold - one of the cheapest foods then.
And hence the name ‘Old Town Park’ was changed into Herring’s
Park. There is a big, covered with ceramic tiles sundial that shows
not only the time but a part of the Solar System too. It looks a little
bit like a slice of Swiss cheese but it shows the time precisely.
There are some important data as for Old Town Park:
• Old Town Park was created between 1951-1953. It covers 17
ha area.
• In the park, there is a monument of Moses to recall that the God
gave Moses two tables of stone with the Ten Commandments on
Mount Sinai. This monument marks somehow the presence of
Jews in this area.
• There is also a statue of Aleksander Kamieński – an author of
“Stones on the quarterdeck,” which tells the story of the Grey
Ranks scouts.
• In addition, in Old Park there is a plaque commemorating the
city rights granting for Łódź by Władyslaw Jagiełło in 1423r.
Helenów Park
This park was created by Charles Anstadt Junior, the son of the
founder of the largest brewery. Helenów Park was named after
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Nat u re
his wife Helen. Using a regulated river bed, two boats, the marina
boat ponds and a waterfall were created. There was a band shell,
a lookout tower, a cave of volcanic lava and a small zoo, where you
could see the bears and monkeys. Within the park there were places
to do some sports - cycling track, tennis courts and a playground.
No wonder that at the entrance road met the cream of Lodz’
society crowded to enjoy that unusual place and socialize there.
Unfortunately, the park was devastated during the First World
War. But today we can see the famous cave of lava. Some scenes of
famous Andrzej Wajda’s film ‘The Promised Land’ were shot there.
Matejko’s Park
There is one more magnificent park in Łódź – Matejko’s Park, which
is located just right next to the University of Łódz. This is the
only park in Łódz inspired by the very formal style of Versailles
gardens. The visitors to the park can stroll along amazing avenues
of hornbeam trees, large stretches of neatly trimmed lawn and
spherically clipped yews. It used to be a private garden of known
family of industrialists.
Źródliska Park
In Łódź, the magnificent private parks were established by welloff factory owners and were meant to be the perfect spot for
social life, recreation and music concerts. Soon after that, the rich
industrialists decided to create some parks also for their employees.
The first such a park was Źródliska Park – built in 1840. Its name
comes from the springs located in the park. The park, which is the
oldest one in Łódź, was arranged to resemble a romantic, English
park. In 2007 it received the Award for the most beautiful park in
Poland and the 5th in Europe. There is located Scheibler’s Palace
which is the seat of the Cinematography Museum now.
Piłsudski’s Park
Piłsudski’s Park was set up on the land that once belonged to the
urban forests. In the 20th century 300 000 new trees were planted
there and some ponds were dug. In the 30’s of the 20th century the
ZOO was built. In the park there is a monument commemorating the
revolutionaries who were buried between 1905-1907 in this place.
Today, the park and the adjacent areas are known as recreational
complex called ‘Zdrowie Park’. This complex includes: The Aquapark
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‘Fala’, the ZOO and the Nature Reserve ‘Konsatntynowskie
Polesie’.
Exercise 1.
Choose the correct answers: a, b or c (there may be more then one
correct answer!):
1) Łagiewniki Forest is the largest urban forest complex in ...
a. Poland
b. Europe
c. all over the world
2) How many parks are there in Łódz?
a. Less than 20
b. 27
c. Over 30
3) Which park is the oldest one in Łódz?
a. Mickiewicz Park
b. Źródliska Park
c. Piłsudski’s Park
4) The oldest building in Łódź is located in
a. Helenów Park
b. Łagiewnicki Forest
c. Piłsudski’s Park
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Nat u re
5) In Piłsudski’s Park there is
a. a palm house
b. a botanic garden
c. a ZOO park
6) Matejko Park is arranged as …
a. English garden
b. French garden
c. Japanese garden
7) Which of the parks are located in the Łódka river valley?
a. Helenów Park
b. Źródliska Park
c. Herring Park
Exercise 2.
In which park can we find it?
1) There you can see a boar in the wild.
2) In this park you can see the oak which is 30m high and 4m in
circuit.
3) In this park there is a big, covered with ceramic tiles a sundial
that shows not only the time but a part of the Solar System
too.
4) Some scenes of famous Andrzej Wajda’s film ‘The Promised
Land’ were shot there.
5) This park is located just right next to the University of Łódz.
Exercise 3.
Solve the crossword puzzle.
1) Where can you find some of the oldest buildings in Łódź?
2) Which style is characteristic of Matejko’s Park?
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67
Where was a famous fish market before world war II?
Who is an author of “Stones on quarterdeck”?
What may you use to check time in Herring Park?
What is the name of one of the greatest industrialist in Łódź
in 19th century.
7) Who built three magnificent palaces in Łódź?
8) Which park is placed next to the University of Łódź?
9) What’s the name of the Nature Reserve which is situated in Piłsudski Park?
3)
4)
5)
6)
Exercise 4.
Solve the rebuses below.
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
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Botanical Garden in Łódź
The Botanical Garden in Łódź has been open to visitors since 20th
July 1973. It is the largest botanical garden in Poland with an area
of 64 ha. It is located in the western part of the city. There are
about 3,500 plant species and its varieties in the garden. Plants
from warmer zones are kept in Palmiarnia – the Palm House. The
garden also has a varied fauna. You can see a lot of birds and insects
(some of them are protected species or endangered species). In the
Botanical Garden, there is a set of rules that everybody has to
follow:
• You mustn’t pick flowers or climb trees.
• You aren’t allowed to walk your pets there.
• Riding a bike and skateboarding are forbidden.
• Fishing and swimming are banned.
• The Botanical Garden can be visited from 1st April to 31st October.
Palm House
The history of exotic plants of The Palm House in Łódź is much older
than the history of the building. The oldest plants arrived in Łódź
in the second half of the 19th century. They were decorations for
artists, officers and factory owners in Łódź. In 1914, there were
some new plants added. They were put into a greenhouse. In 1955,
the palms were too big to stay in the greenhouse and it was rebuilt
as the Palm House. On 1.9.1956, the plant collection was opened to
the public. It was modernized for four years after 1999. Now, there
are lots of pavilions each housing different plants.
There are pavilions with sclerophyllus vegetation plants which
came from Mediterranean countries, the south-western regions of
Northern America, Southern Africa and South-Western Australia
(for example date palms, olives, eucalyptus trees, citrus, and coffee
trees).
In the vegetation equatorial pavilion, there is a collection of
flowers, such as orchids, and a collection of palms, such as banana
trees.
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In the pavilion of desert
plants, there are flowers
from the Sahara Desert,
parts of Australia, Northern
America
and
Southern
America. In that pavilion,
we can see plants like
cactus and a large number
of plants that can survive
in the desert.
Reasons for visiting the Botanical Garden:
• You can see 4½ thousand species of plants.
• You can walk through a lot of rooms with plants from all over
the world. You can feel what it is like to be in Australia, in
a desert, or in an African jungle!
• It’s good for people who want to learn something about plants.
The Zoo
The Zoo in Łódź has an area of 16.4 ha and is the eigth biggest
zoo in Poland. Because of the lack of documents, 1938, the year in
which the fence contruction was finished, is considered to be the
date of the Zoo opening. It is a good place for all families to spend
time together and for children to learn something about nature.
One can visit the Mini Zoo and see some domestic animals, like
goats and sheep, and take part in feeding them. When the kids are
playing, the adults can sit in a café and relax.
Here are some interesting things about our Zoo:
• On 19.04.13, lemurs arrived in Łódź.
• The first animal of the Zoo was a deer called Boruta, which ran
into the garden.
• The smallest monkey of the world was born in our Zoo. The little
pigmey monkey was only 7 cm long.
• Recently our Zoo was renovated, some enclosures were renovated
and butterflies were added.
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Nat u re
Exercises:
1. Read the text about the Botanical Garden carefully and
decide if the statements below are true (T) or false (F).
• The Botanical Garden has been visited by the public since
1946. ____
• There are about 3,500 bird species in the garden. ____
• You can visit the garden in May. ____
• Visitors are allowed to ride their bikes around the garden.
____
• The Botanical Garden encompasses 64 ha. ____
• You cannot pick flowers in the garden. ____
• It has been open to visitors since the 1970s. ____
• The Botanical Garden in Łódź is the second largest garden in
Poland. ____
2. Complete the sentences.
• At the beginning, the palm collection belonged to
______________ and ______________.
• The oldest plants arrived here in the ________________
century.
• In 1955, the palms grew ______________.
• The Palm House has _________________ pavilions.
• In the Palm House, you can see plants from
________________.
• There are _____________ plants species.
3. Read the text about the Zoo again and answer the
questions:
• What does the Zoo offer to families?
• What species of animals have arrived at the Zoo recently?
• How big was the smallest monkey of the world when it was
born?
• What was the first animal at the Zoo? How did it get there?
4. Write five sentences about what we can learn from a trip to
the Zoo.
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71
5. Guess what it is.
……………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………
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Łagiewnicki Forest
1. Read the text quickly and choose the best heading for each
paragraph.
A. Flora and fauna
B. Why “Łagiewniki”?
C. The Łagiewniki forest – where is it?
D. The perfect place to spend time
E. Its history
I. ...............................
Łagiewnicki Forest in Łódź is one of the largest forests in Europe
situated so close to the city. ............... (1) The landscape of the
forest is really very diverse with the hills high up to 260 meters
above sea levels.
II. ...............................
There are many various kinds of trees there,
mainly: coniferous trees, oaks, hornbeams, and
in the swampy valley of the Bzura River – ashes
and alders. Some oaks are 200-year-old natural
monuments. The forest is inhabited by about 500
species of insects and 115 bird species. The most
interesting and most precious are: turtle doves
and cuckoos. Wild game includes moose. .......(2)
III. ................................
The “Łagiewnicki Forest” nature reserve is located in the western
part of the Łódź Hills Landscape Park .............. (3). The first
settlements in this area go back to the 3rd century AD, Łagiewniki
was a servant village since the 14th century. Its inhabitants
delivered “łągwia” – wooden or leather vessels to store water. The
name of the village was derived from those vessels.
IV. ...............................
Moreover, Łagiewniki was an important resting point
for pilgrims walking from Pomerania to the Jasna Góra
Monastery in Częstochowa. In the 18th century, a brickworks
was built in Łagiewniki, where local loam and till were
used as raw material. The village often changed owners.
..............(4). After Second World War Łagiewniki became the
place to treat serious respiratory system diseases in tuberculosis
sanatoriums.
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V. ...............................
The area of the Łagiewnicki Forest with its diversified landscape is
a perfect site for cross-country skiing in winter and in spring, summer
and autumn – for trekking or cycling trips. There you can walk along
marked trails just not to get lost easily.
You can ride a bike, ride on horseback or
have a quick dip in the pond in nearby
Arturówek. .........................(5) Tourists are
also attracted by the historical buildings
in Łagiewniki: the Franciscan Monastery
and wooden chapels at the Hermitage. Two
wooden chapels of St Roch and St Anthony
date back
to
late
17th century and were built on the
water stream and possible water
source, a holy well. Some people
still believe that the water from
the chapels has extraordinary
healing properties. Nearby there is
the Franciscan Friary with a brick
church in the baroque style, which
became the most popular and one
of the most beautiful churches in
Łódź. .................... (6) Inside there
are magnificent altars, dripping
with gold decorations and the choir
with ancient organ pipes.
2. Some sentence have been removed from the article. Choose
from the sentences A-D the one which fits each gap (1-4).
A. One of them was Juliusz Heinzl, owner of the Łagiewniki
palace.
B. In its west part, there is Łagiewniki, a former servant
village, one of the oldest near Łódź, and currently a part
of the city.
C. It is the remainder of the Łagiewnicki Primary Forest.
D. The most precious fragment of the forest is protected as
a nature reserve.
E. Moreover, the church together with the monastery are the
oldest brick buildings in Łódź.
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Nat u re
3. Read the text carefully. Decide if these statements are
correct or incorrect. Correct those that are wrong.
A. The Łagiewnicki forest is outside the city of Łódź.
B. The most precious fragment of the forest is protected as
a nature reserve.
C. The forest was used as a resting point by pilgrims.
D. “Łągwia” means wooden or leather basket to store apples.
E. One of the owners of the village Łagiewniki was Juliusz Heinzl.
F. The forest is inhabited by about 500 species of insects,
including 23 endangered butterfly species.
G. Łagiewniki was a servant village since the 14th century.
H. Tourists are also attracted by the historical buildings in
Łagiewniki: the Franciscan Monastery and wooden chapels
at the Hermitage.
Some animals of Łagiewnicki Forest
Regardless of small distance
from the residential areas, the
Łagiewnicki Forest it is a seat for
many animals. Quite many of them
are big - like wild boars, some
of them very small - like pygmy
shrew. Some of them are easy to
spot - like squirrel, some of them
are extremely difficult to observe
- like pine vole.
The biggest and easy to spot
animals in Łagiewnicki Forest are
mammals: reo deer, foxes, and
already mentioned wild boars.
There are many rodents - although plenty of them leave in every
acre of forest, they are very precautious. Out of them one can
easily see squirrels only. But in the forest live many other rodents.
These are: water vole, field vole, tundra vole, yellow-necked mouse,
harvest mouse, striped field mouse and brown rat. Harvest mouse is
very rare in Łagiewnicki Forest
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There
are
several
carnivorous
animals
there. We can mention
the fox, quick and
effective
predator.
There is also a raccoon
dog, which comes from
Siberia. In Poland it
occurred and spread
as an escape from
bleedings.
Raccoon
dogs where bred there
for their furs. Other
carnivorous animals are:
badgers, pine martens,
polecats, stoats, least
weasels.
There are also other
kinds of mammals such
as hedgehogs. They eat
slimes and insects.
There are also some bats
in the forest. These are:
serotine bat, common pipistrelle and common noctule and brown
long-eaved bat. It is possible to spot them at dusks, when they fly
around trees to catch some flying insects.
There are also rabbits and hares in the forest. Rabbits can hide
in their holes when a predator species are trying to hunt them.
Hares avoid predators in a very different manner, they just can
run very quickly, disappearing in the bushes with an outstanding
speed. Out of birds, one can easily see nuthatches, woodpeckers
and blackbirds.
Of course, there is plenty of insects in the forest. Bees and ants are
common. During summer mosquitoes are more than easy to see. In
some places whole swarms of these insects seat on our skin to suck
our blood. Happily enough there are also some less troublesome and
more beautiful insects like different species of butterflies. Many of
them fly between flowers on clearings during spring and summer.
There is one more animal that might have appeared in Łagiewnicki
Forest. It is a beaver. Once very rare, nowadays spread all over
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Nat u re
country and may appear in ponds in northern and western parts of
the forest.
As you can see Łagiewnicki Forest is home for many species of
animals. Trees, bushes and smaller plants provide animals with
food and shelter. It is very important not to disturb animals and
not to destroy the plants in any way. When you are in the forest,
please remember that nature worked many years to create the
whole complicated conglomerate of different living creatures that
we call simply a forest.
Ex.1. Put the species in sequence from the biggest to the
smallest:
wild boar, rat, hare, squirrel, harvest mouse, fox.
Ex.2. Underline rodents (e.g. species that have teeth that grow
all live-span and have to be grated by grazing hard objects
such as nuts) in the list below:
rabbit, roe deer, water vole, badger, blackbird, ant.
Ex.3.When it is easiest to observe bats? Why is it so?
Ex.4. Please describe the differences in behaviour between rabbits and hares.
Ex.5. Which of the given species are bats? Underline them:
Bee, common pipistrelle, stoat, woodpecker, common noctule, wild
boar, hedgehog.
Ex.6. Which of the given are predators?
Fox, raccoon dog, roe deer, hare, pine marten, polecat, butterfly.
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Ex.7. Complete the text with the words found in the word
search below.
Łagiewnicki F_ _ _ _t lies within the city borders of Łódź and covers
1,200 ha, which is unique among European cities. The area commonly called Łagiewniki by the l_ c _ _s, is everyone’s favorite place for w_ _ _s, horse rides, and cross-country skiing in winter.
There are specially designated t _a _ _s for b _ c _ _ _e riding.
However, the area can offer more than an active holiday close to
nature. One of the oldest m _ _ _ m _ _ _s in Łódź sits right
there – the Franciscan m _ _ _ _ t _ _ y, the site for Catholic
pilgrimage, famous for the icon of St. Anthony, and the grave of
the s _ _ _ _ _ y monk Rafał Chyliński. In summer the church
organises music concerts. We can also visit two 18th century chapels dedicated to St. R_ _h and St. A _ _ _ _ _ y, situated in
a p _ c _ _ _ _ _ _ _e little valley close by.
>Search the words in bold from the text in the word-search
below.
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The legendary beginning of Łódź
Once upon a time, at the source of the Bzura River, there was a lot
of mud. A young man called Janusz dragged his boat through this
mud, towards the south and west. He hardly tried to go on. Then, he
arrived at the place where today we can find the old houses in our
city Łódz. There, Janusz felt as if his old boat was full of stones
and he could not move any further.
So he came out of the boat, brought out his bundle and relaxed
a little while. Later, he sailed to the higher, north shore. He climbed
a hill and looked around. Region seemed quiet and peaceful. Soon,
he wanted to make himself a place to sleep, to rest before next day
of his journey. It’s started raining but he was not discouraged by
it. He got some tree branches and put his boat on them. He used it
as a shelter from the storm. It became the first roof for a human in
this area...
In the morning, Janusz heard the voice of the forest. Birds were
signing all around, he heard the buzz of wild bees. The world around
him spoke:
‘...Here, you will stay, here you will have prosperous future – we will
be well together, nobody will find you here... I will give you work,
hard but permanent’, continued the forest. ‘You will have here trees
for timber, honey, and maybe even an animal...’
This appealed to Janusz. He stayed.
After a hundred, or maybe two hundred years people, when listening
to this story, as their brave and hard-working grand-grand-father
tore his way through with his boat which didn’t want to sail further
– called this place in memoriam – Łódź.
I. Are this sentences true or false? Try to correct the statements
that are false.
1. The name of legendary, hard-working founder of the city Łódź
was Janusz T/F
2. He floated down the Vistula River. T/F
3. A ghost spoke to Janusz. T/F
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79
4. He built his house out of wood. T/F
5. He was travelling with his wife. T/F
6. He put his boat upside down to survive heavy rain. T/F
II. Complete the sentences below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
He slept in the.................... which was the first shelter in the area.
At the source of the Bzura River there was a lot of .........................
Today’s area of Łódź used to be a forest .................................
The place Janusz decided to settle down was ............................
and ...............................
Historical beginning of Łódź
Łódź as a settlement came into being in 12th century and was
a possession of the king. This terrain was covered with wild
forests, rivers and hills. Before 1332 it was given to bishops.
At the beginning of the 15th century in the area, which is now
called Łódź, there were 2 settlements and 15 villages. On 29th
July 1423 under the privilege of Polish king Władysław Jagiełło,
Łódź was raised to the dignity of the city and bestowed with
the Magdeburg Rights. The citizens were given some rights, but
they also began to receive punishments for misdeeds. The main
occupation became craftsmanship. In 1534 the first census survey
was carried out. That is the source that gives us information that
70 families lived in Łódź then. The period of Swedish invasions
in the middle of 17th century led to partial depopulation of the
town. In 1739 number of citizens increased to 97 families. After
the second partition of Poland, Łódź was annexed by Prussia.
As an outcome of a secularization Łódź became a city belonging
to the government. After 1820, Łódź was in the circle of industrial
settlements and the main role of the city was weaving. A period
of Łódź’s dynamic period of development began then.
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III. Find the reference to the following numbers in the text
above:
12 - .....................................
15 - .....................................
70 - .....................................
97 - .....................................
1423 - .....................................
1820 - .....................................
IV.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Do the crossword puzzle.
During the reign of which Polish King Łódź received the city rights?
What Rigts was Łódź blessed with?
Which river shore did Janusz choose to stay overnight?
What is the name of the biggest Polish river?
Who spoke to Janusz ?
What river did Janusz swim?
1
2
3
4
5
6
V. Present a legend connected with your country’s history in
a form of a comic strip.
Storytelling using a sequence of pictures has existed throughout
history. Remember that a comic strip is a sequence of drawings
arranged to present a narrative with text in speech bubbles and
captions.
To create your own comic strip you will need: a piece of carboard,
pencils, pens, markers, ink, watercolours, brushes, a pair of scissors,
and adhesive suitable for paper. First decide on number of pictures
you will need to transform a story into a comic strip (4,5,6?) then
start drawing.
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VI. Look at a comic strip created by Julia from class Ie presenting
the legend of Janusz. Put the pictures in the correct order.
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Multicultural Łódź
The history of Łódź is a story of a multicultural and multinational
city. This fact distinguishes this city from other big cities in Poland
or even in Europe. Despite the difficult history of this part of Europe,
Poles, Jews, Germans and Russians found “The Promised Land” here.
Łódź had been the city where these cultures intermingled for one
and a half century and each of them left something behind.
The history of our
city began in the
Middle Ages. However,
Łódź
through
hundreds of years
was not important.
Everything
changed
in 1820. Two people
Stanisław Staszic and
Rajmund Rembieliński
had an idea to change
a small town into an
industrial land. From this moment Łódź has started to develop slowly.
Economic crisis was a reason of this situation. The government
introduced convenient rights
for immigrants who came to
Łódź from Germany. One of
them was Ludwig Geyer. He
built one of the first factories
in the city. We can see this
building today. It is called the
“White Factory”. It is a famous
Museum of Textiles now.
In 1865, after the “industrial
revolution”, Łódź observed years
of prosperity. A lot of German
and Jewish manufacturers came
to the city and built huge and
modern factories. The richest
manufacturer was German-Karol
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Scheibler. He built “a city inside the city” called “Księży Młyn”. It
consisted of factory buildings, a fire station, a hospital, a housing
complex for workers, school, shops and a residence for a director
of
the
factory
Edward Herbst (now
it is a museum which
presents
original
interiors).
Nowadays,“Księży
Młyn” is revitalized.
The
old
factory
buildings have been
changed into luxurious
apartments and the
old fire station has
been changed into offices. Old houses are still being renovated and in
the future they will be changed into restaurants, shops etc.
A Jew - Israel Poznański was the second richest manufacturer in
Łódź. He also built a huge complex of factories. Investors changed
this place into Manufaktura ten years ago. It is an arts centre,
a shopping mall, and a leisure complex which consists of shops,
a cinema, two museums, and a lot of restaurants. This place is a
symbol of Łódź. Poznanski also built a beautiful and great palace
near the factory complex. This building is the biggest manufacturer’s
residence in Europe! Now it is an impressive Museum of Łódź’s
History.
A lot of Russians
were living in Łódź
during this period
of time, because
this part of Poland
belonged to the
Russian
Empire.
They built three
orthodox churches
which we can admire
today. One of them
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was changed into a catholic one. The biggest is Alexander Newski’s
church which is one of the symbols of Łódź.
Polish were not great manufacturers but they were good workers.
They had to work in extreme conditions for low salaries, sometimes
14 hours a day.
The 19th-century Łódź was “the promised land” for every nation.
A lot of people came here to start a new life. However, after some
time they often changed opinion about this place. A lot of people
died in factories because work was very dangerous. Lots of citizens
also died due to starvation.
If someone wants to get to know more about life in the 19th century
we recommend reading Reymont’s book “The Promised Land” or
watching Wajda’s film under the same title, which was nominated
to the Oscar Award.
The First World War, which started in 1914, had tragic consequences
for Łódź. The city was occupied by the German army. They closed
almost all factories, took and destroyed all the machines. Rich
manufacturers tried to stop that process but with no result. When
the war ended the city industry was completely ruined. Łódź has
never returned to its former glory...
1. Match the people with the most important information about
them.
Karol Scheibler
one of people with an idea of changing
Łódź in industrial land
Stanisław Staszic
one of the biggest orthodox churches in
Łódź has the name of this person
Edward Herbst
the richest manufacturer in 19th century
Łódź, an owner of “Księzy Młyn”
Aleksander Newski
a Jew, the second richest manufacturer
in Łódź, a creator of a huge complex of
factories(nowadays “Manufaktura”)
Israel Poznański
the director of the factory in Schielber’s
“Księży Młyn”
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2. Complete the crossword. Then explain the password.
1. Łódź has never returned to its former glory because of the tragic
consequences of The First World …..
2. A group of buildings.
3. A place of mass production, where articles were made mainly by hand.
4. Wajda’s film: “The Promised Land” was nominated for an…..
5. In 19th century a part of Poland with city of Łódź belonged to
Russian….
6. Nowadays in Poznański’s palace there is a Museum of Łódź’s…….
7. One of nations that was living in Łódź in 19th century.
8. One of German immigrants, who came to Łódź and was given some
convenient rights from the government.
9. We can admire three…… churches in Łódź.
10. Polish workers in manufactures had to work for…. salaries and
sometimes 14 hours a day.
11. Advantageous transformation of an old buildings.
12. Łódź has come through an industrial…..
13. Since 1914 the city of Łódź has been…..by German army.
Password:
the
_ _ _ m _ _ _ d
_ _ _d
Explanation: ...............................................................................
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3. Who was living in Łódź in 19th century? What nationalities?
....................................................................................................
WORDPOWER (IMPORTANT WORDS)
4. Match a word with an appropriate definition.
Luxurious public praise, honor, and fame
Starvation death caused by having nothing to eat or not enough
to eat
Prosperity
the group of people who control and make decisions
for a country, state
Government
the process of making products by using machinery
and factories
Salary
very comfortable and expensive
Industry the state of being successful usually by making a lot
of money
Glory an amount of money that an employee is paid
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World War II in Łódź
World War II was the tragic
time for Polish nation and
for Poland as a country
which just regained its
independence
in
1918.
People suffered hunger and
lived and worked in very
inhumane conditions. Towns
and cities were bombed and
destroyed. Lots of Poles
were imprisoned, sent to concentration camps or just killed. Łódź,
called Litzmannstadt by Germans, was not an exception on the
map of occupied Poland. There are lots of remains of WW II in our
city. Among them there is Radogoszcz prison. Today this place is
a museum to the victims.
Radogoszcz prison
____
The building was a factory
built early in the 1930s
by Samuel Abbe. In August
1939 the Polish Army took
control of the building. Then
was used as a prison by the
German authorities during
the Nazi occupation.
_____
Since the factory had never
been used for habitation,
there were not any kitchens
and baths. A local charity
helped to built there
very basic facilities. Initially in the prison, all types of prisoners
including Jews were kept together. Later all Jewish prisoners were
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moved to the Łódź Ghetto. After January 1940 exclusively male
prisoners were kept there. In July 1940 the control of the prison was
taken by the local police. By this time some 500 of 2000 prisoners
had been executed. Some
of them were also sent
to concentration camps.
Altogether, over 40,000
people passed through the
gates of this exceptionally
tough prison. And until
today nobody knows how
many died.
____
As in January 1945 the Red Army (the Russian army) was about to
overrun Łódź, the prison staff began to exterminate the prisoners.
They shot the sick in the hospital but when they experienced
resistance, they set the entire building with 1500 prisoners inside
alight. Only 30 prisoners survived.
The only person blamed for crimes committed at the prison was the
commandant Walther Pelzhausen. He was executed in 1948.
1. Read the text and match the headings with the paragraphs.
a. As a prison
b. Final act
c. Before the war
2. Match the words and phrases in bold in text with the
definitions below
on fire
_______
only
_______
people that rule something
_______
living somewhere
_______
organization that gathers money for poor people _______
killed because of crimes
_______
people that are against something
_______
part of city where Jews lived
_______
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3. Decide if these statements are true (T) or false (F).
The building was built in 1930s.
It used to be a factory.
After January 1940, there were only female prisoners kept there.
Over 40,000 people were killed there.
The Russians burnt the prison.
Walther Pelzhausen was one of survivors.
Walther Pelzhausen was executed in 1948.
There were only 30 survivors.
4. Match the dates with the events.
a August 1939
b November 1918
c January 1945
d 1948
1. Poland regained independence.
2. Execution of Walther Pelzhausen.
3. Polish Army takes control of the factory.
4. The prison was burnt.
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__
__
__
__
__
__
__
__
Famous citizens of Łódź
Izrael Kalmanowicz Poznański was born in 1833 in Aleksandrów
and died in 1900 in Łódź. He was a prosperous textile industrialist
and a generous philanthropist in the late 19th century in Łódź. He
built textile factories and employed hundreds of people. After the
World War II they were nationalized and eventually transformed
into public utility buildings e.g. shopping center Manufaktura in
the 1990s.
Julian Tuwim was born in 1894 and died in 1953. He was
a Polish poet of Jewish origin, born in Łódź. He was educated in
Łódź and in Warsaw where he studied law and philosophy at the
Warsaw University. In 1919 Tuwim was one of the founders of the
Skamander group of avant-garde poets. He was a highly-recognized
poet in Polish literature, admired for his poems about Łódź and
exceptionally great contribution to Polish children’s literature.
He was awarded with a prestigious Golden Laurel of the Polish
Academy of Literature in 1935. The monument called “Tuwim’s
bunch” is located in Piotrkowska street to honor this great poet
born in our city. Here is an excerpt from his famous poem “Polish
Flowers” describing Łódź:
A box with paints from childhood’s time:
The colors of town are earth and grime.
An old worker at a dark doorway squats,
The spuds in his bowl are powdery dry.
It’s a face of yellowish and gray spots
In the midst of hunger, cold, dirt and slime.
Arthur Rubinstein was born in 1887 and died in 1982. He was a
Polish classical pianist. He was internationally acclaimed for his
interpretations of the classical music and was regarded as one of
the best Chopin interpreters by the New York Times. He played in
public for eight decades.
Jan Machulski was born in 1928 and died 2008. He was a Polish
theater director, as well as a film and theatrical actor. He was a
graduate from the National Film School in Łódź and the Polish
National Acting School. He appeared in more than 45 films and 70
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theater roles. His idea was to create the Walk of Fame inspired by
Hollywood’s one. The collections of brass stars with the names of
famous Polish film actors and directors just embedded in pavement
right in the middle of Piotrkowska street has become one of the
tourist attractions of our city.
Tasks for you
1. Read the text again and mark the sentences T (true) or
F (false). Compare your answers with a partner.
1. Izrael Poznański was born in 1887 in Aleksandrów.
2. Julian Tuwim studied law and philosophy.
3. Arthur Rubinstein was a Polish violinist.
4. Jan Machulski appeared in more than 70 film roles and 45
theater roles
2. Answer a question.
Who…
… was described by The New York Times as one of the greatest pianists
of the twentieth century?
………………………
... provided jobs to many people? ………………………
… was of Jewish descent? ………………………
… died in the 21st century? ………………………
3. Complete the sentences.
Izrael Poznański was one of the most important people in Łódź in the
late …… century.
Julian Tuwim
.....................
was
educated
Arthur Rubinstein played
……………………… decades.
in
……………….…….
............................
in
and
public
in
for
Jan Machulski came up with an idea of a Polish version of
………………………………. in Łódź.
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4. Solve the rebus below and find out the name of one of the
famous citizens of Lodz. What have you learnt about him?
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