Łódzkie: The Heart of Poland Beats in Slow Rhythm. Film Capital, Hot Springs, and Blue Reserves

The Łódź Voivodeship is the biggest surprise on the tourist map of Poland. It lies in the very center, everyone passes through it, but few stop. This is a mistake.

If you get off the highway, you will discover a region full of contrasts. On the one hand, post-industrial, artistic Łódź, which delights with an atmosphere like from New York, on the other – the wild nature of the Pilica valley and the magical gardens of Arkadia. This is the perfect destination for "slow travel" because everything is close from here.

1. Łódź: City of Film and Murals

Łódź has undergone one of the most spectacular metamorphoses in Europe. It is a city that has a soul.

• Off Piotrkowska and Księży Młyn: Instead of just walking along the main promenade, turn into the gates. Off Piotrkowska is a creative hub with the best restaurants and design. Księży Młyn, on the other hand, is a "city within a city" – a historic workers' housing estate, which is today an oasis of peace and greenery.
• Street Art: Łódź is the Polish capital of murals. Gigantic paintings on the walls of tenement houses create the largest open-air art gallery in Poland. Map of murals in hand and go for a walk!

2. Blue Springs and Spała Forests

Just an hour's drive from Łódź is a miracle of nature that looks like something out of a fairy tale.

• Blue Springs Reserve: In Tomaszów Mazowiecki, water springs from the limestone bedrock, taking on an unnatural, blue-turquoise color. You can see pulsating "geysers" of sand at the bottom. This place is most photogenic at dawn when mist rises over the water.
• Spała: Former residence of tsars and presidents. Spała Forests is a huge forest complex, perfect for cycling. The famous Spała Hubertus hunts take place here, and the Pilica River offers one of the most pleasant kayaking routes in lowland Poland.

3. Uniejów: Thermal Relaxation

Who said you have to go to the mountains for thermal baths? Uniejów is the first thermal health resort in Poland. Hot brine extracted from a depth of over 2 kilometers has healing properties. The swimming pool complex at the foot of the 14th-century Castle of the Archbishops of Gniezno is a great option for regeneration, especially on cooler days.

4. Arkadia and Nieborów: Romanticism in Pure Form

If you are looking for a place for a romantic walk, you won't find a better one than Arkadia. It is a garden founded in the 18th century by Helena Radziwiłłowa. It is full of artificial ruins, Roman aqueducts, and temples of contemplation, integrated into the natural landscape. Right next to it is the Palace in Nieborów – one of the best-preserved magnate residences in Poland. Time flows much slower here.

5. Załęczański Landscape Park: Jurassic Vibes

In the south of the region, the landscape changes. This is the "Łódź Jura". The Warta River creates a picturesque Great Arc here, breaking through limestone hills. You will find caves, limestone monadnocks, and xerothermic grasslands here. It is a wild area, not very popular, and ideal for those who want to escape from civilization.

6. Tastes of the Promised Land: Zalewajka

Łódź cuisine is workers' cuisine, simple but filling and delicious. The queen is Zalewajka – a soup based on sourdough with potatoes, bacon, and mushrooms. It tastes different in every home, but it always warms you up. It is also worth trying goose meat, for which the region is famous, and local ciders produced from apples from local orchards.

Summary

Łódzkie is an unobvious region. It does not overwhelm with tourist kitsch, it is authentic and diverse. You can drink coffee in a post-industrial loft in the morning and cut through a wild forest in a kayak in the afternoon. If you are looking for a place to rest that will surprise you, choose the center of Poland.