Łódź, whose history dates back to the 15th century, is the second largest city in Poland, with a population of around seven hundred thousand people.

It is located 130 km (85 miles) south-west of Warsaw, almost in the very centre of Poland. Its short yet remarkable history is closely linked to the growth of the textile industry – even today its most characteristic sights include late-19th-century neogothic factories and well-preserved, magnificent villas and palaces of former factory owners, now turned into museums or sites of various cultural and educational institutions.

Łódź is not only an important industrial centre, but also a city of culture, often referred to as the capital of Polish film. The most renowned Polish film directors such as Krzysztof Kieslowski, Roman Polanski and Andrzej Wajda are all graduates of the world-famous Łódź Film School.

Despite the fact that Lodź is an industrial city, it has the largest urban green areas in Poland, among them Łagiewniki, the biggest municipal park in Poland, with two wooden chapels and a Baroque monastery. Since 1945 Łódź has been an important academic centre with a number of state-run academic institutions, among them the University of Łódź.