Łódź revitalized

Invited by the City of Łódź and the World Art Foundation, Luxembourgian architect Rob Krier will prepare a project for the revitalization of Łódź's post-industrial districts.

"Krier's views, experiences and output speak to the experience of this town and to what we want to do here," says Marek Lisiak, the president of the department of town-planning and architecture of the Łódź City Council.

The city's new cultural center will be created on 90 hectares located in the city center near the railway station Dworzec Fabryczna. According to preliminary plans, the train station will be moved underground, with the platforms hidden under the middle of the new district, to be called Rynek Fabryczny (Fabryczny Market). Next to the market, a congress center with 4,000 seats will be constructed, designed for large cultural events such as the Camerimage Festival or the Dialog of Four Cultures festival, as well as for trade fairs. The former heating plant in the vicinity will be transformed into the Cultural Center of the World Art Foundation. Besides that, places for museums, art galleries, restaurants, pubs and luxurious apartments will be found.

The Łódź project is only the latest in Krier's distinguished career of city redevelopment, as he has designed huge parts of the Hague and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and Potsdam, in Germany. His efforts have met with success, which allows local authorities to hope that Krier's plans will enliven Łódź.

"We imagine that there will be great architecture and a lot of public space such as markets, squares, and those elements which create the character of a town. We hope the atmosphere will be maintained," said Lisiak.