The Poznanski family vault in Lodz's atmospheric Jewish cemetery

Lodz comes over like a grey, battered post-communist backwater living in the shadow of its resplendent past.

The second largest city in Poland, in the 19th century, Lodz was a prosperous industrial centre and cosmopolitan metropolis.

The city fell under Nazi occupation during World War II and the city's Jews (35% of the population) were herded into a ghetto and all but annihilated in nearby death camps, primarily Auschwitz-Birkenau. With them died Lodz's spirit and thriving textile industry.

Unlike other Polish cities, Lodz failed to pick itself up after the fall of communism. But in recent years, with European Union funding and a renewed civic pride, Lodz city is once again becoming an attractive and fascinating destination for travellers.

Lodz's pride and joy is Piotrkowska Street - a seven kilometre promenade and shopping precinct that is the longest such boulevard in Europe. During the German occupation when Lodz was renamed Litzmannstadt, Piotrkowska Street was renamed Adolf-Hitler-Strasse and photographs from the period can be seen in the excellent Museum of History of the City of Lodz. The museum is housed in the former palace of Izrael Poznański, one of the city's most notable textile moguls. Upstairs is an impressive collection of Polish and international 20th century art. 

On the outskirts of Lodz lies Europe's largest Jewish cemetery. Established in 1892, approximately 160,000 people are buried in this 40-hectare plot. The cemetery is crammed with the ornate gravestones of rabbis, doctors, teachers and social activists, as well as the sombre unmarked graves of countless Holocaust and ghetto victims. 

During the war, Lodz was home to Poland's second largest Jewish ghetto (after Warsaw), and the boundaries of the notorious 'Litzmannstadt Ghetto' is today marked on the footpath.  On the edge of town at the old train station, you'll also find a harrowing memorial to the Jews who were sent from here to Auschwitz-Birkenau and other death and concentration camps. Two of the cattle cars which were used to transport Jews are now stationed here.  

Closer to town near the Old Market Square lies the Decalogue Memorial, a tribute to Jewish-Polish coexistence. Indeed, Jews are starting to trickle back into Lodz, opening kosher restaurants and hotels and reviving religious traditions in a city once known for its magnificent synagogues.

Lodz Airport is serviced by regular Ryanair flights from England and Ireland.