3 Best Sights in Poland

Opened in 2014, the center is much more than a museum. Yes, it does have a rather brilliantly done permanent exhibition telling the story of the Solidarity movement and the Polish roads to freedom—it is a great introduction to the country's contemporary history. But the center has another mission: to commemorate and keep the message of the Solidarity movement alive and current and to nurture its ideals of democracy, open society, and dialogue. The exhibition itself provokes the visitor to think and to participate. The center organizes conferences and educational programs, and has an impressive library. It also provides homes to several NGOs that are working toward the common good, freedom, and human rights. The building's interior is a beautiful space, an exciting piece of modern architecture that is strongly reminiscent of the industrial past. From spring through autumn, you can enjoy the panoramic views of the post-Shipyards area and Gdańsk Old Town from the observation deck on the roof. Sometimes, especially on important anniversaries, you may have a chance to meet the former Shipyard workers—participants in the democratic opposition movement—who will act as your guides through the exhibition and tell you their story (and Poland's recent history) in their own words.

This model city within a city was founded by the Scheibler and Grohman industrialist families, who were initially competitors but who have been partners and owners since 1921 in the largest cotton mill in Europe. Księży Młyn (or Priest's Mill) was a model industrial village with production facilities, shops, a fire department, hospital, school, railway station, residential quarters for the workers, and the owner's palace surrounded by a park. Today, it serves an interesting mix of new functions: offering luxury suites in the former factory building, a museum in the palace, and poorer housing mixed with artists' studios and galleries in the workers' quarters, where the "gentrification" progresses more slowly.

The palace (Rezydencja Księży Młyn)—called the Herbst Villa or Rezydencja Księży Młyn—under the management of Museum Sztuki, is now open to visitors, who can marvel at the fabulous and expensive taste of the early capitalists. It was home to Edward Herbst, Karol Scheibler's son in law, who lived here with his wife Matylda. In former stables, there is a small but excellent gallery of 19th- and early 20th-century Polish paintings. The palatial villa stands in a lovely, well-kept park, where you can enjoy a cup of tea or a glass of wine; on a cold day, drinks and snacks can be had under the roof, in the winter garden.

EC1 was the oldest power plant in Łódź, operational from 1907 to 2001. Since it closed down, this postindustrial area in the very center of town has received a second life, and it will continue changing and developing for another decade or so. In 2016, the brand-new planetarium opened its doors in one of the buildings, which looks like a group of space rockets ready to be launched. The Planetarium is just one part of a larger redevelopment project for the area.