Every city has its legends — Łódź, thanks to its rich 19th-century history and tragic 20th century, has many. Below eight stories you won't find in standard guidebooks. ## 1. The Ghost of Izrael Poznański The great cotton magnate died in 1900 in his palace (today the City of Łódź Museum). For decades witnesses claim to hear footsteps in the library at night, and guards report seeing an old man's silhouette at the window. Legend says Poznański returns to check on his factories and count his fortune. The museum organises "Night tours with the ghost" every Halloween. ## 2. The White Lady of Herbst Palace Herbst Villa (today MS1 Art Museum, Przędzalniana 72). Legend tells of a factory owner's wife who died in childbirth in 1888 and whose ghost returns in a white dress to the ballroom. Staff have reported strange events over the years — doors opening, paintings falling, cold air on sunny days. ## 3. Jewish Cemetery — largest in Europe 40 hectares, 180,000 graves. The last burial was in 1954. Mausoleum of Izrael Poznański (1902) — Neo-Romanesque building with a golden Byzantine mosaic. The final trace of a great community that vanished at Auschwitz in 1944. Open daily 8-16, free entry (men with head covering). ## 4. Radogoszcz — a place of memory Zgierska 147. A former Nazi prison where in the night of 17-18 January 1945 the Germans murdered 1,500 prisoners before leaving the city. Bodies were burned inside the building during the Wehrmacht's evacuation. Today: Museum of Independence Traditions. ## 5. Mysterious tunnel under Piotrkowska A 19th-century legend speaks of a tunnel linking Poznański's palace with Scheibler's factory at Księży Młyn — 3 km of underground passage. Factory owners were said to meet at night to conduct business without witnesses. In 2018, during renovation of Piotrkowska 88, tenants found a mysterious passage in the cellar, reigniting the speculation. ## 6. Widzew Factory tragedy of 1892 In July 1892, a steam boiler exploded at Kunitzer's factory in Widzew. 47 workers died, over 100 were injured — the biggest industrial tragedy of 19th-century Łódź. A modest monument stands in nearby 3 Maja Park. ## 7. Treasures walled up in factories For years stories have circulated about Jewish valuables walled up in old Łódź tenements — families were said to have hidden jewellery in walls before being deported to the ghetto in 1940. In 2014, during Off Piotrkowska renovation, a small chest of silver tableware with the Grosstadt family monogram was found and passed to the City Museum. ## 8. The Curse of Manufaktura Poznański's workers were said to declare during the 1898 strike: "This factory has no heart, it will never rest." Legend says Manufaktura can never be empty — someone must always be inside, or something bad will happen. To this day the Manufaktura square is illuminated 24 hours and staffed by security and cleaners around the clock. Coincidence, perhaps.