Culture

For the last few days a part of the main Piotrkowska Street was closed and turned into a construction site of a stage which hosted a big pop concert last night.
I won't delve into the details of the so-called stars taking part in this carnival-ending event, as it's not really my kind of entertainment. This post is supposed to be about culture, anyway. And, believe it or not, we've got plenty of it here in Lodz. We've got so much culture, that we have decided to compete for the title of the European Capital of Culture in 2016.



There are many cultural events taking place in Lodz throughout the year, among them many festivals. Let me list just a few. There's the Festival of Dialogue of Four Cultures in September, focusing on the multicultural past of the city, when Poles, Jews, Germans and Russians lived and built the city together, presenting music, theatre and other arts related to those cultures. The film traditions of Lodz are cultivated by Camerimage (November/December) - the one and only international festival honouring the art of cinematography, attended by international movie stars & directors. For photography fans there's the International FotoFestival in May. As we're talking about "-graphy" festivals, let's not forget about the International Festival of Comics - great place for all comic books fans. There's even more visual goodness at the Lodz Design festival.


I could go on and on and on about all those cultural events, as there's a host of other theatre, music, performance, and other art-related thingies happening all year round in Lodz. I'll update this post with more details when I feel like it.

Cycling

It's still a cold February, but I swear that a few days ago I could smell Spring in the air - so I cleaned the dust off my bicycle, and promised myself to ride it to work every day from now on.

So I thought I might post something about biking in Lodz. Saying that Lodz is a bicycle-friendly city would be a serious overstatement - especially in the dense city center - however things are beginning to change. Not only there are lots of people using this two-wheeled, muscle-propelled vehicle, (riding their bikes with style, depicted on Lodz Cycle Chic photoblog) , but there are also a few NGOs fighting their way through the hard heads of City Office clerks to improve the quality and quantity of bike lanes in the city.
And let us not forget about the popular transport on the main Piotrkowska street - the rickshaws! Fearless rickshawmen ride up and down the street even in the worst weather conditions. There's even a nice catchy song about them - "Lodzer Rickshaw Man" by Ziemowit Kosmowski sung in English.


Finally, the city is planning to introduce city bikes that you can rent in numerous stations located all over the city - a great idea for tourists who like to do some sightseeing on two wheels.

Oh, I forgot - I had to break my own promise, winter struck back, and I'm not such a cycling fanatic to ride a bike in a blizzard.

Art nouveau

Hey dudes and gals (all two of you), time for some more rambling about the one city of its kind, the city of Lodz. Actually, it's the City of Łódź, and if you've been wondering how to pronounce it, check out this cool promotional clip with a catchy tagline.

So, would you? I hope so, I don't want you to miss all the Art Nouveau goodness. Łódź is the only Polish city listed in the Réseau Art Nouveau Network, next to Barcelona, Vienna and La Habana. Neat, huh? We've got loads of art nouveau (or "Secession" as we call it) elements all over the city centre. Some of them are not so obvious and easy to find, so it's a great idea to take a stroll around the downtown and scan the building facades in search of the gorgeous detail.