Stary Cmentarz w Łodzi

The Old Cemetery in Łódź (Stary Cmentarz, pronounced "STAH-ry TSMEN-tash"; Łódź sounds roughly like "woodge") is the city's oldest surviving burial ground and one of the most striking monuments of its industrial past. On about 21 hectares, Catholic, Lutheran and Orthodox sections lie side by side, filled with the tombs of the textile barons who built 19th-century Łódź, including the soaring neo-Gothic chapel of Karol Scheibler. It is a quiet, atmospheric place to understand how this multicultural factory city came to be.

Where it is and how to get there

Łódź is in central Poland, about 135 km (85 miles) southwest of Warsaw; fast trains from Warsaw take roughly 1.5 hours. The cemetery is just west of the city center on Ogrodowa Street, a walk of 15 minutes or so from the Manufaktura shopping and leisure complex. Trams run along Ogrodowa; street parking nearby is paid.

History

The cemetery was founded in 1855 for the three Christian communities of the booming town. Today the Catholic part covers about 11 ha, the Lutheran (Evangelical-Augsburg) part about 9 ha and the Orthodox part just under 1 ha. Since 2015 it has been part of a national Historic Monument, "Łódź – multicultural landscape of an industrial city", and more than 200 tombs are on the heritage register. Buried here are members of the Scheibler, Grohman, Geyer, Kunitzer and Kindermann manufacturing dynasties, along with scientists, doctors and artists; the Orthodox section holds mainly Russian imperial officials and soldiers. The Lutheran part is also the resting place of Ira Aldridge, the 19th-century African American Shakespearean actor who died in Łódź while on tour.

What to see

• Karol Scheibler's chapel (1885–1888), a neo-Gothic masterpiece by Edward Lilpop and Józef Pius Dziekoński, the cemetery's most valuable monument; the interior has been under restoration for years and is usually closed
• the Heinzel family mausoleum (1899–1904), neo-Renaissance with a green dome, designed by Franz Schwechten
• the Gojżewski chapel, built into the wall between the Catholic and Orthodox sections: the husband was Orthodox and the wife Catholic, so they lie on either side of the wall
• fine funerary sculpture such as the angel on Sophie Biedermann's tomb

Allow 1–2 hours for a relaxed walk. Signage at the gates is in Polish, so a little background before you go helps.

Opening hours and admission (as of October 2026)

• Entrances: Ogrodowa 39 (Catholic), 41 (Orthodox) and 43 (Lutheran)
• Hours: April–October 8 am–8 pm; November–March 8 am–5 pm
• Admission: free

This is still a working cemetery: keep quiet, do not step on graves and avoid photographing funerals. Paths are mostly unpaved, which can be hard with strollers.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you are interested in architecture or industrial history. On November 1 (All Saints' Day) the cemetery glows with thousands of candles, and volunteers have collected money for restoration every year since 1995. Combine your visit with Manufaktura and the Museum of the City of Łódź in Izrael Poznański's palace.