Centralne Muzeum Włókiennictwa

About the museum

The idea of a textile museum in Łódź emerged in 1946, as the city had been the country’s largest centre of the textile industry since the 19th century. In 1952 a Weaving Department (Dział Tkactwa) was set up within the Muzeum Sztuki (Museum of Art), and in 1955 it moved into Ludwik Geyer’s Biała Fabryka. It became an independent institution several years later; since 1975 it has been called the Central Museum of Textiles, and since 2013 its full name has been Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź. Its founder and first director was Krystyna Kondratiuk.

Biała Fabryka is a classicist complex in which Łódź’s first mechanised cotton spinning and weaving mill was established, one of the most beautiful monuments of Polish industrial architecture. Individual wings have been revitalised and adapted for exhibition purposes. The museum presents textiles as a field of art, industry, fashion and everyday life, and its collections include, among other things, textile machines and tools, industrial fabrics, historic textiles, clothing and one of the largest collections of contemporary artistic textiles in the world.

The museum grounds also house the Łódź Urban Culture Park (Łódzki Park Kultury Miejskiej), formerly the Skansen of Łódź Wooden Architecture. Eight historic buildings from Łódź and the surrounding area stand here along two cobbled lanes, and in five wooden houses the permanent exhibition “Łódzkie mikrohistorie. Ludzkie mikrohistorie” is shown. Since 1972 the museum has organised the International Triennial of Textile Art, one of the most important events in the world devoted to artistic textiles.

Highlights

• Biała Fabryka of Ludwik Geyer, a classicist monument of industrial architecture
• Permanent exhibition “Miasto–Moda–Maszyna” (City–Fashion–Machine) across three floors
• Łódź Urban Culture Park with wooden houses and the exhibition “Łódzkie mikrohistorie. Ludzkie mikrohistorie”
• “Sala maszyn w ruchu” (Machine Hall in Motion) with working weaving machines
• International Triennial of Textile Art and one of the largest collections of artistic textiles

Permanent exhibitions

• Miasto–Moda–Maszyna – Exhibition across the three floors of Building A that tells the story of the city and its residents through fashion, textiles and machines.
• Łódzkie mikrohistorie. Ludzkie mikrohistorie – Exhibition in the wooden houses of the Łódź Urban Culture Park that presents the history of multicultural, textile-producing Łódź from the perspective of everyday life.
• Ostatnie lato – Exhibition in a wooden summer villa about rest and leisure time in the 1930s.

Founded

1960

Operated by

Samorząd Województwa Łódzkiego

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Wednesday (permanent exhibitions)

The prices given apply to one permanent exhibition (standard PLN 22, reduced PLN 15); temporary exhibitions have separate prices. Each exhibition ticket also gives access to the Kotłownia (Boiler House) building and the exhibition “Sala maszyn w ruchu”. Holders of PKO BP cards receive a 10% discount. Free admission is available to, among others, children under 7, holders of the Karta Polaka, museum employees, and members of ICOM, ICOMOS and CIMAM.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

All exhibitions and events take place in spaces accessible to wheelchair users. Building A has a lift, and accessible toilets are located, among other places, in the Kotłownia and in Building A. Entry to the Kotłownia requires climbing two high steps or using cobbled ramps, and the courtyards are paved with cobblestones. All houses in the Łódź Urban Culture Park have ramps; only the wooden church, which has no exhibition, is not accessible. At the ticket office you can borrow audio guides with audio description, tablets with a guided tour in Polish Sign Language (PJM), and noise-cancelling headphones. Quiet hours apply on the last Thursday of the month from 16:00 to 19:00.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Workshops for children aged 3–5 and 5–10, accompanied by a carer, are offered for families. The exhibition “Sala maszyn w ruchu” shows the work of a weaver. The cobbled courtyards make it difficult to move with a pushchair.

Getting there & parking

Bicycle racks are located at both museum entrances. On request, a museum employee will go out to the tram stop to meet visitors with disabilities (contact the Education Department).

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

The café and bistro serving Italian cuisine in building Ł (Łaźnia, the Bathhouse) is run by an external tenant. The museum shop has its entrance from ul. Piotrkowska. Free cloakrooms are located in building D and in the Kotłownia.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The museum rents out halls and conference spaces.

Plan your visit