Księży Młyn in Łódź. Scheibler Factory and Palace and Herbst Palace

The king of cotton, who was Karol Scheibler, settled in the 19th century at Księży Młyn in Łódź. He created here not only a factory, but a large, self-sufficient, industrial city. Designed in the style of English industrial settlements. There was a spinning mill, warehouses, gas stations, railway sidings, a firehouse, but also a hospital and a school, which was extremely rare. And on top of that, there were families, i.e. workers' houses made of brick. We know similar buildings in Silesia, but they are called familoki in our country. And you will find the most beautiful one in Nikiszowiec in Katowice.

Famuły. Workers' houses at Księży Młyn

Families stood in 3 rows, and there were 25 of them. Up to 3,000 residents lived in them. They were not luxuries. The smallest apartments were only 24 square meters, and sometimes even 12 family members lived in them. The squeeze was amazing. The toilets were outside, as were the cell phones, because the houses had no basements. Today, beautifully revitalized families still hide apartments, but to a higher standard. Also, the longest spinning mill in the city was dedicated to apartments. But these are already luxury lofts.

Koci Trail and Tourist House at Księży Młyn

At the consumers, that is, the former shops, there is the Cat Trail, because in the past cats used to catch shop mice here. Figurines of kittens are to be standing here in a short time. For now, you can enter one of the famils for a workshop on making mascots from... socks and more. Great. That's number 12. There is also a Tourist Centre with souvenirs, guides and antiques. You can order a guide here, Mrs. Monika Gajek (501-459-305). We highly recommend it!

Karl Scheibler's estate at the time of his death was estimated at 14 million rubles. It was therefore slightly larger than the Jewish king of cotton. On the other hand, he had a more modest palace, at least from the outside.

Scheibler Palace - Museum of Cinematography

In Scheibler's palace, a museum was organized telling about the beginnings of native, and not only, cinematography. The use of many optical and film inventions can be checked here, e.g. a photoplasticon from 1900 works here. Among the souvenirs is the original Oscar, won for the film "Ida" directed by Paweł Pawlikowski.

Strolling through subsequent, very interesting exhibitions, you can also admire the magnificent, preserved  interiors of the palace. Particularly noteworthy are the beautiful ceilings and magnificent stoves. The most beautiful I've ever seen! Many of these rooms played in movies. Well, how not to take advantage of such greatness.

Museum Herbst Palace - a branch of the Museum of Art at Księży Młyn

The interiors of Herbst's palace are a true masterpiece and a wonderful arrangement. The property is not large, but the beautiful interiors deserve your attention. It houses a branch of the Museum of Art in Łódź, which seems an ideal idea. The most beautiful is the Hall of Mirrors. Here you can see what a huge splendor the industrialists of the turn of the century lived in.

Edward Herbst initially worked for Karl Scheibler as the director of his factory. He later married his eldest daughter, Matilda, and, together with the cotton king's sons, managed the estate after his death.

It is worth knowing that Edward and Matilda's daughter, Anna Maria, died when she was less than 10 years old. Matilda devoted a lot of her property and time to the operation of hospitals. She founded the first pediatric hospital in Poland, which operates to this day. She received the Golden Cross of Merit for her charity work.

Gallery of Early Art in the Carriage House

A Gallery of Early Art was opened in the Carriage House next to the palace. You will find wonderful paintings here, including beautiful, classic works by outstanding painters such as Matejko, Tetmajer or Wierusz-Kowalski. We got to know the figure of the latter better by visiting Suwałki.

At Księży Młyn, next to the lofts in the Spinning Room, enter the atmospheric T.25 cafe, while in the nearby Park Źródliska, near the Scheibler Palace, there is a pleasant cafe and restaurant Tubajka. It is famous mainly for sweets, but you will also have a homemade dinner, in very cozy interiors, in comfortable armchairs.

Księży Młyn - interesting facts

• In the series "Commissioner Alex", the police station was located in the historic fire brigade building at Tymienieckiego Street on Księżym M.
• In the film "Promised Land" on the pavement in front of the school, Priest M. shot the scene of the workers' rebellion
• The rivalry of industrialists was visible, Poznański had the highest spinning mill, while Scheibler had the longest spinning mill. These are interesting monuments of Łódź. Their estates were also of similar value, although Scheibler boasted a slightly higher value.
• Although these lands were under Russian occupation, the Scheibler railway track gauge had a European dimension of 1435 mm (the so-called standard gauge).
• To this day, all the first-born male descendants of Karol Scheibler I receive the name Karol.

Accommodation

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Practical information

Current visiting hours and ticket prices of the Museum of Art can be found at: https://msl.org.pl/muzeum-palac-herbsta/
Current visiting hours and ticket prices of the Museum of Cinema can be found at: https://muzeumkinematografii.pl/

Księży Młyn
ul. Przędzalniana, ul. Tymienieckiego i inne
Muzeum Pałac Herbsta - Oddział Muzeum Sztuki w Łodzi
ul. Przędzalniana 72, Łódź
Scheibler's Palace - Muzeum Kinematografii
pl. Zwycięstwa 1

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What's worth seeing in the area?

You don't have to travel far to find more interesting places. Within a radius of 100 kilometers, there are many attractions waiting for you that will certainly enrich your stay Your trip with additional memories.

• Piotrkowska Street in Łódź, distance: 2.1  km
• Łódź, distance: 2.4  km
• Manufactory in Łódź, distance: 3.8  km
• Zoo Łódź with Orientarium, distance: 5  km
• Mandoria, distance: 11.9  km
• Płock, distance: 88.7  km