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Monuments in Łódź
Arthur Rubinstein’s Piano
Arthur Rubinstein’s Piano

Born in Łódź in 1887 the dapper Jewish pianist Arthur Rubinstein
stands out as one of the finest musicians of the 20th century. Like
professional spod Albert Einstein, the young Rubenstein did not start
speaking until he was three years old, choosing instead to
communicate via non-speech sounds such as grunts and squeaks –
apparently one of the traits associated with genius. He made his debut
in Berlin in 1900 and spent much of his life touring the world and
dazzling audiences, settling in London during WWI and then going
even further, to the USA, when WWII kicked off. Although he toured
extensively the annihilation of much of his family in the Holocaust
prompted him to promise to never again perform on German soil. He
continued to play up until 1976 when failing eyesight forced him into
retirement, though his ailing health did little to stop the silvery lothario
from leaving his longstanding wife for the arms of a younger woman.
He finally passed away in 1982 with his ashes scattered in Israel in a
forest named in his honour. His fleeting presence in Łódź is honoured
by a bronze statue of him that stands outside the house he was born in.
When it was originally unveiled it doubled as a music box, though
complaints from local residents soon led to the music being
permanently muted.
Jaracz's Chair

Unveiled on June 10, 2006 here’s yet another work from the hand
of Marcel Szytenchelm. Melded from bronze this number depicts
Stefan Jaracz (1883-1945), a distinguished star of the Polish stage.
For years he served Warsaw’s Ateneum Theatre as director, as well
as being a bit of a name in the theatres of Łódź. He survived
wartime imprisonment in Auschwitz only to die months after
liberation in 1945. This monument sees our man sat on a theatre
chair, with three vacant spots next to him for the benefit of those
who’ve just trekked it up Piotrkowska.
Julian Tuwim’s Bench

Łódź-born Julian Tuwim (1894 - 1953) was
a Jewish writer and poet who studied law
and philosophy at Warsaw University and
was the co-founder and leader of the
Skamander group in 1919. A major figure in
Polish literature, best remembered for his
contribution to children's literature,
Wojciech Gryniewicz’s comical statue
dates from 1999. A favourite meeting spot,
children like to sit on his lap and it’s
considered good luck for lovers to rub his
nose.
Julian Tuwim’s Bench
The Lamp Man
The Lamp Man

Appearing in September 2007 Marcel Szytenchelm’s latest creation is the rather
curious figure of a bloke climbing a ladder to fit a bulb onto a streetlight. Weighing more
than a tonne the monument was unveiled to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the
first electric streetlight to appear in the city. Replacing the old gas fired streetlamps
Łódź’s first electric light was once found on this very spot, right outside what was in
those days regarded as the most exclusive shop in town – the American ‘Diamant
Palace’.
Three Factory Owners
Three Factory Owners

Łódź is generally believed to be the creation of three visionary industrialists,
celebrated here in a bronze statue dating from 2002. The three men in
question are the Jewish philanthropist and industrialist Israel Poznański
(1833-1900), Henryk Grohman (1862-1939), industrialist and patron of the
arts and Karol Schreiber, creator of the city’s extraordinary Księży Młyn.
Three Factory Owners

Łódź is generally believed to be the
creation of three visionary industrialists,
celebrated here in a bronze statue
dating from 2002. The three men in
question are the Jewish philanthropist
and industrialist Israel Poznański (18331900), Henryk Grohman (1862-1939),
industrialist and patron of the arts and
Karol Schreiber, creator of the city’s
extraordinary Księży Młyn.
Władysław Reymont’s Trunk

Polish writer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1924.
Brought up in the town of Tuszyn, close to Łódź, his early life
proved inauspicious, with his only formal certificate of education
being a qualification as a journeyman tailor. Refusing to make use
of such a skill he ran away from home to join a traveling theatre,
though financial practicalities forced him to return to his family
where he worked for a while as a gateman at the railway crossing
near Koluszki. The job failed to grasp his imagination and he
worked for a while as a medium alongside a German spiritualist,
before once again joining a theatre group. The publication of his
work Korespondencje in 1892 saw another career turn and he
traveled to Warsaw to pursue a life of writing. Over the following
years he became one of Poland’s most prolific and admired writers,
and his book Chłopi beat the likes of Mann, Hardy and Gorky to
claim the Nobel Prize. Like his book Ziemia Obiecana, Chłopi is a
moral tale presented to a background of gritty, industrial-age Łódź.
He died the following year in 1925.