Day 8: Abandoned prison? Nah, that's my primary school...

Monday was our last full day in Łódź.  We started off the day's sightseeing by going to the textile factory district (or "Księży Młyn" in Polish).  The textile industry was the major thing going on in Łódź throughout the 19th century.  The city is apparently selling off quite a number of these abandoned factories and they are being converted into office, retail, and otherwise commercial space.  The interesting thing is that the City of Łódź retains control over all design and architectural decisions made with these properties.  This ensures that such a historical aspect of the city's growth will be retained appropriately.  I do have to say, they seem to be doing a great job with the renovations.

Next up, we went off to visit what would have appeared to be an old abandoned prison that's no longer fit to even house prisoners.  Yup, that's right... that's the impression you would get if you saw my primary school.  The building is in tatters, paint and plaster peeling off everywhere, rusty bars over many windows, etc.

We finished the day's sightseeing with a trip along Piotrkowska street; formerly the major retail street in Łódź.  With the rise of modern shopping centres, the street apparently has lost some of it's shopping glamour.  However, it still has a large variety of shops, restaurants, and cafes along it and is still quite busy.  A good portion of it is even pedestrian only!

Renovated textile factories, now housing office, retail, and commercial space for rent:

Polish automotive engineering at it's finest (from purchased Fiat plans):

Prison or school?  You guess...

Many mansions such as this line Piotrkowska street: