Lódz, city, central Poland, administrative center of Lódz Province. The city, second in population only to Warsaw, is a transportation center with rail and air facilities. Lódz is the textile center of Poland and has several hundred textile mills. Other industries include the manufacture of metal products and chemicals. The city is the site of the University of Lódz (1945), three museums, and other cultural centers. Lódz was chartered in 1423; it passed to Prussia in 1793 and to Russia in 1815. It remained a small town until the early 19th century when the first textile mills were built. Lódz was returned to Poland in 1919. During World War II, Lódz was incorporated into Germany, and much of the population was deported. Population 812,300 (1997 estimate).
