The Ludwig Geyer White Factory is a complex of industrial
buildings formerly owned by Ludwig Geyer, the most famous
entrepreneur in Lodz. He was born in Berlin, but chose Lodz as a
place to live and work, where all conditions were created for the
development of the textile industry. In 1835-1838, Geyer built the
White Factory here, where the first steam engine in the city was
installed. In 1848-1853, the factory, the only fully mechanized
textile enterprise in ód with a full production cycle, reached an
unprecedented flourishing. By that time, 3 steam engines were
working here.
The Ludwig Geyer White Factory was called White
because of the color of the walls. The building was covered with a
layer of plaster, which was no longer done during the construction
of later industrial facilities. First, the main building of the
factory was erected, to which in 1838 a three-story pavilion with
workshops was added. In 1848, another three-story building appeared
on the territory of the factory. A boiler house was built in the
yard of the factory, which is now called the Old. You can also see
two water towers here. There is a beautiful pond to the south of the
complex.
The idea to give the old industrial facilities a
second life came from the city authorities in 1946. By 1955, the
Central Textile Museum was founded here, where several permanent
exhibitions are held. One is dedicated to old tools and machines for
the production of textiles. The second tells about the history of
the White Factory, the third introduces fashion up to the 20th
century (about 230 men's and women's outfits and accessories are
presented), the fourth tells about the fabrics produced from 1945 to
our time.
In 2009, the Open
Air Museum of Wooden Architecture was founded next to the White
Factory, where buildings traditional for Lodz and its surroundings
are collected.